The Rev'd Jonathan Collis, Acting Dean of Chapel and Chaplain

Jonathan is an old member of Selwyn, who read Classics and then Theology at the end of the 1980s. During his time as a worshipper in the chapel he was confirmed, and after a year in the Solomon Islands with the Melanesian Mission and five years issuing special marriage licences for the Archbishop of Canterbury went to Westcott House back in Cambridge to train for the ministry. He did a curacy in St Neots, and then spent seven years at Jesus College as chaplain and twelve years in the somewhat different milieu of Southend on Sea as a vicar before returning to Cambridge. He is now Rector of St Botolph's church at the end of Silver Street, whose parish includes Newnham College though for some historical reason carefully skirts Selwyn. His wife, Judith, is senior tutor of Wolfson College, and they have two daughters. He is very pleased to be covering Arabella's maternity leave.

Matt Ralph, Assistant Chaplain

Matt originally studied the Classics Tripos at Gonville and Caius college before working as an IT Consultant for various public- and private-sector clients. Matt followed a long-neglected call to ministry in 2019, coming to Ridley Hall in Cambridge and studying Theology Tripos (Part II) and an MPhil in Old Testament examining the use of methods of divination in 1 Samuel. He has worked as a Parish Priest in Grays, Essex, and the surrounding villages. He is thrilled to be coming to Selwyn, to work as Assistant Chaplain in the College, and to study a part-time PhD on purity and bloodguilt in the Old Testament histories at the Divinity faculty.

Matt is married to Lydia, a civil servant, and they have two young children and a crazy golden retriever. He loves classical music and has sung in various chamber choirs. His time in the Parish has also seen him dabble at being a terrible organist/guitarist. Matt and family love taking holidays in their classic VW camper-van, but sadly the engine recently exploded (nobody was hurt). They look forward to being back in Cambridgeshire and Matt is excited to meet the Selwyn college community.

Rebecca Wilson, Chapel Administrator

College room: Old Court D7B
Telephone: 01223 746 950
Email: chapel-administrator@sel.cam.ac.uk

Rebecca joined the team in June 2022, following a period of pandemic-extended maternity leave. Prior to this, Rebecca worked as Family Missioner for her local parish church, and is experienced in administration in many industries including travel, events, and museums. She is Mum to three lively children, Eli, Kit and Daisy, and spends the time when she is not at work playing with them! Recent additions to the family include two beautiful rescue cats, Tikka and Madras. She is a deacon of her local Baptist Church, which would appear to take up any remaining 'free time'. 

Sarah MacDonald, Director of Music

College Room: Old Court Old Archives
Telephone: 01223 335 877
Email: seam100@cam.ac.uk

Sarah came to the UK from her native Canada in 1992 as Organ Scholar of Robinson College, Cambridge, after studying at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto with Leon Fleisher, Marek Jablonski, and John Tuttle.  At Cambridge she studied the organ with David Sanger. She has been at Selwyn since 1999, and is the first woman to hold such a post in an Oxbridge Chapel. Sarah has made over 40 commercial recordings, variously in the guises of pianist, organist, conductor, and producer; she is a winner of the Royal College of Organists (RCO) Limpus Prize. Sarah is a regular director for Rodolfus Choral Courses, and has taught on Oundle for Organists, the Jennifer Bate Organ Academy, courses run by the RCO, and the Girl Chorister Course at St Thomas’ Church Fifth Avenue, in New York City and well as other residential choral courses in the States. She is a Fellow and Examiner of the RCO and a sought-after Fugue supervisor. She is also well-known as a composer, with over 100 published titles, and her liturgical music is performed worldwide. She is also Director of Ely Cathedral's Girl Choristers and Organist to the University of Cambridge. She held the office of President of the Royal College of Organists from 2024-2026.

Caille Sugarman-Banaszak, Choir Administrator

College Room: Old Court Old Archives
Telephone: 01223 331 395
Email: cps29@cam.ac.uk

Caille first came to Selwyn in 2001 where she completed both an MPhil (2002) and PGCE (2004) in History. Moving on to the glorious world of Secondary School teaching, she taught at the Parkside Federation in Cambridge until 2008. She then realised that music performance and organisation (something she always pursued) were more in line with her vision of the future. An active choral singer and soloist in both Cambridgeshire and Suffolk, she regularly sings with Cantilena Singers, directs the Lanwades Hall Players, and is a regular principal with the Swaffham Bulbeck Summer Theatre. She can be found in the choir music office three or four mornings a week.

Kim Chin, Percy Young Senior Organ Scholar

Kim is in his second year reading Music and studies with Stephen Farr. Originally from Hong Kong, he attended Radley College where he was the Bastyan Sixth Form Organ Scholar, and he also studied the piano and the harpsichord. Kim spent his gap year as Organ Scholar of Portsmouth Cathedral. He has played recitals in various cathedrals and colleges around the UK including in St Mary-le-Bow and Temple Church. He was the winner of the senior category of the School Organists' Association competition in 2024. Kim is active as a composer of church and chamber music, and is a former winner of the "Composer Yourself!" competition. Kim was awarded the Associateship diploma of the Royal College of Organists in March 2026.

Ella Nie, Junior Organ Scholar

Ella joins us from Shanghai. She attended Secondary School in Auckland, New Zealand, where she was Organ Scholar at Holy Trinity Cathedral. As well as being an organist, Ella played the viola in the Auckland Youth Orchestra. She is reading Architecture, and is looking forward to combining her love of music with the study of design and sustainable structures. 

Caylie Jones, Ordinand

Caylie is bubbly, extroverted and passionate about living life to the full and encouraging others to do the same. I recently moved to Cambridge from London, but I was born and partly raised in Zimbabwe. Though I identify some African fun and sensibility in me, now and again, I’m jump scared by my own British-ness! There really is value and order in an efficient queuing system… I have moved around a lot in my years, but my favourite scenes are anywhere with a nice beach, nice greenery and a nice mountain. In fact, my homes in the last 10 years have all been close to a body of water (although I am not a strong swimmer!). In a nutshell, I love having fun, being active, nature, food, quality time, and my brother's cat Solomon.

George Allin-Roberts, Ordinand 

George is in his third year of training for ordination in the Church of England at Westcott House alongside reading for an MPhil in Christian Theology. George grew up in Suffolk before moving to Lancaster in 2018 to read for a BA in Religious Studies. He subsequently moved to Norwich in 2022 for a church internship before arriving in Cambridge in 2024. Outside of Church life he loves singing and catching all the latest films with his partner Tom (just not the scary ones!). George is always up for a chat if you see him around or would like to drop him an email (gea34).

The Rev'd Dr Arabella Milbank Robinson, Dean of Chapel and Chaplain

Arabella is currently on maternity leave. 

Arabella is a priest in the Church of England. After early years in Cambridge and Charlottesville, Virginia, she studied English and French followed by Medieval Studies at New College, Oxford. This was followed by a PhD in Medieval Literature and an MPhil in Theology from Emmanuel College, Cambridge. Arabella worked as a parish priest in Louth and its surrounding villages on the edge of the Lincolnshire Wolds before coming to Selwyn in 2022. She is married to a priest, Jim, who is Vicar of Grantchester Church and St Mark's Newnham, and they have three children, Aubrey (10), Ivor (4), and Cora (cannot yet be counted in years). They also parent a dog and a cat. As Dean of Chapel, Arabella has oversight of all services and events in Chapel, and as Chaplain is a pastoral support to the whole College community. She endeavours always to have an open door, ear, or at the very least email inbox for you!