Top, L-R: Professor Alison Light FRSL, FRHistSoc, FBA; Sir Clive Lewis; Anne Morrison
Bottom L-R: Professor Miranda Wolpert MBE; Professor Catherine Green OBE (Photo credit John Cairns)
Churchill College has elected five distinguished alumni to Honorary Fellowships, recognising their outstanding achievements and their continuing connection to the College.
At Churchill, Honorary Fellows are elected in recognition of exceptional distinction in academic, professional or public life. While they do not hold governance responsibilities, they maintain a lifelong association with the College and contribute through ongoing engagement.
The five new Honorary Fellows all studied at Churchill and have gone on to make significant contributions in fields ranging from mental health and vaccine development to literature, law and broadcasting, reflecting the breadth of achievement across the College’s alumni community.
The new Honorary Fellows are:
- Professor Catherine Green OBE (U93, Natural Sciences)
- Sir Clive Lewis (U78, Law)
- Professor Alison Light FRSL, FRHistSoc, FBA (U73, English)
- Anne Morrison (U78, English)
- Professor Miranda Wolpert MBE (U81, History)
The Master, Professor Sharon Peacock, said, ‘Honorary Fellows play an important role in the life of the College. Through their continuing connection with Churchill, they inspire our students, Fellows and wider community, while remaining part of the intellectual and social life of the College. Churchill values its lifelong relationship with all alumni, and we take great pride in the many different paths our graduates follow after leaving Cambridge. Honorary Fellowships provide an opportunity to recognise alumni whose achievements have reached the highest levels of distinction, while celebrating the enduring connection they maintain with the College. I am delighted to welcome Catherine, Clive, Alison, Anne and Miranda to this distinguished group.’
About the new Honorary Fellows
Professor Catherine Green OBE (U93, Natural Sciences)
Professor Catherine Green OBE studied Natural Sciences at Churchill and is now Professor of Clinical Biomanufacturing at the University of Oxford. She leads the Clinical Biomanufacturing Facility within Oxford’s Nuffield Department of Medicine, where she has overseen the manufacture of vaccines for diseases including plague, rabies, and Ebola virus. She played a leading role in the development of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine and was awarded an OBE in 2021 for services to science and public health.
Sir Clive Lewis (U78, Law)
Sir Clive Lewis studied Law at Churchill between 1978 and 1981 before embarking on a distinguished career spanning academia, legal practice and the judiciary. After teaching law at the University of Cambridge and serving as a Fellow of Selwyn College, he practised at the Bar and was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 2006. He became a High Court Judge in 2013 and joined the Court of Appeal in 2020 as a Lord Justice of Appeal. He is widely recognised as an authority on public law and judicial review.
Professor Alison Light FRSL, FRHistSoc, FBA (U73, English)
Professor Alison Light graduated from Churchill with a degree in English and is one of Britain’s foremost literary and cultural historians. Her acclaimed work on literature, history, memory and identity has reached audiences far beyond academia through bestselling books, broadcasting and journalism. The author of several influential works, she was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, the Royal Historical Society and the British Academy in 2021.
Anne Morrison (U78, English)
Anne Morrison read English at Churchill and has enjoyed a distinguished career in broadcasting, documentary production and creative leadership. During more than two decades in senior leadership at the BBC, she led major factual programming departments, oversaw award-winning productions and later became the founding Director of the BBC Academy. She subsequently served as Chief Executive of the independent production company Nevision and as Chair of BAFTA. Today she chairs Sheffield DocFest and holds a number of leadership roles across the UK’s cultural and creative sectors.
Professor Miranda Wolpert MBE (U81, History)
Professor Miranda Wolpert studied History at Churchill College and has become an internationally recognised leader in children’s and young people’s mental health. A clinical psychologist by training, she is Director of Mental Health at Wellcome – a global philanthropy – where she leads on finding and funding new solutions for mental health problems. Miranda is also Professor of Evidence Based Practice at UCL. Miranda received an MBE in 2017 for her work on child mental health.
Celebrating Alumni
The election of these five alumni continues a longstanding tradition of recognising members of the Churchill community whose work has achieved distinction at the highest level. Together, they represent excellence across healthcare, science, the humanities, law and the creative industries, and strengthen the College’s community of Honorary Fellows.
Their election is also a celebration of the lifelong relationship between Churchill and its graduates. Whether through professional achievements, volunteering, mentoring, philanthropy or simply remaining part of the College community, alumni make an enduring contribution to the life of Churchill. These Honorary Fellowships reflect the College’s wider commitment to staying connected with and celebrating alumni across generations.