Murray Edwards College Cambridge

25/06/2026

Congratulations to Professor Charles Forsdick, Fellow and Tutor at Murray Edwards College and Drapers Professor of French at the University of Cambridge, on jointly receiving this year's David Crystal Award for outstanding personal contributions to languages.

As Lead Fellow for Languages at the The British Academy, Charles has played a pivotal role in bringing together partners across the languages sector, building a powerful coalition to champion language learning and international engagement. His leadership has helped support initiatives that widen access to languages and global opportunities, including the UK's return to the Erasmus+ programme, a development that will have a transformative impact on learners across the country.

The award recognises Charles's exceptional ability to convene, inspire and advocate for languages at a national level, ensuring that more people can benefit from the cultural, educational and professional opportunities that language learning provides.

Charles Forsdick pictured receiving the David Crystal Award from Baroness Jean Coussins

The award recognises outstanding contributions to languages

21/06/2026

VICTORY!!!

Congratulations to our fantastic W1 team who have won blades at May Bumps!

The team were +3 going into the last day, and needed to bump Christ's to earn their blades. After a tense fight to the finish line, the Murray Edwards College Boat Club crew made the crucial bump at the bottom of the spinning zone, becoming the first W1 crew to blade since 2013!

The team shared:
"Christ's put up such an amazing fight, and we were impressed (and tired) from a truly excellent race! I couldn't be prouder of our fantastic crew!"

A resounding WELL DONE to all of our crews, who gave their all and held their own against so many exceptional college boats. We are phenomenally proud of Murray Edwards College Boat Club , their coaches, and all the students who showed up to support our college!

University of Cambridge Cambridge University Sport The CHANEL J12 Boat Race

17/06/2026

✨ We are delighted to congratulate alumna and BAFTA-nominated actress Nicola Walker on being elected an Honorary Fellow of Murray Edwards College. ✨

From studying English at New Hall (now Murray Edwards) and performing with the Cambridge Footlights, to becoming one of the UK's most acclaimed actors, Nicola's journey is an inspiring reminder of the power of belonging, opportunity, and community.

Reflecting on her time at College, Nicola described Murray Edwards as a place where she found lifelong friendships, creative confidence, and the support to pursue her ambitions.

Read more 👉 https://www.murrayedwards.cam.ac.uk/college-news/nicola-walker-elected-honorary-fellow

08/06/2026

Take our Virtual Tour Today!
Thinking about Cambridge Uni but unsure where you’d feel at home?

At Murray Edwards College, we’re proud to be a supportive, welcoming community for women who want to thrive — academically and personally. We know choosing the right college can feel overwhelming. But here, every student is seen, valued, and supported — with exceptional teaching, pastoral care, and a real sense of belonging. ✨

We have among the best facilities in Cambridge. Think: our own gym, tennis and squash courts, beautiful gardens, and a packed calendar of activities beyond the lecture hall.

🎥 Take a virtual tour today to see what makes us different — and join us in person on 9 & 10 July for our Open Days.
You can find out more on our website https://www.murrayedwards.cam.ac.uk/study-us/outreach/undergraduate-open-days-2026

04/06/2026

Murray Edwards College is honoured to be hosting the Afghan Refugee Women’s cricket team during its historic England tour later this month.

The players, who are exiled from their home country thanks to its ban on women's sport, will take on the Cambridge University women’s team on Saturday 27 June 2026 at Fenner’s, the famed home of Cambridge cricket.

They will also play a second T20 match against the UK Armed Forces Women’s team. Both matches are open to the public, with no charge.

During their three-day stopover in the Cambridge, the women and their support staff will all stay in the College, where they will also enjoy a celebratory dinner after their fixtures.

Dr Rachel Polonsky, Acting President of Murray Edwards, said: 'The College is honoured to be hosting the Afghan Refugee Women’s cricket team during the players’ stay in Cambridge.

'As one of the two colleges for women at the University of Cambridge and indeed in the UK as a whole, we are proud to support women's free participation in sport at all levels, worldwide. We look forward not only to an exciting day of cricket but a wonderful opportunity for both the Cambridge students and Afghan players to meet and forge new bonds.'

The tour is being supported by Sir Laurie Bristow, President of and the UK’s last ambassador to Afghanistan during the fall of the city in August 2021 and the subsequent evacuation. Sir Laurie said: 'The matches are a celebration of women's sport and a recognition of the resilience and achievements of the Afghan women cricketers, as well as providing an opportunity to welcome families, sports fans, university members and the local community to support the teams.'

For more information about this amazing team, and the upcoming fixtures, please click here:
https://tinyurl.com/37y9nrey

03/06/2026

Congratulations to alumna, Maggie O'Farrell, on her new book 'Land,' which is officially out NOW!

Land is an epic novel of upheaval and loss beginning in 19th century Ireland, with its roots in Maggie's own family.

Maggie studied English at Murray Edwards (then called New Hall) and continues to inspire our community with her bold and exquisite writing.

Speaking to one of our students, Maggie reflected on her time as an undergraduate:

"It's funny you know, the three years of my undergraduate degree seemed enormous, like a lifetime. But looking back at it now it seems like just a hobby.
I think all those friendships and all the teaching and tutorials and everything are so important, because there's never another time in your life when you are so incredibly porous for friendship and opportunity. You know, it's astonishing and you don't really realize how rare how special that is."

We encourage all our students to take Maggie's inspiring words to heart and seize all the opportunities that University of Cambridge has to offer!

02/06/2026

🥇 Spring Regatta Champions! A huge shoutout to our W1 crew for an outstanding win at the Cambridge 99s Spring Regatta. What a performance! 🚣‍♀️🔥

20/05/2026

Medwards Alumna Dr Laura Hobbs and Bye-fellow Dr Brandon G. Smith, PhD and University of Cambridge researchers led a global call for the recognition of traumatic brain injury at World Health Assembly.
https://www.murrayedwards.cam.ac.uk/college-news/cambridge-researchers-lead-global-call-recognition-traumatic-brain-injury-world-health
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) affects 69 million people every year and has been invisible in global health policy for far too long. Progress made at the Assembly signalled real change - a landmark moment for this global cause.

Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge

Medwards Alumna Dr Laura Hobbs and Bye-fellow Dr Brandon G. Smith advance landmark policy action

18/05/2026

We're thrilled to celebrate Medwards PhD student Carrie Anne Philbin MBE, whose groundbreaking work encouraging girls into computing has been recognised by the British Film Institute National Archive.

Carrie Anne launched Geek Gurl Diaries in 2012 with a simple but powerful mission: to help more young people, especially girls, see themselves in technology. Through creative, accessible tutorials on coding, robotics, electronics and digital making, she inspired a generation of learners to explore computing with confidence and curiosity.

PhD student’s work explores creativity, coding and digital learning

13/05/2026

What is it about studying at the University of Cambridge that so inspires comedians..?

We're not going to comment on that, but we do want to celebrate a fantastic achievement for our alumna, the writer Barunka O'Shaughnessy: a BAFTA for the hit BBC comedy series Amandaland.

The series, a spin-off of the series Motherland, was named best scripted comedy at the BaftaTVAwards 2026, defeating tough competition including How Are You? It's Alan (Partridge).

The award is the second for Barunka (New Hall 1993), who scooped a BAFTA as part of the writing team for Motherland in 2022.

We were delighted to hear more about her career when she joined us as guest speaker at the College’s International Women’s Day celebrations in March this year. She reflected on her creative journey from performing during her time at College to building an impressive career as a writer and creator. The conversation offered fascinating insights into the creative industries, women’s voices in comedy, and the realities of building a career in television writing.

Writer scoops award for BBC hit 'Amandaland'