"Selwyn is often typecast as a humanities-oriented college, but our technological competency thrives in equal measure too" — Selwyn's first Sophie Wilson Scholar in Scientific Computing

Selwyn alumna and honorary fellow Sophie Wilson (SE 1976) recently established the Sophie Wilson MPhil scholarship in scientific computing. Kate Bakhtigaliyeva (SE 2024) is the first reciepient. We asked her to tell us about her time at Selwyn so far, and a bit about her work in scientific computing.

This article has been adapted from the Annual Report 2025.

I was told that Selwyn was the friendliest college and my experiences have certainly lived up to the expectation. It began with 11 people at 1 Selwyn Gardens — engineers, historians and artists from across the globe, united by their affiliation to this single Cambridge college. Over just two terms, it has swiftly become friendship, laughter and cherished memories.

Our small group soon became a postgraduate community of over 250 as we celebrated our matriculation at the start of October. Since then, we have supported each other through the 5 AM rowing wakeups, the freezing rugby games and the late-night Bartlam library study sessions. We have toasted our successes together and we have been there for each other during hardship. 

I was lucky enough to join this year’s MPhil for Scientific Computing as the Sophie Wilson Scholar. Sophie Wilson is a groundbreaker in the computing community, continuously opening doors for women in the hard sciences and someone I can only hope to emulate. In November, when she visited Cambridge’s Centre for Scientific Computing to give a talk on the initial days of designing the architecture for the Acorn Micro-Computer and the subsequent processes that defined ARM’s efficient instruction set, I realised that although we love to talk about talent or genius and prodigies, Wilson was all about the hard work. ‘Sheer stubbornness’ rarely appears on any aspirational posters. It is in those moments, where one rubs shoulders with such pioneers, that the divine inspiration to put in the hours begins to emerge.

From its position on the periphery of Sidgwick Site, Selwyn is often typecast as a humanities-oriented college, but our technological competency thrives in equal measure too. My master’s dissertation, for example, focuses on computational simulations, which are the backbone of modern physics and engineering. The accuracy of the simulations hinge on something deceptively simple: numerical precision. My research explores the trade-off between two types of floating-point arithmetic — specifically, single and double-precision calculations — on the accuracy of fluid dynamics simulations. While GPUs (Graphical Processing Units) are widely used to accelerate these simulations, they tend to perform significantly better with single-precision calculations, which comes at the cost of reduced accuracy and potential errors that compound over time. So, my research will examine how different factors, such as computer hardware architectures and programming techniques, influence the reliability of these systems.

This work will ultimately help scientists understand when they can trust a simulation – and when they should question it. 

Sometimes the weltschmerz of postgrad life creeps up in between the prospectus promises, and it can be hard to tell whether the work we are doing is truly meaningful. But I feel that it is in those moments when I can connect with the people who made Cambridge the place it is today. Wilson did not aim for a eureka revelation: her work was rooted in persistent refinement. Similarly, at Selwyn, sustained effort is put in time and time again to create a supportive institutional environment and help nurture such experiences organically. All members of the college recognise how vital this is for our culture and our future.

The events organised by the master and fellows have been some of my favourite ones this year, from social calls over wine and cheese to more intellectual discussions in the Quarry Whitehouse auditorium, naturally mixed in with the light relief of the University Challenge playoffs. During the US and UK election cycles, for instance, the master held the floor on debates concerning political division and its implications across the world. We live in a very dynamic political landscape, coupled with a constant bombardment by unreliable journalism, where genuine discourse often degenerates into tweet-length tragedies. However, Selwyn is always keen to manage a mixture of opinions and garner productive tension with informative results.

Cambridge is an institutional sweet spot with a rare demographic of brilliant and creative young people. In a world where social capital is becoming scarcer, Selwyn’s openness and friendliness are made to last. So, despite the stresses and the deadlines, you know that your friends will be waiting for you after a long day in the department, that the porters will kindly greet you as you collect your mail and that the catering staff will make sure you’re taken care of. And I know that the college community will continue to support me long after I graduate.

Selwyn is proud to offer the Sophie Wilson scholarship in Scientific Computing to help educate the next generation of Computer Scientists. This fund, generously funded by Sophie Wilson, will help bring a wider range of students to the field, building a stronger and more inclusive scientific computing community.

Grants and scholarships can make a disproportionate difference to students. Many subjects would benefit from the provision of grants which can cost just a few thousand pounds per year, as they can be used for a wide range of projects within these subjects, such as help with dissertation costs, academic-related travel, book and resource purchases or providing internship experience.

To discuss how you could help make a difference to students at Selwyn, please contact Sam Davis, our Major Gifts & Legacies Manager, on sjdd2@cam.ac.uk.