Our Visiting Fellows
In February 2016 we welcomed 11 new visiting fellows to Lady Margaret Hall. They are people drawn from a variety of backgrounds, callings and professions and we want them to form a bridge between our own academic community and the worlds they inhabit and represent.
The idea of having non-academic visiting fellows at an Oxford College is not entirely new. Lord Nuffield, in founding his own college, wanted people drawn from government, politics, civil service and other institutions to play a role in the life of Nuffield College.
We canvassed names from our own governing body, of people of distinction whom we admired and whom we felt could add to the intellectual and cultural life of LMH. A small sub-committee then whittled down the names to arrive at the list we are announcing today – which spans science, medicine, the performing arts, literature, feminism, politics, law and policing.
Visiting Fellows are appointed for three years. We hope they will occasionally come and eat at college as well as debate, perform, challenge and otherwise engage with the fellows, tutors, support staff and students. One or two have already come up with other ideas for how they might use their relationship with LMH to develop other projects and thinking.
Only one of the 11 visiting fellows is an academic: we have a significant number of distinguished scholars who are honorary and emeritus fellows. Some of the names we announced did not go to university, one left school at 16. We think we can learn much from them – and we hope they treasure their time with us.
- Alan Rusbridger
Former Children's Laureate
Malorie held the position of Children's Laureate from 2013 to 2015. She is a winner of the Red House Children's Book Award and Fantastic Fiction Award. In 2008 she received an OBE for services to children's literature.
Actor
Benedict graduated from the University of Manchester and LAMDA. He has been widely acclaimed for his outstanding performances on stage and screen. His portrayal of Alan Turing earned him a nomination at the 2015 Academy Awards for Best Actor. He was also awarded a CBE for services to the performing arts and to charity.
Chief Constable Thames Valley Police
Francis joined West Yorkshire Police in 1987. Having worked in a number of operational roles he was later appointed Divisional Commander for the North West Area of Leeds in 2001. Since April 2015, Francis has served as Chief Constable of Thames Valley Police.
Actor and Campaigner
Best known for her role as Hermione Granger in Harry Potter, Emma graduated from Brown University and attended Worcester College, Oxford. She received a BAFTA Britannia Award for British Artist of the Year in 2014. In the same year she also became a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador advocating equality and promoting education for girls.
High Court Judge
Sir Rabinder graduated from Trinity College, Cambridge in 1985 and later gained a Masters in Law from University of California at Berkeley. He was formerly a barrister, a founding member of Matrix Chambers and a legal academic. In 2011 he became the first Sikh to be made a High Court Judge, and in 2017 he was awarded the title of Rt Hon Lord Justice Singh, when he became a member of the Court of Appeal.
Artist
Cornelia has several Honorary Doctorates. She is best known for large scale installations such as Cold Dark Matter: An Exploded View and The Maybe. To celebrate the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta, Cornelia created Magna Carta (An Embroidery), an embroidered representation of the Wikipedia article Magna Carta.
Scientist and Novelist
Jennifer graduated from Oberlin College and later received a PhD in Microbiology from the University of Washington, Seattle. In 2005 she coined the term 'lab lit' and then launched LabLit.com after the release of her first two novels about scientists - Experimental Heart and The Honest Look. She now works as a cell biologist at University College London.
Composer and Clarinetist
Mark was born in Liverpool. In 2006, aged 17, Mark became the first ever winner of both the BBC Young Musician and BBC Proms/Guardian Young Composer of the Year competitions. He went on to read Music at St Catherine's College, Oxford. In September 2015, he began his role as Composer in Association with BBC Philharmonic.
Neurosurgeon and Author
Henry is a leading British neurosurgeon and a pioneer of neurosurgical advances in Ukraine. He wrote the book Do No Harm about his life in neurosurgery. The book was shortlisted for the 2014 Costa Biography Prize and for the Guardian First Book Award. He was also the subject of a major BBC documentary 'Your Life in their Hands' in 2014. Watch Dr Marsh's in conversation with our Principal here.
Composer, Singer and Writer
Pet Shop Boys
Neil is best known as one half of the electronic pop music duo, Pet Shop Boys, who have had four number one hits, sold 50 million records, written a musical and a ballet and toured the world several times. In the early 80s Neil was assistant editor of Smash Hits (pop magazine). He is also a public advocate of contemporary art and has served as a judge for the Turner Prize.
Film director
Beeban has directed the adaptation of Jeanette Winterson's autobiographical novel Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit and Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason. In March 2015 she was awarded the Grassroot Diplomat Initiative award for her work on FILMCLUB and the iRights framework used to empower young people's use of the Internet.