Topic description and stories

Stories from the people that make Cambridge University unique.

Kirstie Stage in the gardens at Christ's College

The graduate student rewriting Deaf histories and disability histories

05 January 2024

When Kirstie Stage was diagnosed with hearing loss, she realised that the experiences of Deaf and disabled people were missing from the history books. Kirstie is determined to bring these narratives to the fore.

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The PhD student who wants to change the way we think about food

04 May 2022

When Gates Cambridge Scholar Clara Ma participated in the Veganuary challenge she didn’t realise it would change the course of her PhD. Today she’s...

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The social scientist who inadvertently became a poet

25 Mar 2022

At the age of thirteen Mona Jebril found herself stranded in Gaza, becoming a refugee for the second time in her life. Her talent and determination...

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The chemist who saved a restaurant and launched a vision for Africa

13 Jan 2022

David Izuogu’s ambition is to establish a research institute in his home country of Nigeria. But he isn’t waiting until he realises his goal to help...

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The philosopher who wants us to think deeply about ordinary things

15 Dec 2021

Nikhil Krishnan, winner of a 2021 Pilkington Prize for outstanding teaching, says that what he loves about teaching is what he loves about philosophy...

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The student helping to demystify Cambridge

06 Dec 2021

Tami Briggs didn’t want to apply to Cambridge but getting the right information made her change her mind. She became a volunteer for InsideUni, the...

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The microbiologist tackling humanity’s next biggest killer

17 Nov 2021

Since childhood Stephen Baker says he had a grim fascination with poo. He caught the bug for microbiology and spent 12 years in Vietnam researching...

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The energy researcher who wants to build better to consume less

15 Sep 2021

Against a global backdrop of rising energy demands and finite resources, Rihab Khalid set out to understand how buildings can become more energy...

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The historian gathering fragments of the past to understand how humans tick

07 Sep 2021

After he began studying at Cambridge, Sujit Sivasundaram, found the freedom to let his imagination and curiosity roam. Yet his interests and...

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The virologist helping us to stay one step ahead of infectious diseases

10 Aug 2021

An established virologist specialising in the field of HIV drug-resistance, Ravi Gupta pivoted his expertise to address the COVID-19 pandemic. Over...

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The medical student who dug deep to overcome challenges

18 Jun 2021

Fitzwilliam College medical student Buraq Ahmed has had more than his fair share of challenges to overcome. Arriving in the UK from Iraq in 2005 for...

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The enduring optimist with community in her heart

14 Jun 2021

A love of people, a passion for justice and a desire to see positive change has taken Antoinette Nestor on a winding journey all over the world...

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The futurist who'd like the future to slow down - just a little

10 Jun 2021

The problem with being a futurist, says Richard Watson, is that change is happening a lot faster and a lot crazier these days. We talk to him about...

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