‘As temporary custodians, Masters need to create a continuum by embracing long-term planning that strengthens the College for future generations – and not simply maintain the status quo’
An interview with the eighth Master of Churchill College, Professor Sharon Peacock
Sharon Peacock takes over from Athene Donald in October 2024. Professor Peacock is Professor of Microbiology and Public Health in Cambridge. Her scientific career has been devoted to pathogen genomics, antimicrobial resistance, and tropical diseases. She was founding director of COG-UK, the Covid-19 Genomics UK Consortium, which delivered SARS-CoV-2 sequencing to UK public health agencies, governments, and researchers during the pandemic. Author of over 550 papers and 22 book chapters, she has raised £60 million in research funding. She holds an honorary degree from the Royal Veterinary College, was made a CBE in 2015, and was awarded the Medical Research Council Millennium medal in 2021. Professor Peacock is a Non-Executive Director on the Board of Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, an Honorary Fellow of St John’s College Cambridge, and a member of University Council. She is the seventh STEM Master of the College, and the first in the medical sciences. You can listen to her on the BBC’s ‘Desert Island Discs’ archive. An interview with Mark Goldie on 22 February 2024 informed the contents of this article.
I begin with two apologies. First, today’s discussion is about the College rather than your scientific work and career. Second, I expect I’ll repeat some of the questions put to you by our Search Committee. But this conversation is for the wider College community.
How has the role of a Cambridge Head of House changed in the past thirty years?
Several generations ago, a Master would most likely have been a man, often drawn from the existing membership of the College. Since then, there’s been a notable shift towards greater diversity in recruitment, as well as an acknowledgement of the importance of Colleges being more outward facing. Today, around half of Heads of House in Cambridge are women, and there is growing diversity in terms of ethnicity, social background and the professional expertise and experience that people bring to the role. But many of the core duties are much the same as they were 30 years ago or more. As well as supporting and promoting academic excellence, the Master is the glue of the College. They need to be a visible and effective leader to all constituencies of the College and beyond. As temporary custodians, Masters need to create a continuum by embracing long-term planning that strengthens the College for future generations, and not simply maintain the status quo. I aim to take a 50-year forward view when thinking about the sustainability of the campus, whether the estate and its buildings are fit for purpose, and what level of philanthropic funding we will need to continue to foster academic achievements and innovation by students, fellows, and members of the College.
Why would such a talented and successful scientist want to spend time on the sometimes vexing concerns of College Fellows and students?
I’d have two answers to that. There isn’t a better job on the planet than supporting, educating, teaching, and nurturing young people. I am convinced that tackling the many global challenges that we face requires us to invest in the education and learning of future generations. Supporting young people at Churchill College to become their best selves and to enter the wider world ready to make a difference is hugely fulfilling. My second response is that, although I will miss research, this feels like I am coming full circle in my academic life. I didn’t do well at school and left at sixteen. I trained as a dental nurse, then a nurse, a doctor, and a researcher. At sixteen it wouldn’t have occurred to me that I would become Master of a Cambridge college, but right now it feels like a natural progression in my working life. I want to use my back story to reflect on the power of intellectual curiosity combined with academic training to change lives, and encourage students thinking about university to feel that anything is possible.
What percentage of your time have you agreed with the College to devote to the Mastership?
I was given the choice of between 50 and 80 per cent and opted for 80 per cent. The Mastership will be my overriding commitment. But it’s important to have outside perspectives. I’ll retain my professorship in the Department of Clinical Medicine. I sit on Council at the University, as well as the Advisory Councils for Cambridge Life Science, and the Centre for Science and Policy (CSaP). I will continue as a Non-Executive Director on the Board of Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust until March 2025, when I will step down after 9 years. These roles give me greater knowledge of the wider Cambridge landscape. On that subject, I note the expansion of West Cambridge and Eddington, which has meant that Churchill finds itself at the centre of the University geographically. I want to look at how we might forge closer links with our near neighbours in pursuit of academic advancement.
The College is rightly proud of several early commitments: 70 per cent STEM, one third postgraduates, the first men’s college to decide to admit women. But all that was a long time ago. Is it time for new defining commitments?
It’s important to preserve and consolidate these unique fundamentals. I appreciate how special it still is to be 70 per cent STEM and one third postgrads, now combined with the achievement of gender parity in student numbers. So, I don’t agree that it’s time for new defining commitments in terms of core subjects. But there is more we can do to attract the strongest students and make their experience at Churchill College an exceptional one. I care a lot about the College being accessible to students who would otherwise not be able to afford it. Diversity isn’t just about gender and ethnicity: it’s about poverty too. We also need to maintain a relentless focus on how we help students at the different stages in their Churchill journey, including after university – captured by the phrase ‘Getting in, Getting on, and Getting out.’
Arguably the University is two-faced. We worry about access at undergrad level; but at the postgrad level we cater for the world’s elite who can afford the fees.
I agree that it’s troubling that there are talented students internationally who can’t afford to benefit from what Churchill College has to offer. For this reason, I am keen to work with colleagues to review the scale of our ambition in relation to postgrad bursaries as one component of our development plan to allow us to educate academically gifted people from across the world.
Churchill is one of the largest colleges. Is continuing growth inexorable?
It’s not inevitable. The question I would ask is – what is the optimum size? There would need to be a compelling strategic reason for further expansion. A possible driver of expansion is the growth in new subject disciplines among the Triposes. A question to ask me again in a year!
Many Fellows are chiefly department-facing; some rarely set foot in the College. How do you avoid the College being, for Fellows, just a dining club?
I would be horrified if anyone thought of Churchill College as just a dining club! Every member of the College community should expect to actively contribute towards our purpose. Fellows are vital for teaching, for the wider running of the College, and they directly contribute to research outputs through their academic positions, together with Churchill research fellowships and by-fellowships. The College is self-governing, and we will be most effective if Fellows get involved and support the work of its committees. But having said that, I want to defend the value of eating together. This is an important time to socialise and maintain the cohesion of the Fellowship, as well as to talk about our research interests across the academic disciplines.
Day-to-day, the Master spends time in the ‘admin corridor’ and interacts with the Vice-Master, Senior Tutor, and Bursar (traditionally known as the ‘College Officers’). How do you avoid a bunker mentality?
I aim to spend a lot of time out and about talking with students, fellows, staff, and alumni. I’m keen to meet with staff groups and to understand how departments that manage areas such as catering, hospitality, the estates and gardens, function day-to-day. I want people to feel they can tell me what it’s like to work here. I also aim to be visible at lunch and dinner. Being the human face of the College is important, but listening to people is even more so. I hope that this is the opposite of bunker mentality.
Cambridge Masters’ Lodges tend to be, at least on the ground floor, semi-public spaces. Shall you mind that?
I thought a lot about this before applying. But using the Master’s Lodge in such a way as to maximise its value to the College is important. It’s a place where, for example, people can be invited to celebrate their successes, or discuss support for what they are trying to do. I’ve talked with the Senior Tutor about meeting student groups. And I hope that alumni would enjoy visiting me in the Lodge.
Do you have a sense of the relationship between the College Council and the Governing Body?
Not yet! But I’m open to having conversations about how we can function even better together. I will also advocate for good communication and information flow from these key committees to the wider College. But I need to experience them first and then reflect.
Sitting in committees, what have you learnt about chairing meetings?
Really listen to what people are saying; make sure that all voices are heard; be clear about what you are trying to achieve by having the meeting; be ready to evaluate whether the meeting has delivered its expected outcomes. Meetings may be more effective if its members have good working relationships – but look out for group think. Preparing is important: know the paperwork inside out. Be sensitive to potential conflict, which may need further discussion beyond the meeting to resolve it.
The College is the national memorial to Winston Churchill. You will be aware that a couple of years ago we had a torrid time when we walked blindfold into a national culture war over Churchill’s reputation. What are your thoughts?
It’s not possible to give you my response as a simple one-liner, but I can explain my current thinking. I am clear about my bottom line, that Churchill College is a place of learning and education for current and future generations, and that my role as Master is to ensure that the real treasure – our community and their potential to improve society and the wider world – is allowed to flourish for many generations to come. But I appreciate the complexity and many facets of the debate that developed around the time that a series of seminars were held on Churchill, Empire and Race, which were associated with the expression of very strongly held views. We are fortunate to live in a pluralistic society where people with different backgrounds, beliefs, opinions, likes, and dislikes co-exist, and where we are free to advocate for different causes and values. I note that opinions around this debate often resided at ends of the spectrum, and further discussion of Sir Winston Churchill and his legacy will require a spirit of true collaboration and a commitment to listening to and exploring different points of view.
The College has a secular tradition. Does that suit you?
I knew it was secular when I took on the role. But it’s not a question of whether it suits me – if I want to practice a religion then I can do that privately. Does it suit our students is more the question. We should be clear that the College welcomes people who practice a religion or are non-religious. If we were to say that the College is only for secular people, we would exclude a large and important part of the population and that would go against our principles of diversity.
Was there anything strange about the College’s selection process for the Mastership?
Appointing a Head of House is a very protracted process. Perhaps unsurprisingly since you are choosing someone who’s not just going to do a job of work but also live on site and be the face of the College. It’s no coincidence that I’ve just read C. P. Snow’s The Masters, a novel about the election of a Master, first published in 1951 but set in 1937. The intrigue of the book lies in the political manoeuvring of fellows in support of two quite different internal candidates. But I am glad to say that today the process is much more open, and importantly involves seeking views from a wider number of people – including non-academic staff and students.
To close, a change of mood. A few questions that are more personal. What is your earliest memory?
As a toddler I remember having a nasty infectious disease – measles or mumps – quite close to Christmas Day. Feeling sorry for myself I was sitting on my mother’s lap in the kitchen; we heard jingling bells in the distance and my mum said that was Santa on his way. I believed her completely!
Who are your heroines or heroes?
Scientists who make the world a better place. Working on DNA, I look up to Rosalind Franklin and Fred Sanger. But we need to look beyond ‘hero worship’ too and balance out this discussion to recognise the many people who work to make our communities function effectively and safely.
In what other historical period would you have liked to have lived?
No other. Whilst recognising today’s global problems, I’ve been lucky to live in a period when we have access to antibiotics and other drugs, vaccinations, medical care, and scientific technologies that improve the way we live. I also acknowledge that in this country, we have not suffered the wars that my parents and grandparents lived through.
If not an academic scientist, what other career would you have liked?
There isn’t any other. I didn’t discover clinical medicine till I belatedly went to university – but once I did, I was completely hooked. You couldn’t tempt me away from that.
Churchill College probably holds the Cambridge record for the proportion of Masters who have been on ‘Desert Island Discs’ (three out of eight). What one book and one track did you select for your desert island?
The book was the Oxford Textbook of Medicine. I first read it as an undergraduate. Medicine moves so fast; there’s so much I could learn from it. My track would be Nick Drake, Time has Told Me – it would remind me of my husband, who wouldn’t be with me on the island. He has been my lifelong supporter.
