Dr Pippa Rogerson announced as next Master of Caius College

The Faculty warmly welcomes the announcement that Dr Pippa Rogerson will be the next Master of Gonville & Caius College.

Dr Rogerson, a Fellow of Caius since 1989 and a member of the University Council, will succeed Professor Sir Alan Fersht when he retires from the post at the end of September 2018.

Dr Rogerson will make history as the first woman Master of Caius in the 669 years since its foundation as Gonville Hall. Her appointment will bring the number of female Heads of Houses in Cambridge to 11, meaning just over a third of the 31 colleges will be headed by women.

I’m extremely fortunate to be part of such a wonderful College with such distinguished colleagues who are so engaged in research and teaching, fantastic undergraduates and graduates and an incredible team of staff.Dr Pippa Rogerson

While, as with many ancient institutions, there is complexity in counting the number of Masters, by the College’s measure Dr Rogerson will become the 43rd Master of Caius.

Responding to the appointment, Dr Rogerson said she was “delighted and daunted in equal parts to have been elected Master of Caius. Sir Alan Fersht is a hard act to follow, and I’m extremely fortunate to be part of such a wonderful College with such distinguished colleagues who are so engaged in research and teaching, fantastic undergraduates and graduates and an incredible team of staff.”

Her focus as Master would be on people, she said. “In order to have excellence in education and research we have to choose the best people as students, Fellows and staff, and then provide the environment in which they can thrive and do absolutely their best work."

Dr Rogerson has been a Fellow and College Lecturer in Law at Caius since 1989, and Director of Studies in Law at the College since 1990. A University Lecturer in the Faculty of Law at Cambridge since 1989, she was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 2001. She is a former member of the College Council at Caius, and currently sits on the University Council.

Her predecessor, Professor Fersht, is a world-renowned chemist, who was knighted for his pioneering work on protein science.

For more information, please refer to the Gonville & Caius website.