Newsletter: Events at Clare Hall, Autumn 2026
Dear Clare Hall members and friends,
Please find below a list of events taking place this week and beyond, to which you are warmly invited.
➢ Members’ events
Clare Hall Through Your Lens: Seasonal Photography Competition |
Monday 16 February – Monday 2 November 2026
Following the wonderful response to our community photo project, Clare Hall Through Your Lens continues throughout this special anniversary year as our official 60th Anniversary Photography Competition.
We invite students, fellows, staff, and families to capture Clare Hall’s grounds, gardens, and moments of college life across all four seasons. At the end of each season, a judging panel will select the top three photographs, which will go forward to be included in a commemorative Clare Hall 60th Anniversary Calendar.
This is a chance to celebrate Clare Hall at 60, highlight our natural environment, and contribute to a lasting visual record of the College during this milestone year.
Find out how to take part on the main event page.
New Clare Hall Books |
Pre-order now!
Clare Hall is delighted to share news of two forthcoming that highlight the College’s engagement with art, collecting and material culture.
Collecting Dutch Golden Age Paintings: The Search for the Winterfeldt Wouwerman by Professor Alan Short, President of Clare Hall, offers a personal and scholarly reflection on the pursuit of Dutch Golden Age paintings, drawing on decades of research and collecting experience. Several works from this collection are displayed in the President’s Lodge.
Studio Potters: The Bell Collection at Clare Hall by Clare Hall Associates Professor Gordon Bell and Helen Ritchie celebrates the Bell Collection, one of the College’s most distinctive cultural assets.
Find more information and pre-order the books here. There is a 10% discount if you subscribe to the publisher’s newsletter.
➢ Lectures and talks
Clare Hall Summer Seminars |
Wednesdays, 29 July – 16 September 2026, 6pm
The Clare Hall Summer Seminar Series will be running from 29 July to 16 September. This series offers Clare Hall Visiting Fellows, Fellows and Life Members an opportunity to share their current research with the wider Clare Hall community.
The talks are intended to be accessible to a general yet intellectually engaged audience. Seminars will take place on Wednesdays in the Clare Hall Meeting Room from 6:00 to 7:00 pm, just before Formal Hall. All are welcome to attend. Given the interdisciplinary nature of the audience, speakers are kindly asked to avoid jargon and prioritise clarity and accessibility. Each session will feature a 30-minute presentation, followed by comments and questions over drinks.
The next seminar will take place on 9 September with speaker Professor Colin Jones (Life Member, Doshisha Law School, Tokyo): Winning While Losing: Same Sex Marriage and Constitutional Litigation in Japan
About the seminar:
This talk will give an overview of the unusual way in which constitutional litigation has evolved in Japan and what it means for the same sex-marriage cases now before the nation’s supreme court. (note, it is possible the court will have reached a decision by then in which case the focus would change, but the underlying theme would be the same).
The Summer Seminar Series is organised by Dr Li Tang.
Alumni Festival – Talk by Professor Ben Allanach |
Saturday 19 September 2026, from 10.45am
As part of the University’s Alumni Festival, we are delighted to host a talk by Professor Ben Allanach, Clare Hall Professorial Fellow and Professor of Theoretical Physics at the University of Cambridge, in the Richard Eden Suite, 10.45am – 12pm.
Title: ‘Quantum Collisions: A New Force?’
When protons collide at near light speed inside the vast underground ring at CERN, they recreate conditions that last existed fractions of a second after the Big Bang. These extraordinary experiments led to the discovery of the Higgs boson, but they may now be hinting at something even more surprising.
In this talk, Professor Ben Allanach will take us inside the world of high-energy particle collisions. Proton-proton collisions at CERN have discovered the Higgs boson. Currently, some other particles being produced are decaying certain ways that disagree with the standard theory. After describing how the collisions and their measurements are done, he will discuss the hypothesis that this is due to a previously undiscovered force.
Speaker bio: Professor Ben Allanach joined the University of Cambridge after post-doctoral stints in laboratories in the UK, France and CERN. His research involves interpreting data coming from CERN and making new theoretical hypotheses in response, hoping to shed light on unsolved mysteries.
IEP Talk: Learning from Failure at Work |
Wednesday 30 September 2026, 6pm
Most organisations say they “learn from failure.” Very few actually do.
The uncomfortable truth is that a setback doesn’t teach you anything on its own. What determines whether a failure becomes insight or just scar tissue is when you look at it — and who is in the room when you do.
Dr Farah Patell Socha (Industry & Enterprise Fellow) is hosting Professor Andreas Richter (Cambridge Judge Business School) at Clare Hall for a talk that takes this apart:
🎙️Learning from Failure at Work: The Importance of Time and Social Context
📅 30 September 2026, 6:00-7:00pm
📍 Clare Hall Meeting Room
🎟️ Free to attend — Register here
Andreas studies how teams and organisations actually behave under pressure, not how they say they behave.
Open to all — academics, founders, industry. Come and bring a failure worth discussing.
➢ Music
From Heritage to the World: The Splendour of Traditional Chinese Music |
Saturday 12 September 2026, from 1.30pm
The Splendour of Traditional Chinese Music is an afternoon of music, discussion and cultural exchange marking the English-language publication of the book of the same name.
The event will bring together musicians, scholars and cultural practitioners from China and the UK to explore the history and continuing relevance of traditional Chinese music. Alongside an introduction to the book, the programme will include a panel discussion on preserving musical heritage and sharing it with international audiences.
The afternoon will also feature live performances of selected works highlighted in the publication, offering audiences the chance to hear the music alongside the stories, traditions and ideas explored during the event.
This event is free to attend, and all Clare Hall members are warmly invited. Please register here: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/tecreatives/2343278
Continuum: Renewal |
Saturday 17 October 2026, 7.30pm
Performed by Continuum , “Renewal” is a celebration of choral music moving from darkness into light, tracing a journey through stillness, reflection and the gradual return of morning. Renaissance and contemporary works sit side by side in a programme that includes a new Continuum commission by Alexander Hopkins and a recent Continuum commission by Stuart Beer. The concert culminates in the dawn-like radiance of Ēriks Ešenvalds’ Salutation.
The performance forms part of the continuing partnership between Clare Hall and Continuum Choir, bringing outstanding choral music to audiences across Cambridge.
*Please note that this concert will take place in Clare College Chapel, Cambridge, CB2 1TL.
Join us! Book your tickets via Eventbrite: General Admission – £20, Clare Hall members – £15, students – £5.
➢ Art
Other than Words: A Sense of Release in the Presence of Art |
Friday 25 September – Thursday 12 November 2026
Clare Hall is delighted to host Other than Words: A Sense of Release in the Presence of Art, a new exhibition of recent paintings by Jerry Scott. The exhibition will be open for public viewing Monday to Friday, 9am to 4pm.
The Bell Collection of British Studio Pottery, 1920-1980 |
Ongoing
A rotating display of some 400 pieces of studio ceramics. Learn more at https://www.clarehall.cam.ac.uk/bellcollection/
➢ External events
Seminar: Adolescent AI Chatbot Use for Mental Health Support |
Wednesday 16 September 2026, 4pm
All Clare Hall members are welcome to attend an online Generation AI seminar Adolescent AI Chatbot Use for Mental Health Support by Dr Holly Bear and Dr Emma Soneson.
About the seminar: AI chatbots are increasingly part of the landscape adolescents turn to for mental health support, yet little is known about how common this is, who is using it, or for what reasons. Drawing on two studies, survey data from over 24,000 adolescents in England and in-depth interviews with 32 young people, we will explore adolescents’ experiences and perceptions of AI chatbots for psychosocial support: how and why they use them, subsequent behaviour and impact, and whether AI supplements or substitutes more formal support pathways. We consider both the potential benefits and the risks these platforms pose, and what this means for how AI fits into the wider landscape of youth mental health support.
SYNC 3.0 Startup Accelerator Call for Applications |
Apply by Friday 18 September 2026
Connor Farrell at Founders at the University of Cambridge is now recruiting for SYNC 3.0, a co-founder matching accelerator. This part-time programme brings together 30 students, researchers, academics and recent alumni from across the University of Cambridge who want to build a startup that solve hard problems. Over three focused sprints, participants explore co-founder fit, test ideas and gain access to mentors, investors and founder-friendly funding.
Whether you’re developing a new technology, bringing commercial expertise or already building side projects, SYNC helps ambitious people find the right co-founder and explore the path to full-time founding.
Apply by 18 September 2026: https://founders.cam.ac.uk/programmes/sync/
Check out what our previous cohort had to say: link_to_announcement
Join our upcoming webinar: webinar_link
Life Member’s LEGO® Project |
Support idea by February 2027
Life Member Dr Chu-Cheng Lin (PhD 2016–2021; now a postdoctoral researcher in Zoology/PDN) has created a detailed biological laboratory built from LEGO, inspired by his work in cancer cell biology, neurobiology, molecular biology and entomology.
The project is currently on the LEGO Ideas platform and needs support to reach the 10,000 votes required for official review (now at ~2,000). If successful, it could become a real commercial LEGO set, helping bring the world of scientific research to a wider audience.
👉 Learn more and support the project:
https://beta.ideas.lego.com/product-ideas/ab52d2c2-0688-48e7-a7d1-77ae54a6aa4b
Every vote helps increase visibility and bring this unique scientific model closer to reality. Below is just a part of the whole project.
Botanic Garden Passes Available to Clare Hall Members |
Ongoing
A reminder that Clare Hall has 12 corporate passes available for members to borrow from the Porters’ Lodge, giving you access to the Cambridge University Botanic Garden.
Whether you’d like to enjoy a peaceful walk among the beautiful gardens, explore the seasonal displays, or attend one of the Garden’s many events, these passes are available for all members of the Clare Hall community to use.
If you’d like to borrow a pass, simply visit the Porters’ Lodge. To ensure everyone has the opportunity to enjoy this benefit, we kindly ask that passes be returned within 2 days.
Please note:
- Children under 16 and students with a University Card can enter the Garden free of charge and do not require a pass.
- If you have any questions, please contact the Porters’ Lodge at porters@clarehall.cam.ac.uk.
We hope you’ll take advantage of this opportunity to enjoy one of Cambridge’s most beautiful green spaces. Be sure to check the Botanic Garden’s programme of seasonal events and activities before your visit!
➢ Activities and Societies
Clare Hall Book Club |
Monday 7 September 2026, 8pm
Join the College’s Book Club as they discuss La Vie Devant Soi by Romain Gary (Émile Ajar). All College members are welcome to attend in-person, meeting in Clare Hall’s Meeting Room, or via Zoom. If you are not on the mailing list and would like to be, please send an email to gloria.carnevali@icloud.com, confirming your Clare Hall connection and putting the following as the email title: I would like to join the Book Club mailing list.
Learn more about the Book Club on this page.
Choir Practice |
Various Dates
A reminder that Clare Hall Choir practice takes place in Robinson College Chapel every Monday (in term-time, but not always restricted to the official Cambridge term dates) from 7.30-9pm. New members are always welcome, and no previous singing or musical experience is necessary. The only requirement is that you want to sing and have fun doing it! If you are interested in joining, please email Ben de Souza, the Choir’s Director, who is a Clare Hall Associate, freelance choral conductor and accordionist: bd402@cam.ac.uk.
Recent recordings of the choir can also be found on our YouTube channel.
