Making Waves: Campaign update

Two new endowed chairs have recently been created at the University of St Andrews – one in Earth and Environmental Sciences and one in the School of Computer Science.

The new Chair in the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences will include a remit to ignite students' passion for Earth Sciences and inform the public of the necessity for geological knowledge in maintaining our planet's habitability. The new Chair will permanently increase teaching and research capacity in the school and will help prioritise the delivery of national and international educational outreach activities.

The Johann and Gaynor Rupert Chair in AI will be integral to teaching the next generation of digital leaders. AI is central to the research focus in the School of Computer Science and presents partnership opportunities with the University of St Andrews Business School and School of Philosophy to explore the philosophical and ethical questions that arise from generative AI.

It is vital that we build our endowment to provide long-term funding for chairs and similar academic appointments to continue to be able to offer world-class learning, teaching and research. Such posts will position St Andrews as a competitive (and long-term) destination for world-class academics, accelerate academic leadership and enhance outputs and our research reputation.

Making Waves: Impact Tour

Principal and Vice-Chancellor Professor Dame Sally Mapstone will be hosting an early evening event as part of our Impact Tour in Delhi on Friday 31 January at 7pm.

Together with Deputy Principal and Vice-Principal (International Strategy and External Relations) Professor Brad MacKay and Head of Development (London and International) Pamela Stephenson, she will present our vision for the future of St Andrews and share an insight into the Making Waves Campaign.

The event will be held at Oberoi Hotel, Dr Zakir Hussain Marg, New Delhi, Delhi 110003, India.

Spaces are limited for this event and early registration is recommended.

Winter appeals: thanks to you

On behalf of the University and our students we would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has so generously donated to our Making Waves Campaign projects and our winter appeals so far.

The power of the St Andrews community’s collective giving is enabling the University and its students to play an essential role in driving innovation and change in these times of unprecedented and rapidly evolving global challenges. With your support we can make waves and shape the future of our students, the University, and the world. Thank you so much for being part of our global St Andrews family.

Dr Margaret McCartney. Image credit: The British Medical Journal

Saints Spotlight: Dr Margaret McCartney

Dr Margaret McCartney is a GP, freelance writer and broadcaster, as well as a senior lecturer in the School of Medicine at the University of St Andrews. She is an advocate for evidence-based medicine and contributed to dispelling the myths around coronavirus during the Covid-19 pandemic. She talks about her work and shares her St Andrews story in this month's Saints Spotlight.

News

Lung cancer trial finds biomarker testing can reduce deaths by 40%

Groundbreaking research from the University of St Andrews School of Medicine has found that biomarker testing in individuals at risk of lung cancer led to a 40% reduction in deaths.

This study, conducted with 12,000 smokers and ex-smokers, demonstrates how biomarkers – measurable indicators of biological changes – can identify individuals at high risk of lung cancer, leading to earlier detection and significantly improved outcomes.

Scientists unlock secrets of Earth’s climate past

Researchers from the University of St Andrews have shed new light on the fundamental role played by carbon dioxide in Earth’s geological warming and cooling. New research led by a team from the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences and published in Nature Geoscience has unlocked an important part of the geological record that captures one of the biggest climatic transitions witnessed by complex life.

Image credit: Oleg Dirksen

St Andrews researchers solve 200-year volcanic mystery

The mystery location of a giant volcanic eruption that has puzzled scientists for almost 200 years has been solved by researchers at the University of St Andrews.

Dr Will Hutchison and his team in the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences were able to accurately date and match the ice core deposits from a massive volcanic eruption in 1831 to Zavaritskii volcano on the remote, uninhabited island of Simushir, part of the Kuril Islands.

Saints Golf has embarked upon a new partnership with Eden Mill St Andrews

Saints Sport: celebrating partnerships, selection and success

In an exciting few months for Saints Sport, Saints Rugby celebrated its ten-year partnership with Aldi, the University's golf programme embarked upon a new partnership with Eden Mill St Andrews, and the coastal rowing team made waves at the First European Coastal Regatta in Monaco.

Two members of the University of St Andrews Men’s Rugby performance squad were selected to play for the Scotland U20s against Wales and Director of Basketball Callum Knox was invited to join the Great Britain Women's U16 coaching team.

A digital postcard from St Leonard’s College

Last year marked the 50th anniversary of the reconstitution of St Leonard’s College as a postgraduate college. The year’s celebrations included an anniversary lecture given by the biologist and academic Dame Anne Glover, who was one of our honorary graduates in December, and the release of a digital postcard video, which you can watch above.

‘For all time’ was composed by Peter Johnstone, who was one of the first students on the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland’s (RCS) graduate jazz course and is currently completing his doctoral degree at St Andrews. The University of St Andrews has awarded and validated research degrees made by the RCS for 25 years.

It is performed by students and staff from the University of St Andrews and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and was recorded by staff and students from the Fife College Faculty of Digital and Creative Industries at the Fife College Glenrothes Studio.

Executive Education launches for individuals and organisations

The University of St Andrews is launching its Executive Education offering this year with three distinctive development opportunities:

• Open enrolment short courses led by experts from the University of St Andrews Business School, starting from summer 2025. Programmes span finance, AI, leadership, sustainability and healthcare. These courses provide a St Andrews immersive learning experience, equipping executives to return to their organisations with the latest insight, a new peer network and practical actions to transform the way they do business.

• The Business School is partnering with industry through its Consortia programmes, and is open to further conversations as the programmes continue to grow.

• The Business School will deliver customised learning solutions for organisations in the public, private and third sector across multiple industries and geographies.

To mark the launch of the Executive Education portfolio, a 50% alumni discount on all open enrolment short courses is available for University of St Andrews graduates. Organisations can also benefit from guaranteed places on our open enrolment programmes at a special rate by joining our Executive Education Corporate Rates scheme.

Dr Frank Steven in the laboratory

Alumni Stories

Freideriki (Frida) Michailidou (PhD 2017) was named an ‘MIT Innovator Under 35 Europe’; she won the Science and Sustainability Award at the British Council’s Study UK Alumni Awards 2024; and she recently delivered a TED Talk discussing the future of scents and sustainability. She is now the founder of OLYMRA, a company focusing on sustainable fragrances. Frida describes her pathway to a PhD at St Andrews and beyond

Charis Kozel (BSc 2011) discusses her career in radiology and explains why she gives back to St Andrews by funding the Wallum Scholarship, which supports medical students who would otherwise not be able to cover the costs of their education.

We are also honoured to be able to tell the story of a series of unbelievable coincidences that led the late Frank Steven (BSc 1955, PhD 1958), pictured above, to lay the foundations for a groundbreaking advance in medical science that has allowed prostate cancer cells to be selectively removed in the operating theatre.

If you would like to share your Alumni Story, please contact deveditorial@st-andrews.ac.uk.

Events

Global Burns Night

We are looking forward to celebrating Burns Night with alumni, friends and families around the world online at 7pm (UK time) on Thursday 23 January.

To register for this event, please use the link below.

Burns Night Celebration in St Andrews

The University of St Andrews will be hosting a Burns Night Celebration on Saturday 25 January at 6pm. A four-course dinner will be held in Lower College Hall, followed by traditional Scottish entertainment and a ceilidh in the Younger Hall.

All are welcome to attend. Tickets and further details are available at the link below.

Alumni Authors

All books submitted to Alumni Authors will be considered for inclusion in St Andrews in the News. Please click here to submit your book.

Saints Funder: University of St Andrews Sailing Club

The University of St Andrews Sailing Club Dinghy Team is ranked first in Scotland and finished 11th in the BUSA Finals in 2024. While competitively strong, the Club also welcomes beginners.

Their fleet of dinghies, purchased in 2013, is in desperate need of replacing and the Club hopes to acquire six new Firefly dinghies which will both support the training needs of their nationally recognised sailors and provide resources for newcomers to the sport.

Laidlaw Live

Look out for the latest Laidlaw Music Centre live-streamed concerts and access high-quality music – wherever you are in the world.

Reconnect!

If you know someone who would like to reconnect and sign up for St Andrews in the News, they can do so using the links below:

Alumni: Update your contact information

Parents/guardians of undergraduate students: Register to join the Family Programme

Email: alumni@st-andrews.ac.uk for more information