̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge - Anna Vignoles

Cambridge ̽��ֱ�� and Nanyang Technological ̽��ֱ��, Singapore establish new research centre to support lifelong learning

Anonymous — Tue, 06 Oct 2020 14:50:57 +0000

̽��ֱ��Centre for Lifelong Learning and Individualised Cognition (CLIC) is a collaboration between the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge and the Nanyang Technological ̽��ֱ��, Singapore (NTU Singapore), and is funded by Singapore’s National Research Foundation.

Cultivating new skills is a lifelong process that requires cognitive flexibility, yet there is currently a gap in evidence-based training programmes that can effectively support and promote this way of learning throughout people’s lives.

Cognitive flexibility goes far beyond conventional IQ; it is the essential capacity for responding to the fluctuating events of the modern world. It underlies adaptive coping to change, and also the generation of innovative, creative thinking.

Trevor Robbins, Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience Psychology in the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge’s Department of Psychology and a senior academic advisor to the programme, said: "Understanding the psychological basis of cognitive flexibility and its basis in the brain will have enormous societal benefits, with educational, as well as clinical, impact.”

He added: “This novel and original collaborative programme by two leading Universities will enhance the science of learning by innovative interventions and methods, for training cognitive flexibility over the life span."

̽��ֱ��research programme will be led by Zoe Kourtzi, Professor of Experimental Psychology in Cambridge’s Department of Psychology. Involving researchers in psychology, neuroscience, linguistics and education, CLIC will explore cross-disciplinary ways to develop innovative research in the science of learning. ̽��ֱ��ultimate goal is to translate these research findings into an integrated model of learning that can be applied in the real world, improving cognitive flexibility across the life span.

Research will focus on four life stages - early years, adolescence, young adults and middle age - when flexible behaviour is critical for coping with changing circumstances. During these periods the brain undergoes neural changes such as early maturation, restructuring or resilience to decline, presenting important opportunities for intervention.

NTU Senior Vice President (Research), Professor Lam Khin Yong said: “ ̽��ֱ��cross-disciplinary collaboration between researchers from NTU Singapore and Cambridge ̽��ֱ�� is expected to have wide-ranging impact on workers, as technology and globalisation change the nature of labour markets worldwide.”

He added: “ ̽��ֱ��ability to develop and master new skills at the workplace is becoming increasingly pressing globally. Singapore’s nationwide SkillsFuture programme, for example, gives opportunities for people to develop their fullest potential throughout life. Yet, we know that differences in individual cognitive functions can affect learning and performance. This is where research in the Science of Learning can play a key role in enhancing educational outcomes and practice. ̽��ֱ��new Centre will support the country’s drive in helping the workforce prepare for the digital economy, as businesses turn to automation.”

Annabel Chen, Co-Director of CLIC and Professor of Psychology and Director for the Centre for Research and Development in Learning (CRADLE) at NTU, Singapore, said: “This is an exciting development for research in the Science of Learning. We have been working closely with colleagues from Cambridge, and tapping into expertise across NTU, including the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, Nanyang Business School, National Institute of Education, Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine and College of Engineering to develop the CLIC programme.”

She added: “This development complements the Science of Learning Initiative in the Centre of Research and Development in Learning (CRADLE), launched by NTU in 2015. With this multidisciplinary effort and input from the Ministry of Education and SkillsFuture Singapore, we believe our programme will be able to provide insights and translatable solutions for the Future of Learning and Economy in Singapore and beyond.”

̽��ֱ��collaboration was brought together through the presence of the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge’s first overseas research centre in Singapore, the Centre for Advanced Research and Education in Singapore Ltd (CARES). CARES was established in 2013 under the Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise (CREATE) – a collection of 15 joint research programmes between local universities and top overseas institutions funded by Singapore’s National Research Foundation (NRF). ̽��ֱ��Centre hosts several research programmes, most of which involve NTU and focus on the decarbonisation of Singapore’s chemical industry.

̽��ֱ��new programme on the science of learning is a novel direction for CARES and CREATE, bringing together expertise from Cambridge and Singapore to investigate new ways of helping people prepare and adapt to the rapidly changing workplace.

A new research centre focused on improving support for lifelong learning and cognitive agility opened on 1 October 2020 in Singapore.

̽��ֱ��programme will enhance the science of learning by innovative interventions and methods, for training cognitive flexibility over the life span

Trevor Robbins

Jess Bailey on Unsplash

Coloured pencils

̽��ֱ��text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright © ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – as here, on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.

Yes

Licence type:

Attribution-Noncommerical

Cambridge helps launch £10m Trinity Challenge to protect the world against future pandemics

cjb250 — Mon, 14 Sep 2020 07:00:11 +0000

̽��ֱ��Trinity Challenge sets a series of urgent questions to harness the potential of data and analytics to learn and share lessons from the great innovations made to combat COVID-19 and to build resilience against future health emergencies. £10m of funding will be made available to teams to support and scale their innovations across areas including economics, behavioural sciences, and epidemiology.

̽��ֱ��Challenge has been convened by Dame Sally Davies, Master of Trinity College, Cambridge. Its Founding Members represent a diverse coalition of world leading organisations across the private, public and social sectors. All are united by the common aim of using data and advanced analytics to develop insights and practical actions to contribute to a world better protected from health emergencies.

Launching the Challenge, Dame Sally said: “There will be another COVID-19, and there is an opportunity for the international community to learn lessons now and prepare for the future. ̽��ֱ��Trinity Challenge is a recognition by business, academia and philanthropy of the need for new, breakthrough ideas and approaches to beat the next pandemic.”

̽��ֱ��Challenge has the support of Professor Stephen J Toope, Vice-Chancellor of the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge, who said: “COVID-19 has highlighted the power of data in helping us understand and tackle health emergencies, but it has also revealed the challenges we face in getting the right data to the right people at the right time.

“We need to up our collaborative game so that we cross sectors, disciplines and borders to help us tackle – and even prevent – future health emergencies. ̽��ֱ��Trinity Challenge is an exciting opportunity to make this happen.”

Professor Carola-Bibiane Schönlieb and Anna Vignoles, co-chairs of the Cambridge Centre for Data-Driven Discovery, will be providing leadership on behalf of the ̽��ֱ��.

Professor Schönlieb said: “Cambridge is supporting ̽��ֱ��Trinity Challenge not only because of our expertise and ability to contribute to tackling this pandemic but also because of our key role in producing the next generation of scientists who will be needed to tackle this and future public health threats of this kind.”

Professor Vignoles added: “Our ̽��ֱ�� is world leading in many aspects of the science needed to tackle this pandemic. We are also world leading in terms of our data science. ̽��ֱ��Cambridge Centre for Data-Driven Discovery convenes data science expertise from right across Cambridge and is highly interdisciplinary in its focus. We have been working closely with ̽��ֱ��Trinity Challenge team to determine what data we need and how we might use it to address this pandemic.”

̽��ֱ��Trinity Challenge is calling on global participants to submit impact-led ideas on how to safeguard our health and economic systems from the threat of global health emergencies. Submissions that make the selection will be supported with access to people, data and resources from Founding Members, to maximise the effectiveness of their solutions and leverage the world-leading expertise and innovation of these institutions.

Challenge Teams will focus on potential solutions that support and strengthen the global public health ecosystem in a robust and inclusive way. Solutions will be fielded globally through an open and accessible submission process to bring the best minds and ideas together with the aim of developing insights that will benefit the world in the future.

̽��ֱ��Founding Members are: Aviva, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Brunswick Group, ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge, Discovery Limited, Facebook, Global Virome Project, Google, HKUMed, Imperial College London, Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, Internews, Legal and General, LSE, McKinsey and Company, Microsoft, Northeastern ̽��ֱ��, Optum, Reckitt Benckiser, Tencent, Zenysis Technology.

Full details are available on ̽��ֱ��Trinity Challenge website.

̽��ֱ�� ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge has joined a coalition of some of the world’s leading businesses and academic and tech institutions to launch ̽��ֱ��Trinity Challenge. This global challenge provides a £10m prize fund for breakthrough solutions to make sure one billion more people are better protected against health emergencies.

COVID-19 has highlighted the power of data in helping us understand and tackle health emergencies, but it has also revealed the challenges we face in getting the right data to the right people at the right time

Stephen J Toope

Trinity Challenge

Dame Sally Davies and ̽��ֱ��Trinity Challenge

Yes

Cambridge professor appointed Director of the Leverhulme Trust

Anonymous — Tue, 01 Sep 2020 10:19:56 +0000

Professor Vignoles is a highly distinguished academic whose research has focused on issues of equity and value in education – in particular the relationship between educational achievement and social mobility and the role played by education and skills attainment in the economy and society. Much of her work focuses on how we can improve students’ academic achievements and help them to develop skills that they will need in the labour market. She has published widely on these and many other themes.

Her work consistently links research with policy and practice and she has advised numerous government departments, including the Department for Education, the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills, and HM Treasury. She has also acted as a Trustee of the Nuffield Foundation, Member of Council of the Economic and Social Research Council, and Member of the Advisory Board of the Sutton Trust. Professor Vignoles was elected a Fellow of the British Academy in 2017 and awarded a CBE in 2019 for services to social sciences. She is a Fellow of Jesus College, Cambridge.

Head of the Faculty of Education Professor Susan Robertson said: “This is not only a wonderful opportunity for Anna but a superb appointment that will benefit research and education in the UK and beyond. She will be an outstanding Director of the Leverhulme Trust and I know that she will relish and excel in the opportunity it brings to enable and support meaningful, change-making academic research.”

“At the same time this is bittersweet news for the Faculty because Anna is not simply a great scholar, but a generous colleague and friend. We will miss her a great deal in the Faculty and across the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge.”

̽��ֱ��Leverhulme Trust provides funding across a range of academic disciplines, including arts, sciences, engineering and social sciences, with the aim of supporting talented individuals to realise their potential vision in research and professional training. Professor Vignoles will replace the outgoing Director, Gordon Marshall.

Professor Vignoles said: “ ̽��ֱ��Leverhulme Trust plays a unique role in the funding landscape and its commitment to fund curiosity-driven research has never been more vital. I look forward to working with the Leverhulme team to support research that is genuinely ground-breaking and pushes disciplinary boundaries.”

“I am so grateful for the many opportunities that I have had at Cambridge and for the wonderful support that I have had from my brilliant colleagues in the Faculty and at Jesus College. I shall miss them all greatly.”

Niall FitzGerald, Chairman of the Leverhulme Trust, said: “ ̽��ֱ��challenge for the Trustees has been to find an exceptional academic leader and talent to succeed Gordon. We are fortunate that Anna Vignoles stood out in a very strong field of candidates, including several serving Vice-Chancellors. She brings all the requisite experience and skills but also values closely aligned with the special ethos of the Leverhulme Trust. I very much look forward to welcoming Anna and supporting her in what will be challenging years for academic research in the UK.”

Anna Vignoles, who is Professor of Education at the ̽��ֱ��, has been appointed as Director of the Leverhulme Trust: one of the largest, all-subject providers of research funding in the UK. She will take up her new post in January, 2021.

We are fortunate that Anna Vignoles stood out in a very strong field of candidates, including several serving Vice-Chancellors

Niall FitzGerald, Chairman of the Leverhulme Trust

Lloyd Mann, ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge

Professor Anna Vignoles

Yes

Cambridge takes major role in initiative to help solve UK ‘productivity puzzle’

fpjl2 — Fri, 21 Aug 2020 05:37:06 +0000

̽��ֱ�� ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge is one of the partners in a major new £32.4m Productivity Institute, announced today by the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. It is the largest economic and social research investment ever in the UK.

Productivity – the way ideas and labour are transformed into products and services that benefit society – has been lacklustre in the UK over recent decades, with limited growth stalled further by the global financial crisis of 2008-9 and the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

To address the urgent challenge, the new Institute will bring together institutions and researchers from across the country to tackle questions of job creation, sustainability and wellbeing, as the UK looks to a post-pandemic future full of technological and environmental upheaval.

Professor Diane Coyle, co-director of the ̽��ֱ��’s Bennett Institute for Public Policy will be one of the new Institute’s Directors and leading one of its eight major research themes. She will be heading up the strand on Knowledge Capital: the ideas that drive productivity and progress.

Professor Anna Vignoles from Cambridge’s Faculty of Education will helm another of the main research strands, on Human Capital: the cultivation of people’s skills and abilities. Both lead academics will be supported by a host of other Cambridge researchers from a variety of departments, including POLIS, Psychology, Economics, and the Institute for Manufacturing.

̽��ֱ��Productivity Institute will be headquartered at the ̽��ֱ�� of Manchester, and, along with Cambridge, other members of the leading consortium include the National Institute of Economic and Social Research and the universities of Glasgow, Sheffield, Cardiff and Warwick. ̽��ֱ��new Institute is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (part of UK Research and Innovation).

“Productivity is economic jargon for something fundamentally important,” said Professor Coyle. “This is the question of what will enable people’s lives everywhere to improve sustainably over time, ensuring new technologies, along with business and policy choices, bring widespread benefits.”

“Productivity is key to the creation of decent work and the provision of high quality education and healthcare. Its growth offers people sustainable improvements in their standard of living,” she said.

̽��ֱ��Knowledge Capital theme, led by Coyle, will investigate the way that ideas and know-how – “intangible assets” not easily defined or measured – permeate our society and the economy.

“We want to understand better the links between productivity and things that are important but hard to pin down, whether that’s how businesses adopt new technologies and ideas or the role of social networks in determining how well different areas perform,” said Coyle.

Professor Vignoles will lead a team considering the importance of individuals’ wellbeing and productivity, which will include Cambridge psychologist Dr Simone Schnall. It remains an open question as to whether greater wellbeing can increase the productivity of individuals, and what the implications of this might be for both national policy and firms’ strategies.

“Increasing productivity is a pressing priority for the UK and understanding whether policies to improve individuals’ wellbeing are also likely to improve their productivity is crucial,” Professor Vignoles said.

̽��ֱ��fulcrum for Cambridge’s involvement in the new Productivity Institute will be the ̽��ֱ��’s recently established Bennett Institute for Public Policy, where Professor Coyle is based.

Since its launch in 2018, the Bennett Institute has been concentrating on the “challenges posed by the productivity puzzle” in the UK, says the Institute’s Director Professor Michael Kenny, with a focus on ensuring notions of “place” are brought to the fore.

“We are delighted to be contributing to this major new initiative,” said Kenny. “Under the leadership of Professor Coyle, we have been working to understand the many different factors and dynamics which explain the well-springs of, and obstacles to, productivity growth.”

Professor Stephen Toope, Vice-Chancellor of the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge, said: “I am thrilled that the ̽��ֱ�� will be playing a pivotal role in the new Productivity Institute.”

“ ̽��ֱ��knowledge generated by universities such as ours is a fuel for productivity, and will be fundamental to the resilience of the United Kingdom, and the opportunities afforded its citizens, in a post-pandemic world.”

Science Minister Amanda Solloway said: “Improving productivity is central to driving forward our long-term economic recovery and ensuring that we level up wages and living standards across every part of the UK."

̽��ֱ�� ̽��ֱ�� is to be a key partner in a new national effort to boost British productivity, bringing together expertise to tackle questions of job creation, sustainability and wellbeing, as the UK looks to its post-pandemic future.

Productivity is key to the creation of decent work and the provision of high quality education and healthcare

Diane Coyle

Yes

Opening schools – and keeping them open – should be prioritised by Government, report says

Anonymous — Fri, 24 Jul 2020 06:46:43 +0000

̽��ֱ��report, Balancing the risks of pupils returning to school, highlights the potential impact on the 13 year-groups of students affected by lockdown. It estimates that, without action, from the mid-2030s and for the 50 years thereafter, around a quarter of the entire workforce will have lower skills.

This could reduce their earning potential by 3% a year and consequently lower the overall economic growth rate. ̽��ֱ��long-term economic consequences aside, the immediate negative impact on children’s mental and physical health, as well as their safety, will be considerable.

̽��ֱ��report has been produced by the Royal Society’s multi-disciplinary Data Evaluation and Learning for Viral Epidemics (DELVE) group. ̽��ֱ��lead authors are Professor Anna Vignoles, ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge, and Professor Simon Burgess, ̽��ֱ�� of Bristol.

Their assessment looks at the difficulties of balancing the significant costs to pupils and parents of school closures against the need to minimise the risks of COVID-19 infection to children, teachers and the wider community.

It concludes that the risk of infection from restarting schools is not high, relative to many other activities, although the authors recognise that the evidence on this still limited. ̽��ֱ��experience of most other countries which have already taken this step supports this view, the authors say, and by contrast the evidence for the negative impact of closing schools is considerable and robust.

̽��ֱ��report also observes that when infection rates rise in some locations, schools may need to close, but such decisions should be determined by objective criteria and made on a school-by-school, or local area basis.

̽��ֱ��report calls on the Government to:

Suppress the virus in the wider community, as a priority, to reduce the risk of transmission in schools once at full capacity, and to minimise future disruption to learning.
Have objective, transparent, criteria for local decision-making about closing and reopening schools, with clear leadership for that decision-making process.
Provide realistic guidance and substantial extra resources to ensure that schools can minimise chains of transmission (parental guidance on when to keep their child at home applying the precautionary principle; rigorous hygiene; physical distancing and reduced mixing; extra teachers; PPE – including face coverings for teachers, older children and those with underlying health issues; management of staff rooms; regular testing; and prioritisation for vaccines for teachers).
Implement effective surveillance, with a test-trace-isolate system that enables a rapid response to outbreaks, and which allows schools to re-open quickly if they have to close.
Establish effective, clear and unified communication with school leaders, teachers and parents to manage opening and closing of schools in response to local conditions.

̽��ֱ��report also explores the impact on inequality. Anna Vignoles, Professor of Education at the Faculty of Education and a Fellow of Jesus College, ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge, said: “Shutting down schools has impacted all children but the worst effects will be felt by those from lower socio-economic groups and with other vulnerabilities, such as a pre-existing mental health condition. Children from low-income households in particular are more likely to lack the resources – space, equipment, home support – to engage fully with remote schooling. Those with pre-existing conditions are more likely to experience a worsening of their mental health. This has to be taken into account in how we come out of this pandemic.”

Simon Burgess, Professor of Economics, ̽��ֱ�� of Bristol, said: “We know how damaging it is for children to miss out on school. ̽��ֱ��amount of school already missed due to the pandemic could impact on their earning potential by around 3% a year throughout their lives and impact on productivity in the UK for decades. While it is still early days, there has been little evidence of surges in infection rates in countries that have opened up schools, including countries where they have fully reopened. While we have to do all that we can to reduce the risk of transmission, we need to get our children back to school.”

One of the challenges highlighted in the report is the lack of data. It calls for a system, including surveillance studies, to be put in place to increase understanding of the risks and provide decision-makers with the local and timely data they need to monitor neighbourhood and school infection rates and to respond accordingly. There is also a call for a programme of anonymous assessment of education achievement and pupil mental health across all age ranges in a sample of schools in mid-September, to gauge the extent and nature of the learning loss and the impact on pupil wellbeing.

Keeping schools open from September should be a Government priority as it manages the COVID-19 pandemic, while closures could have severe social and economic effects that endure for decades, according to a new report.

Children from low-income households in particular are more likely to lack the resources – space, equipment, home support – to engage fully with remote schooling

Anna Vignoles

Martin Vorel

A child writes in his workbook in a school classroom.

Yes

Cambridge ̽��ֱ�� bursaries boost students’ academic performance and reduce anxiety, study finds

ts657 — Thu, 20 Jun 2019 08:15:02 +0000

Students from families whose household income is £25,000 or less automatically receive a non-repayable annual bursary of £3,500 at Cambridge. Students who are not dependent on their parents (including those who are estranged) get a higher bursary of up to £5,600 a year and also the possibility to stay in Cambridge year-round.

They told researchers from the Faculty of Education that without it, they would have struggled to pay for books, rent and even food without taking out further loans.

One of the key findings of the study was that this financial support offered needed to be advertised more clearly since some recipients had been unaware of it before applying. As an important factor in students’ choice of university, communicating the availability of the bursary could boost efforts to widen access to Cambridge.

̽��ֱ��Cambridge Bursary Scheme allocates £6.8million a year in bursaries to financially disadvantaged students. Of those who received a bursary, 87% said financial support made them feel less anxious, 90% said it helped them focus on their studies and 74% said it helped them have a work-life balance.

It also helped alleviate concerns around being a burden on their families – whose ‘hidden contribution’ to university funding has come under increasing public scrutiny. One student interviewed for the study said having a bursary was “a huge relief not only off my shoulders but off my parents’ as well” while another commented: “I probably would have been able to pay [my study costs] with the help of my parents but it would be very difficult for them…they were not sure about the next four years’ employment; it would be risky, a difficult decision for us.”

Many noted that it helped them overcome fears they wouldn’t fit in at Cambridge, with one student commenting: “ ̽��ֱ��fact that the university was willing to invest in funds to make sure that people like me could come to university made me feel less nervous about applying and less nervous about fitting in socially as well.”

Students used their bursaries to cover food and living costs plus ‘one-off’ purchases such as a computer, specialist equipment, specific editions of books, new clothes, shoes, or a bicycle. Some saved money for course-related travel, with one interviewee’s field trip forming a significant part of their chosen dissertation topic.

Researchers compared students’ views gained through surveys and interviews with an analysis of data related to drop-out rates, class of degrees awarded and graduate employment, using a methodology developed by higher education regulator the Office for Students.

Students from lower income households outperform peers

This found students from households with the lowest declared incomes perform at least as well, if not better, than peers from better-off families.

In addition, students with a full bursary who came from schools historically under-represented at Cambridge or those from relatively low-performing schools performed as well academically as those from households with higher incomes.

More than 96% of students finish their degrees at Cambridge, and researchers found there was no correlation between drop-out rates and socio-economic backgrounds. At least 85% of bursary recipients were in graduate jobs or further study six months after leaving university.

Co-author of the study Dr Sonia Ilie, Senior Research Fellow at the Faculty of Education and Hughes Hall, said: “Fair access to higher education is not just about entry: across the sector there is concern that lower socio-economic backgrounds should not be associated with lower outcomes or lower completion rates, and that students should be supported to make the most of their experience in a way that sees any financial barriers fall away.

“Across all of our analyses we found evidence that broadly speaking, the Cambridge Bursary Scheme operates as intended, with very few, if any, differences in outcomes by students’ economic background.

“There is still work to be done, though, and we’re undertaking research to understand the impact of different levels of financial support, and build more evidence about how the current system can be improved.”

Financial support needs 'advertising boost'

Students interviewed by researchers listed the financial support available at the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge as among the reasons they applied. However, 40% admitted not knowing if they would be eligible for it when applying.

They recommended raising the profile of the financial support available at Cambridge by providing clearer and more accessible information.

Senior Pro-Vice-Chancellor Professor Graham Virgo: “Cambridge is committed to fairness in its admissions processes and to providing a level playing field for its students once they are here.

“By bridging the gaps in student finances experienced by those coming from households with low incomes, our bursaries help everyone to get the most out of a Cambridge education.

“However, this report gives us a clear message, which is that if more students from low-income households knew how much financial support was available at Cambridge, more would apply.

“This is something we will be looking at as a matter of urgency.

“We do not want anyone who has the ability and drive to thrive here to rule out Cambridge on the basis of cost.”

They recommended raising the profile of the financial support available at Cambridge by providing clearer and more accessible information.

Jesus College Fellow and Professor of Education Anna Vignoles provided support to the researchers: "This report provides valuable evidence on the effectiveness of the Cambridge Bursary Scheme, and is part of wider ̽��ֱ�� efforts to take an evidence based approach to further development of their policies in this area.

"We now need to work out the best way of letting potential students know that this support is available.”

̽��ֱ��Cambridge Bursary

Bursaries are awarded to students from households with an income between £25,000 and £42,620 on a scale linked to their household income.

Some students can access up to £5,600 a year if they are classed as financially independent, which includes care leavers, mature students and independent students.

More information is available on the ̽��ֱ��’s undergraduate web portal.

If you would like to learn more about supporting the Cambridge Bursary Scheme, please visit: www.philanthropy.cam.ac.uk/undergraduatebursaries

Cambridge ̽��ֱ�� Bursaries help with students’ academic outcomes, wellbeing and university experience, a new report from the ̽��ֱ��’s Faculty of Education has found.

̽��ֱ��fact that the university was willing to invest in funds to make sure that people like me could come to university made me feel less nervous about applying and less nervous about fitting in socially

a Cambridge student

Dear World: Bursaries

Yes

Achievements of Cambridge figures recognised in Queen’s Birthday Honours 2019

Anonymous — Fri, 07 Jun 2019 15:32:02 +0000

King's College Director of Music, Stephen Cleobury, was knighted for his services to choral music.

Sir Stephen has been Director of Music at the College since 1982. His work at King’s has primarily seen him associated with the Choir of King’s College, and he has played an enormous role in enhancing the reputation of the world-famous choir and developing its activities in broadcasting, touring and recording.

He has commissioned a great number of new choral works from leading composers, and is known particularly for introducing the now annually commissioned carol at the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols on Christmas Eve.

During his time at King’s, Sir Stephen has worked with many leading orchestras and soloists around the world. He was Chief Conductor of the BBC Singers between 1995 and 2007, he is Chairman of the Incorporated Association of Organists Benevolent Fund, which seeks to support organists and church musicians in need, and he is President of the Friends of Cathedral Music and of the Herbert Howells Society.

He said: “I am profoundly honoured to have received this award. I have sought to nourish and support the precious choral tradition that we have in this country, and to be an advocate for the innumerable benefits of singing and choral music. Nothing I have achieved would have been possible without the outstanding singers with whom I have been so fortunate to work. It has been, truly, a privilege.”

King’s College announced in 2018 that Sir Stephen would retire in September 2019 after 37 years in post.

̽��ֱ��Provost of King’s College, Professor Michael Proctor, said: “ ̽��ֱ��College is delighted and deeply proud that our distinguished Director of Music, Sir Stephen Cleobury, has been recognised in this way.

"In his 37 years in this post, Stephen’s outstanding musicianship has not only maintained and enriched the College’s own international musical reputation, but has made an invaluable contribution to the musical life of the United Kingdom and, indeed, the world.”

Professor Anna Vignoles and Professor Sylvia Richardson have both received a CBE.

Professor Vignoles, who received her CBE for her services to social sciences, holds the 1938 Chair in the Faculty of Education, and is a Fellow of Jesus College. She is also a Fellow of the British Academy and a member of the Economic and Social Research Council.

Her work focuses on the ways in which we can both improve social mobility and ensure that people have the skills they need for the modern labour market. She is known for her work using large scale data to illuminate the very unequal educational and economic outcomes for children growing up in different family circumstances, as well as her research into how well the education system is meeting the needs of both individuals and the wider economy.

Her research has suggested ways to reduce the large socio-economic inequalities in education achievement that we have in the UK.

She said: “I am so grateful for this wonderful honour. It is particularly gratifying to have recognition for the importance of social science research in tackling many of the economic challenges and inequalities that we face today.”

Head of the Faculty of Education, Professor Susan Robertson, said: “This is wonderful recognition of Professor Anna Vignoles’ contribution to our different communities.”

Professor Richardson, who received her CBE for services to medical statistics, is the Director of the MRC Biostatistics Unit, a Bye-Fellow at Emmanuel College, and has held a Research Professorship at the ̽��ֱ�� since 2012.

She is a Fellow of the Institute of Mathematical Statistics and of the International Society for Bayesian Analysis. Professor Richardson has worked extensively in many areas of biostatistics research and has made important contributions to the statistical modelling of complex biomedical data. Her work has contributed to progress in disease mapping, and her recent research has focused on the modelling and analysis of large data problems such as those arising in genomics.

She said: “I’m extremely delighted and humbled to receive this honour. It means a great deal to me personally, but I believe that this is also an important recognition of the pivotal role that statistics plays in cross-disciplinary endeavors to improve health. ̽��ֱ��MRC has been a significant funder of my research and I would like to thank them for their continued commitment to the field of biostatistics; support that they have shown for over 100 years since the inception of the MRC Biostatistics Unit in 1913.

"I am fortunate to have worked in both France and the UK, over the duration of my career thus far, and I feel that this opportunity to draw from both traditions has allowed me to achieve the recognition in the field of medical statistics for which I am being acknowledged today.”

Dr Jean Wilson, a Senior Member of Newnham College, King's College and Lucy Cavendish College, and who was previously President of the Church Monuments Society, received an MBE for services to heritage.

Dr Wilson, who is also a member of the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, said: "I hope that this award will further raise the profile of the Society and of the national cultural heritage to which it is dedicated."

̽��ֱ��achievements and contributions of individuals from the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge and its Colleges have been recognised in this year’s Queen’s Birthday Honours list.

Nothing I have achieved would have been possible without the outstanding singers with whom I have been so fortunate to work. It has been, truly, a privilege

Sir Stephen Cleobury, King's College Director of Music

Yes

Licence type:

Attribution-Noncommerical

Cambridge establishes new centre for data science

Anonymous — Tue, 12 Mar 2019 00:00:35 +0000

̽��ֱ��Cambridge Centre for Data-Driven Discovery (C2D3) will harness the knowledge of academics in data science, ethics, and from a wide range of disciplines, to research all aspects of this complex and expanding area.

̽��ֱ��Centre will be truly interdisciplinary, allowing experts in technical, mathematical and topic knowledge to work together on tackling the methodological and practical challenges presented by handling big data.

̽��ֱ��Centre is to be funded by a series of collaborations with partners in business and industry which have an interest in using big data for the benefit of their customers and their organisations.

̽��ֱ��first founding partner is to be Aviva, Britain’s biggest insurer. Aviva will sponsor a research fellowship and support PhD students to help investigate some of the ethical, political and operational questions surrounding the use of big data.

̽��ֱ��relationship will combine world-class research with frontline practice. It will help Aviva develop new ethical approaches to advising customers through evidence-based science. It will enable ̽��ֱ�� researchers to develop methods and tools to address real-world problems and to influence the wider debate about how organisations address the difficult methodological, practical and ethical challenges of big data.

Professor Anna Vignoles, co-chair of the Cambridge Centre for Data-Driven Discovery, said: “ ̽��ֱ�� ̽��ֱ�� is constantly looking for innovative ways for our research to make a difference to the wider world, as well as opportunities for our students to gain valuable experience of industry.

“Working with Aviva will give our researchers the opportunity to solve some ‘real world’ challenges, ranging from how to securely, ethically, efficiently and effectively store and use their customers’ data and to identify what health interventions are most likely to help their customers live a longer and healthier life.”

Owen Morris, Managing Director of Aviva Quantum, Aviva’s Global Data Science Practice, said:

“Aviva is on a mission to create a world-class data science capability – and this ground-breaking partnership with the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge will equip us with unparalleled access to knowledge and research in this area.”

Aviva is expected to be the first of ten organisations in C2D3’s Industry Club, which will underwrite the cost of research and provide companies with:

access to existing research
the opportunity to commission new areas of research
practical guidance, tools and techniques to use data in the commercial world.

Other partners will be announced in due course.

̽��ֱ�� ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge is establishing a new research centre bringing together expertise from across academic departments and industry to drive research into the analysis, understanding and use of big data.

̽��ֱ�� ̽��ֱ�� is constantly looking for innovative ways for our research to make a difference to the wider world

Anna Vignoles

Dennis van Zuijlekom

Bull Dutch National Supercomputer

Yes

Licence type:

Attribution-ShareAlike