St John’s is a place for research. Big thinkers have the space and stimulation to explore their ideas in an interdisciplinary environment. Talented academics from all over the world, and at varying stages of their careers, exchange ideas and hypotheses with boundless potential for discovery. Teaching is informed by cutting-edge research, which means we can deliver the very best learning experience to our students, and research symposiums, lectures and debates add fresh perspectives to evolving wisdom.
Career-defining and instinct-lead
Donations to Research Fellowships help open doors to rising stars who are at the early stages of their academic careers. This programme gives Research Fellows the freedom to pursue their work instinctively and the space to develop career-defining research profiles. These talented individuals add depth to the Fellowship during their daily discourse, benefiting the entire College community.
Recent Nobel Prize winner Sir Roger Penrose, Honorary Fellow of St John’s, began his academic career as a Research Fellow. His research lead to the discovery of ingenious mathematical methods in his proof that black holes are a direct consequence of Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity.
Current research ranges from understanding the mechanisms of Parkinson’s disease and the behaviour of proteins to the development of renewable energy sources. Our Research Fellows are also broadening our understanding of evolutionary genomics, the nature and power of speech and the relationship between diet, genes and disease in ancient DNA.
The St John’s College Research Fellowship has kickstarted my career. It allowed me to focus on finishing my previous research projects, which led to multiple papers in top-tier journals. The Fellowship also gave me the freedom to figure out the direction for my future research. I have found great colleagues at St John’s College, and being surrounded by researchers from a variety of research fields is very inspiring. I think the St John’s College Research Fellowship has been a life-changing opportunity for me.
Dr Joana Meier, Bateson Research Fellow
Banner image: Heliconius butterflies in the insectary in Ecuador by Dr Joana Meier