L-R: Alumnus Uday Pratap Singh (MA 2011), Professor Dame Sally Mapstone and Professor Brad MacKay

Making Waves: Campaign update

Principal and Vice-Chancellor Professor Dame Sally Mapstone hosted an event in Delhi as part of our Making Waves Campaign Impact Tour.

The Principal was joined by Deputy Principal and Vice-Principal (International Strategy and External Relations) Professor Brad MacKay and Head of Development (London and International) Pamela Stephenson, and presented our vision for the future of St Andrews. Dame Sally also shared insights into our Campaign priorities, including the ‘New College’ and Digital Nexus Building capital projects, scholarships and endowed chairs.

Pamela Stephenson, Head of Development (London and International)

Further details of upcoming Impact Tour events will be shared soon.

Making Waves: Lecture Series

Our new Making Waves Lecture Series launched in February with the first event featuring Dr Paul Webb from the School of Chemistry. His lecture – Transitioning to a sustainable future – was held at the Royal Over-Seas League in London. Our thanks to all those joined us.

Dr Paul Webb gave the inaugural Making Waves Lecture

The Making Waves Lecture Series features leading academics from across the University. Further events are planned for the coming months:

• Wednesday 26 March – Professor Simon Dobson, School of Computer Science

• Tuesday 22 April – Professor Phillips O'Brien, School of International Relations

• Wednesday 14 May – Dr Margaret McCartney, School of Medicine – with Dr Chris van Tulleken

• Tuesday 17 June – PhD Student Showcase

We look forward to welcoming alumni, supporters and friends to hear more about the big ideas taking shape at St Andrews and the ripples they are creating across society.

All lectures are free to attend. Please register via the link below.

Saints Spotlight: Professor Andrea Burke

In December 2024 Andrea Burke was inducted as the first female professor in the 121-year history of Geology and Earth Science at the University of St Andrews. Her research focuses on climate change and what we can learn from the environmental history of our planet. 

In this issue's Saints Spotlight, Professor Burke discusses her work and ambitions for the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences.

News

Professor Dame Sally Mapstone with First Minister John Swinney

First Minister and former Taoiseach mark St Andrews' chairing of SCGA

Scotland's First Minister John Swinney MSP and the former Prime Minister of Ireland Leo Varadkar recently joined Principal Professor Dame Sally Mapstone at an event held in the School of Medicine's Booth Lecture Theatre. This marked the transition of the chairing of the international relations think tank, the Scottish Council on Global Affairs (SCGA), from the University of Glasgow to the University of St Andrews for the next two years.

New partnership will broaden understanding of UK’s public art collection

The University's School of Art History – which is consistently ranked top in the UK – is teaming up with education charity Art UK on a pioneering project to research and tell stories about the art collection owned by the UK public.

Professor Ali Ansari speaking at the Royal Over-Seas League

London alumni events

It was wonderful to catch up with so many of our alumni, families and friends at our December events in London. Thank you to all those who attended Professor Ali Ansari’s lecture at the Royal Over-Seas League entitled ‘Whither Iran?’ which looked at the history of Iran in the 20th Century and asked ‘what now for the Islamic Republic of Iran?’. Thanks also to those who joined us at St Columba’s Church for the annual London Alumni Carol Service.

Photographs from both events can be viewed below.

The Arclight Project launches a new Indirect Ophthalmoscope 

The Arclight Project, founded at the University of St Andrews, has launched the Arclight Holo this month. The Holo is a pioneering Binocular Indirect Opthalmoscope (BIO), which has been designed with portability, ease of use and sustainability in mind. It features a solar-powered LED system, a teaching mirror for enhanced learning, and a lightweight yet durable design. 

This latest innovation from the Arclight team aligns with their commitment to global health and accessible medical training.

Alumnus Jack Keeler (MA 2012) hosted the group at Citadel in New York City

Winter Break Careers Treks

The Careers Centre hosted Winter Break Careers Treks in the US featuring student visits to offices in Washington, DC and New York City. The treks were planned in partnership with alumni volunteers, who generously helped to coordinate, lead and welcome students to various organisations. Students were able to meet with professionals, learn about work-place culture, discover career opportunities and internships, and understand the skills and competencies vital to their career journeys.  

Students also participated in an alumni-student networking evening social in New York, where we welcomed alumni and friends to share advice with students and help to grow their professional networks.
 
We’d like to extend our sincere thanks to the host organisations who made this year’s treks possible: American Foreign Service Association, Bank of New York (BNY), Bass, Berry and Sims, Baxter International, Brookings, Brunswick Group, Citadel, Deloitte, Ernst & Young, Five Rings, Leeds Equity Partners, Pencil or Ink, Relativity Space, US Chamber of Commerce, US Department of Commerce, US Department of State, and World Bank.

Alumnus Carter Thompson (MA 2019) hosted students at Deloitte in Washington, DC

If you are interested in supporting a careers trek during Winter Break 2026, or supporting our students' employability please reach out to us at careers@st-andrews.ac.uk or alumni@st-andrews.ac.uk.

Events

Book now: Alumni Weekend 2025

Running from Friday 27 to Sunday 29 June, this year’s programme has something for everyone – whether you want to pit your wits against your fellow alumni in our quiz night, enjoy a glass of fizz and browse the bookshelves at Topping & Company Booksellers, hear from PhD students in our three minute thesis competition, play golf at the Arnold Palmer Invitational or simply relax at the Alumni Clubhouse in Sandy’s Bar.

The programme also includes the University Public Meeting, the summer meeting of the General Council, a Harbour Walk, an ‘In Conversation’ event at the Wardlaw Museum, and our popular wine tasting event with award-winning drinks journalist Rose Murray Brown.

Please get in touch if you would like help to reconnect with specific groups.

View the full programme and register now via the link below.

Accommodation is available to book in our Halls of Residence with a special alumni discount when you enter the code 'Alumni' when booking online. This offer does not include self-catering accommodation at David Russell Apartments.

Arnold Palmer Invitational 2025

On Saturday 28 June – as part of Alumni Weekend – we’re hosting the annual Arnold Palmer Invitational on the Kittocks Course with tee times available from 8.30am. Book now to secure your place via the button below.

Professor Sir Michael Marmot

American Medical Alumni Lecture: Professor Sir Michael Marmot

Honorary graduate Professor Sir Michael Marmot will deliver the 2025 American Medical Alumni Lecture on Wednesday 5 March at 5.15pm in the School of Medicine's Booth Lecture Theatre.

Sir Michael has been Professor of Epidemiology at University College London since 1985 and is Director of the UCL Institute of Health Equity. His lecture will explore evidence-based strategies for tackling health inequalities at a local and national level.

The lecture series is supported by the American Medical Alumni Fund, instituted by the Council of the Faculty of Science in 1975-76 to make use of the donations from American medical graduates of the University of St Andrews. The fund was created by Jewish Americans who came to St Andrews in the late 1920s and early 1930s when they were barred from other medical schools. 

Joe Russo, Tom Holland, Harry Holland and Anthony Russo at the 2024 Sands International Film Festival

Save the date: Sands International Film Festival

This year's Sands International Film Festival will take place in St Andrews from Friday 25 to Sunday 27 April. The weekend programme will feature films, workshops and events with guests and top talent from the film industry. 

Further information and the full programme will follow. For now, please save the date!

Save the date: Bobby Jones 50th anniversary reunion

The University of St Andrews and Emory College of Arts and Sciences will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Bobby Jones Scholarship Programme in summer 2027. All former Bobby Jones Scholars are warmly invited to save the date for 29 July to 1 August 2027 for a reunion in Atlanta, Georgia.

Expect four days of festivities filled with inspiring speakers, nostalgic highlights and activities including golf and a celebration of our global community.

Alumni Stories

Rebecca Snow is Head of People & Organization at Mars, Incorporated

We hear from Rebecca Snow (MA 1995), who is Head of People & Organization at Mars, Incorporated. In a prescient move by her academic mother, Rebecca and her friends were dressed up as M&M's® during Raisin Weekend. She describes her career journey from medieval history student to corporate leader at one of the biggest names in multinational manufacturing.

St Salvator's Quad by Peter Jones

Peter Jones (MA 1997) combined a passion for Paris and painting to carve out a career in the art world. Fascinated by the stories and character of buildings, he describes his path to publishing his second book of artworks, which is all about St Andrews.

Alumni Authors

SaintsFunder: Highland Fusion Bursary 2025-2026

The Highland Fusion Bursary has been supporting dancers to overcome the financial barriers to dance and the University's Highland dance team for the past two years. It has enabled passionate dancers and choreographers to continue doing what they love most.

Click on the video above to watch Highland Fusion's performance of Wake Me Up, choreographed by Erika Mitchell (4th year Chemistry with Medicinal Chemistry).

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