The College Record 2022

y sub-fusc clad students in Exam Schools, after two years when that had not
happened. It has, consequently, been a year where both tutors and students have
had to learn and relearn a lot, but on the whole successfully. Queen's Historians have
enjoyed the greater freedoms of this year, and the opportunities for socialising across
year groups provided by our new History Society have been warmly welcomed.
Amidst a year of much administration and organisation, research has inevitably
taken a back seat. I have continued to make some slow progress on my book
(The Rise of Christian Kingship) and have got two smaller publications out: a journal
article on political thought in early Irish biblical commentaries and a book chapter
on medieval origin legends. I tried out my medieval tour of Oxford on some students
on a sunny, busy afternoon in Trinity Term; while not yet perhaps at a professional
slickness for which I can charge, hopefully this can become an annual event,
reminding students of rich historical landscape in the middle of which we are all
lucky enough to work.
Reports and College Activities
Credit: John Cairns
Chris O'Callaghan (Medicine)
As the pandemic has receded, there has been a
progressive return to normality over the academic year.
Perhaps the University clinical departments have been
slow to return to complete normality because of the
relationships with the hospitals, which continue to reel from
the impact of COVID-19. I have obtained grant funding to
develop our understanding of the molecular mechanisms
underlying the inflammatory aspects of atherosclerosis and additional funding to
develop our technology for the assembly of large DNA molecules. A textbook of
medicine that I have been working on for some years is now in production and will
be published next year.
Credit: John Cairns
Richard Bruce Parkinson (Egyptology)
For the centenary of the discovery of Tutankhamun’s
tomb, I have acted as lead-curator for an exhibition of
Howard’s Carter’s archive at the Bodleian, ‘Tutankhamun:
Excavating the Archive’ (14 April 2022 – 5 February 2023).
This was opened on 12 April by Sherif Kamel, the Egyptian
Ambassador to the UK, and had over 62,000 visitors in the
first four months; press has concentrated on our focus on
the Egyptian team-members. I was editor and lead author for the accompanying
book, which has also had a German edition. A program of events will run through
the anniversary itself in November, and in connection with this, I have provided
College Record 2022 | The Queen’s College 21