Admission of new Fellows

We were delighted to welcome two new Junior Research Fellows to Queens' last night, through a formal admission ceremony held in Chapel.

Dr Rosa van Hensbergen (left in photo above) and Dr Elsa Noterman (right) were admitted as JRFs in English and Geography respectively, in a ceremony conducted by the Praelector, Dr David Butterfield (second from right), the President (centre) and the Junior Fellow, Dr Cristina Peñasco.

Before the ceremony, a small group of Fellows gathered in a socially-distanced manner in the Sanctuary.

Before the ceremony, a small group of Fellows gathered in a socially-distanced manner in the Sanctuary.

After the new Fellows are admitted, it is customary for the assembled Fellows to shake their hands as they leave. Whilst this was of course not possible, they still greeted the new Fellows to welcome them to the Queens' community.

After the new Fellows are admitted, it is customary for the assembled Fellows to shake their hands as they leave. Whilst this was of course not possible, they still greeted the new Fellows to welcome them to the Queens' community.

Junior Research Fellowships (JRFs) are crucial to the long-term intellectual life of Queens’, offering a unique opportunity for early career academics to develop their ideas and practices by allowing them to focus purely on research for three years. In turn, Junior Research Fellows help maintain a culture of academic excellence at Queens’ by ensuring that the College continues to incubate cutting-edge research.

The new budgetary restraints resulting from the financial impact of the Covid-19 crisis on the College have extended to the Fellowship. The Governing Body has therefore established a JRF Research Allowance Fund to ensure that its young academics receive research stipends in spite of the dropping of such funds for the rest of the Fellowship. We are very grateful to our alumni and friends who have provided £25,000 to support five research allowances over the next three academic years.