
St Catharine’s is celebrating the admission of two new Official Fellows and the awarding of two Honorary Fellowships, following recent decisions by the College’s Governing Body.
The Master and the Official and Professorial Fellows of St Catharine’s serve as trustees and are members of the College’s Governing Body, which may elect new Official Fellows to serve as trustees and confer Honorary Fellowships on individuals who have achieved at a very high level in their field.
Honorary Fellows
Dr Jenni Gibbons (formerly an Official Fellow 2016–24) was awarded an Honorary Fellowship with immediate effect from 25 October 2024. Dr Gibbons was a Fellow of St Catharine’s for eight years, first joining the College while she was the University Lecturer in Internal Combustion Engines at the Department of Engineering. In 2017, she was selected as an astronaut for the Canadian Space Agency and began training for and supporting human space flight at NASA’s Johnson Space Centre in Houston, Texas. In 2023, she was selected as the Canadian Space Agency's backup astronaut on Artemis II, a mission planned for April 2026 that will send humans around the Moon. This is the first mission in a series aimed at returning humans to the lunar surface for the first time in over 50 years.
Dr Gibbons commented, “It is a pleasure to be invited to join St Catharine’s College as an Honorary Fellow. The College has held special significance for me since I joined as a Fellow during my University Lectureship. I’m continually grateful for its support as I train for future missions with the Canadian Space Agency and am looking forward to many more interactions with students, Fellows and staff at the College, including sharing my experience with and the benefits of space exploration and discovery.”
Alumnus The Very Revd Mark Bonney DL (1975, Music) has been awarded an Honorary Fellowship with immediate effect from 6 December 2024. After being ordained in 1985, he served for 16 years in the Diocese of St Albans, before becoming the Canon Treasurer of Salisbury Cathedral in 2004 and Dean of Ely in 2012. In addition to his concern for issues around social justice and inclusion, he has promoted art and music within the Cathedrals he has worked in and has always sought to make these spaces accessible to as many people as possible. Mark has been on the Board of Governors of the Church Commissioners since 2019 and was appointed as a Deputy Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire in 2023, with responsibility for representing His Majesty The King on the Lord-Lieutenant’s behalf.
Mark added, “It’s a great privilege to have been made an Honorary Fellow. I owe so much to the College and am thrilled by this closer association.”
Official Fellows
Alumna Dr Hannah Pinnock (2005, Veterinary Medicine) has been elected an Official Fellow from 21 January 2025. Dr Pinnock graduated from St Catharine's as a Member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons in 2011. Since then she has worked in small animal, first opinion practice and enjoy all aspects of veterinary life. More recently she has returned to the University of Cambridge and is now based at The Queen's Veterinary School Hospital, where she helps teach clinical veterinary students and is passionate about supporting students into the profession.
Dr Pinnock said, “I am delighted to return to St Catharine's as a Fellow. I spent many happy years at the College during my studies to become a Veterinary Surgeon. I look forward to becoming an active part of the College community and supporting students through their own studies.”
The Revd Nell Whiscombe has also been elected an Official Fellow of St Catharine’s in conjunction with the recent announcement of her appointment as the College’s new Chaplain from 13 January 2025.
A special ceremony will be held at St Catharine’s on 20 January 2025 to officially admit Nell, Mark and Dr Pinnock to the Fellowship. Dr Gibbons will be admitted at a future ceremony, as permitted by her duties as a Canadian Space Agency astronaut.
Sir John Benger (1979, English), Master of St Catharine’s, commented:
“I am thrilled to congratulate, Nell, Hannah and Mark on the occasion of their admission to the Fellowship at St Catharine’s. We are tremendously proud of the impact of our community in Cambridge and the surrounding area as typified by Hannah’s dedication to teaching, Nell’s vocation and Mark’s contributions as Dean of Ely and Deputy Lieutenant.
“I look forward to inducting Jenni as an Honorary Fellow in due course. I understand completely why she isn’t able to take time away from her preparations in Houston, Texas for the Artemis II mission around the Moon, but I will seize this opportunity to congratulate her on her giant leap from Main Court to Mission Control!”