Somerville is delighted to share that five of its academics have been appointed to full Professorships in the 2023 University of Oxford Recognition of Distinction exercise.

The five academics to be recognised are: Professor Southerden, our Tutorial Fellow in Italian (who also attended Somerville as a student); Professor Kassim Javaid, who is a Senior Research Fellow at Somerville and a Professor in Osteoporosis and Rare Adult Bone Diseases at NDORMS; Professor Simon Kyle, who is a Research Fellow at Somerville and a Professor of Experimental and Clinical Sleep Research at the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences; Professor Amalia Coldea, who is a Senior Research Fellow at Somerville and Professor of Physics; and Professor Vanessa Ferreira, who is a Clinical Non-Stipendiary Lecturer at Somerville and a British Heart Foundation Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine.

Speaking of her appointment and future plans at Somerville, Professor Southerden commented, ‘Somerville and the Faculty of Medieval and Modern Languages are special communities for sharing knowledge and ideas, and I look forward to many more opportunities for the creative thinking and dialogue that are fostered through conversations with colleagues, and through teaching and supervising undergraduate and postgraduate students.

‘In particular, I look forward to developing some exciting research projects I am working on in medieval Italian literature and critical theory, including my next book project on Italian lyric poetry and my newly developed research interests in ecocriticism, particularly plant studies.’

Professor Kyle commented that, ‘I’m very honoured to receive this recognition of distinction. It reflects recognition of our group’s efforts to understand and treat sleep and circadian rhythm disruption, and to improve training in sleep medicine globally.’

Professor Javid thanked, ‘my academic and clinical colleagues, teachers, friends and family who supported my academic journey to achieve this prestigious recognition.’ He added, ‘It really has been a team effort from an early age. I am so grateful for their invaluable experience, expertise and, most importantly, patience that has nurtured my career. I look forward to their continued guidance and paying forward to others in their journey. Cyrus, look what we have achieved!’

L-r: Professors Southerden, Kyle and Javaid

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