We're looking forward to welcoming prospective students to Selwyn throughout December for undergraduate admissions interviews. Click on the image above to take you to more information.

Selwyn's Oleg Kitov, Associate Professor of Economics and Robert Martin Fellow, has received a bronze medal in a prestigious world-class competition for teaching innovation. 

The Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) Reimagine Education Awards are organised by the provider of higher education analytics responsible for the QS World University Rankings. The awards identify innovative teaching practices that enhance student learning and employability.

Selected from over 1,600 entries  from 94 countries and vetted by a panel of 1,300 experts, the award recognises Oleg's project, "Learning by Doing in Economics" for its "exceptional innovation, impact and scalability".

The project is a pedagogical framework developed and implemented by Oleg during his decade at Selwyn. By integrating cognitive science principles — specifically regular retrieval practice, structured peer-and-self-assessment, and collaborative two-stage exams — the methodology creates a continuous and supportive feedback loop. The results have been transformative with Selwyn economics students consistently ranking at the top of the university table for the percentage of first-class degrees achieved.

A special thank you to our fellow benefactor, Robert Martin, for endowing the Fellowship that allows this teaching practice at Selwyn College.

Among the stunning images of fieldwork in Greenland on Dr Carrie Soderman’s phone is something unexpected for an earth scientist. There are pictures of her in dazzling costumes and fake tan in her alter-ego as a world class Latin American formation dancer.

Postdoctoral research associate in Earth Sciences and Selwyn Fellow, Carrie will be jetting off to represent the United Kingdom in the 2025 WDSF World Latin Formation Championships on 13 December in Austria. This is a team sport, with Carrie in one of eight couples in the A team from XS Latin, a dance club specialising in Latin formation dancing.

“It is hard work. It is mentally stimulating in a different way to my research work. It is synchronised Latin American dancing, and the routine tells a story.” Carrie explains.  

They move in patterns to dance the Cha cha cha, Samba, Rumba, Paso doble, and Jive in one six-minute routine.

Carrie and her twin sister were ballroom dancing from a very early age but they both stopped as their studies took priority. 

Carrie explained how she joined Cambridge based XS Latin, named because many of its founder members in 1997 were former (‘ex-‘) students of the University. 

“I got re-hooked into dancing during my PhD. It was an easy choice to join a group of like-minded people wanting to compete together.

“I don’t do it for the fake tan, layers of make-up and even shoe-polish in my hair,” said Carrie. “But all that does put me in a performance frame of mind.”

The attention to detail to make sure everyone looks synchronised extends beyond the costumes. Even details like matching colour hair can improve results, Carrie said. This year their routine is inspired by the musical Hamilton.

“I love being part of XS, it is challenging as each of the dance styles has specific skills, but it is very rewarding seeing how we develop as a team.”

Above: Carrie pictured on a rock in Greenland and in her alter-ego with her dance partner JJ

XS Latin has three teams, A, B and C, and has won the British National championships 11 times. Carrie is in the A team, dancing with JJ who is a lawyer based in London. The club will be holding castings for new members early next year, and everyone is welcome to audition, from complete beginners up to experienced dancers.

The 2025 WDSF World Latin Formation Championships is the premier annual international competition in Latin dance sport for formation teams, according to its website. A & B teams are going from XS Latin, and will compete against teams from Germany, Austria, Poland, Ukraine, Mongolia, and more. XS came ninth last year.

Carrie said the team would love to match or improve its result from last year : “We want to do better and better each year. This routine is one of the most technically challenging we have put together, and we are excited for its WDSF Worlds debut.”

Carrie held a Henslow Research Fellowship at Selwyn from 2022-2025, and is the postgraduate representative on the UK's Mineral Studies Group committee. She completed her PhD in Earth Sciences in 2022, following a BA (Natural Sciences) and MSci (Earth Sciences).

Picture credits: Owen Weller, Charles Wei and Carrie Soderman

Selwyn College has six new and expanded postgraduate scholarships across economics, sciences, engineering and humanities for students applying for 2026 entry

These PhD and MPhil scholarships combine college resources with alumni generosity and collaborative funding to ensure outstanding students can pursue advanced study at Cambridge.

Economics

The Selwyn Janzarik TCRS PhD Studentship provides full funding for four years including university composition fees and maintenance for home students, with potential support for international students through additional departmental funding. This scholarship draws on the Trinity-Cambridge Research Studentships (TCRS) scheme, a five-year programme funded jointly by Trinity College and the University. By providing up to 50% of the funding required, the TCRS programme encourages matching partnerships with colleges and external donors to create fully funded studentships.

Partnering with The Cambridge Trust has also enabled us to expand the Patrick Cross MPhil Studentship, which supports taught postgraduate degrees in the Faculty of Economics.

Sciences

The Cavendish - Dr Angela McNelly Scholarship in the Physics of Medicine funds a PhD studentship covering university composition fees for home students.

The Sir David Harrison Studentship honours the college's former Master with partial funding for UK Master's students in sciences, mathematics or engineering. This supports the teaching Sir David championed throughout his long association with Selwyn.

The Raymond C. Read and Lillian J. Gostick PhD Studentship, announced in July, supports a PhD student at Selwyn for research in epidemiology, public health, global health or infectious disease at the Victor Phillip Dahdaleh Heart & Lung Research Institute.

Humanities

The Donald and Sheila Mann Studentship(s) in Indentureship Studies offers up to £12,500 towards fees or maintenance for MPhil students researching indentureship and related topics. The award particularly welcomes applications from students from South Asian backgrounds.

The college is grateful for the generosity of these donors and is in discussions across other subjects to create more PhD scholarships for outstanding students from 2027. We would welcome hearing from any Selwyn alumni who may be interested in becoming involved. 

For further information or discussion about supporting a scholarship please contact our Development Director by calling 01223 330403.

Professor Ronita Bardhan has been appointed honorary professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, recognising her pioneering research at the intersection of architecture, climate resilience and public health.

Ronita's work demonstrates how built environment decisions can drive precision prevention, delivering evidence-based strategies for low-carbon transitions, health-protective building solutions and gender-responsive climate adaptation. Her research has impact across the UK, Asia and Africa.

Professor Bardhan is a Fellow and Director of Studies at Selwyn.

Professor Katharine Ellis has been elected to honorary membership of the American Musicological Society (AMS). 

This is a rare distinction reserved for those who have made outstanding contributions to the field. 

Katharine became a Fellow of Selwyn in 2017. She is a leading scholar of French musical culture. Her research spans the long nineteenth century and beyond, from medieval chant to Les Six, and includes work on music journalism, musical women, music education, and music in literature.

In 2023, she won the Society's senior book prize, the Kinkeldey Award, for French Musical Life: Local Dynamics in the Century to World War II (Oxford University Press, 2022). The book explores French musical centralisation and regionalism across a politically turbulent century. It redraws the historical map of musical power relations in France. Katharine has published three more books on music in France, three edited collections, and numerous articles. She is currently on a Leverhulme Trust Major Research Fellowship (2024-27) to research cultures of Catholic church music across France in the nineteenth century.

Selwyn College student Richard Wolfson has been accepted onto the University's Advanced Popular Performance Scheme (APPS), joining just three other vocalists selected from across Cambridge's colleges for 2025/26.

The scheme has expanded significantly this year, with 34 students from 12 colleges chosen to participate. Five bands were also selected, up from four last year.

As a vocal pathway member, Richard will receive regular one-to-one coaching from Anton Browne, a longstanding BRIT School tutor, and Rebecca Phillips, a vocal coach and singer-songwriter. The training focuses on performance, song writing techniques and vocal health.

Richard, who draws inspiration from indie folk artists including Nick Drake, Alex G and Pinegrove, said: "I love writing songs especially and have basically planned out an album worth of songs I want to work on. I really want to work on my tone at the top of my register, and navigating the break between my chest and head voice."

Simon Fairclough, Director of the Centre for Music Performance, said: "This initiative is all about nurturing creativity and giving Cambridge's popular musicians the same level of professional support and artistic development that classical performers have long enjoyed."

All APPS participants will have opportunities to perform at gigs organised by the Centre for Music Performance throughout the year. 

Click here to learn more.

On 11 November we remember those who died in conflict, particularly those from our college. Today we are highlighting just one of those people: Walter Selwyn Orpen, remembered by those who served with him as 'a charming and lovable character' who was 'always cheerful and brave'.

Walter Orpen was the youngest son of Rev Thomas Herbert Orpen, former tutor at Selwyn. He came up to Selwyn from Malvern College in 1912 and threw himself into college life, earning his colours in both hockey and tennis.

When war broke out in 1914, Walter was in his second year. He was already in the Officer Training Corps and received his commission to the North Staffordshire Regiment that September. After training, he was sent to France with the Lancashire Fusiliers, where he became Sniping and Intelligence Officer to his battalion.

On 6 July 1916, during the Somme Offensive, Walter was killed by a sniper's bullet as his regiment advanced through German trenches north of Fricourt. He was just 22 years old.

Those who served alongside him remembered a young man of exceptional character. His adjutant wrote: "During the time he has been with us I grew to like him more and more and to respect his many good qualities. He was always cheerful and brave." The battalion chaplain added simply: "He was indeed a charming and lovable character."

Walter's name is among those engraved on the war memorial in Selwyn Chapel, one of many Selwyn men who gave their lives in the Great War, and his story is preserved in our college archives. He is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial in France.

Selwyn holds two minutes' silence in Old Court with the Last Post and Reveille on 11 November at 11am.

Sources: Steven John from West Wales War Memorial Project, Dorking Museum and Heritage Centre, and Selwyn College Archives.

Six Economics undergraduates who won places on an internship programme shared their research findings on 30 October.

This was the inaugural year of the internship programme, born from a simple idea: our students need real research experience on their CVs to stand out in today's competitive jobs market.