Leading immunologist joins St Catharine’s College

St Catharine’s College is delighted to welcome Dr Rahul Roychoudhuri, a University Senior Lecturer in the Division of Immunology at the Department of Pathology in Cambridge, who will be formally admitted as our newest Fellow later in June.

His fundamental, inquiry-based research is helping to advance our scientific understanding of the regulation of immune responses, especially as controlled by regulatory T cells, which can be exploited by cancer to suppress the body’s defences.

Dr Roychoudhuri said, “I am excited to join the vibrant academic community at St Catharine’s, where I will be contributing to small group teaching and supporting students’ development as Director of Studies. The opportunity to explore the latest scientific ideas with students and other Fellows across the wide range of subject areas represented in College will be enormously valuable.

“I have always been fascinated with the immune system and how we might harness immune responses to help patients. With the advent of a class of drugs called immune checkpoint inhibitors offering promising new immune-based treatment options for people with cancer, it is clear how powerful such an approach can be. I hope that my research will ultimately help make a difference to people with life-limiting and life-threatening diseases.”

Professor Sir Mark Welland, Master of St Catharine’s, added, “It is a real pleasure to welcome Dr Roychoudhuri to the Fellowship of St Catharine’s. I have no doubt that his considerable expertise and enthusiasm will help engage our medical students in the importance of scientific progress and the scientific principles that underpin clinical management of disease.”

Dr Roychoudhuri was until recently based at the Babraham Institute at the Babraham Research Campus near Cambridge, and his laboratory team will relocate to the University’s facilities in a phased manner. He lives with his wife Lauren and young daughter Eva in Cambridge, where he enjoys caring for the family’s chickens, gardening, exploring the countryside and photography.