Univ Record 2017

Special Supernumerary Fellows
PROFESSOR TAMSIN MATHER, Special Supernumerary Fellow in Earth Sciences,
travelled to Packmoor Ormiston Academy in Stoke-on-Trent to help launch the Primary
school platform of VotesforSchool.
A research team led by PROFESSOR BARRY POTTER, Special Supernumerary Fellow
in Pharmacology and Professor of Medicinal and Biological Chemistry, has discovered
a new endogenous cellular signalling molecule which may play an important role in
disorders such as gout, obesity and diabetes.
Professor Potter has lectured on his anti-cancer drug discovery work at major
international conferences, as well as engaging in a lecture tour of UK universities as part
of his Royal Society of Chemistry Biological & Medicinal Chemistry Section 2nd RSC-
BMCS Lectureship Award in Medicinal Chemistry. He also presented three posters at
the Oxford Cancer Research UK Centre’s 6th Annual Symposium, one of which won
the prize for work with the “Most Translational Potential”, and was invited to join the
Scientific Advisory Committee of the Lister Institute of Preventive Medicine.
Two clinical papers also reported on Phase II Cancer Research UK-sponsored human
clinical trials on breast cancer patients with Professor Potter’s sulfatase inhibitor drug,
Irosustat, given for the first time in combination and alone in early breast cancer. Both
trials demonstrated clinical benefit, providing impetus for future trials.
Senior Research Fellows
PROFESSOR GIDEON HENDERSON chaired a Royal Society working group assessing
the potential and risks associated with two new classes of ocean resource: metal-rich
minerals, and marine genetic resources. The resulting report was launched at the
Commonwealth Science Conference in June 2017.
BILL ROSCOE turned 60 in December 2016. This was the occasion for a Festschrift
meeting held over two days in January, with a dinner held in Hall. It was organised
by Tom Gibson-Robinson and Philippa Hopcoroft (both with Univ connections) and
was attended by about 80 people including Sir Tony Hoare (Bill's supervisor), his Univ
contemporary Steve Brookes (whose own 60th birthday Festschrift Bill attended in May
2016) and most of Bill's former research students.
Bill took partial retirement just after his birthday and is now setting up several
ventures: one (Cocotec) with Tom and Philippa, one (Cydefence) with OM Isaac Livne
and is travelling frequently to China after setting up a FinTech Lab (Chieftin Lab)
in Shenzhen, China, where he has been made co-chair of the city's Internet Finance
organisation's consultative committee.
Junior Research Fellows
JOSEPH LACEY, Junior Research Fellow in Politics, has published a book called
Centripetal Democracy which explores democratic legitimacy and political identity in
Belgium, Switzerland, and the European Union.
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Former Fellows
PROFESSOR GAVIN SCREATON, Special Supernumerary Fellow in Molecular Biology
and Lecturer from 2000-2004, has been appointed the Head of the Medical Sciences
Division. He is a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences, a Fellow of the Royal
College of Physicians, a member of the Association of Physicians, and was made a
Founder Senior Investigator in the National Institute for Health Research. He also sits
on the MRC Strategy Board.
PROFESSOR ANDREW WHITEHOUSE, Scott Family JRF for Autism from 2007–
2009, has been awarded the Eureka Prize in Australia, the highest scientific prize in the
country for a young researcher.
Honorary Fellows
PROFESSOR NICOLA LACEY (1979, Law) was awarded a CBE for Services to Law,
Justice and Gender Politics in the 2017 New Year's Honours List. Professor Lacey is
School Professor of Law, Gender and Social Policy at London School of Economics and
Senior Research Fellow at All Souls College, Oxford
CHRISTINA LAMB (1983, PPE), talked about her friendship with Malala Yousafzai and
outrunning the Taliban, in an interview with Honi Soit.
Lecturers
DR MICHAEL ABECASSIS, College Lecturer in Modern Languages, has received an
Award of Excellence from the University for 'consistently demonstrating exceptional
performance'.
DR RICHARD ASHDOWNE has published a book called Latin in Medieval Britain
which examines key issues arising from the use of Latin in Britain from the 6th to the
16th centuries. He also talked about the influence of French on the English language on
BBC Radio 4’s Word of Mouth.
The latest book by DR JAKUB BENEŠ, Univ Senior College Lecturer in Modern History,
Workers and Nationalism, was published in December with Oxford University Press.
DR MATTHEW CHEUNG SALISBURY, Lecturer in Music, was acting precentor
of Worcester College Chapel this year. He also published Medieval Latin Liturgy in
English Translation and, in collaboration with the National Trust, directed the music for
a historically informed soundscape of a medieval Mass which can now be heard in the
chapel of The Vyne, a recently refurbished stately home near Basingstoke. The chants of
this ‘Lady Mass’ will be published as the first chant volume in the series Early English
Church Music by the British Academy later this year. Over the summer Matthew recorded
part of a BBC TV History of Evensong.
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