Johnians recognised in New Year Honours List

Fellows and alumni of St John’s are amongst those recognised for their contributions to society in this year’s New Year Honours list.

Professors Graeme Barker and Sharon Peacock, both Fellows of the College, have been presented with CBEs in recognition of their academic research.

Clinical microbiologist Professor Sharon Peacock was awarded a CBE for her services to Medical Microbiology. She is known for her work with the Wellcome Trust Major Overseas Programme in Thailand where she directed a wide-ranging programme of bacterial disease research. In the UK Professor Peacock has focused on the role of sequencing technologies in diagnostic microbiology and public health, and chairs the Cambridge Infectious Diseases Initiative. She said:

“I have the privilege of working with an outstanding group of scientists at the University of Cambridge and at the Sanger Institute, and this honour reflects their support and efforts. The award also reflects the importance of basic and applied microbiological research for individual and public health.”

Professor Graeme Barker was awarded a CBE for services to Archaeology. The former Disney Professor of Archaeology and director of the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, Professor Barker is known for his research focusing on prehistoric archaeology, the relationship between landscape and people, transitions from foraging to farming, and the origins of human behaviour and migrations. He has worked all over the world, from the rainforests of Borneo to the deserts of Africa, revealing how humans have adapted to climactic changes in the past and what lessons we might learn from this for today. 

Describing himself as “thrilled” with the honour, Professor Barker said: “I changed to archaeology half way through my undergraduate degree at Cambridge inspired by meeting Colin Renfrew, then a Research Fellow, and was privileged to succeed him as Disney Professor in 2004. It has been a privilege to work in archaeology, which has so much to tell us about what it means to be human. In accepting the award I have felt very much that it celebrates the achievements of so many colleagues, and good friends from all parts of the world whose support has been so important to anything I have achieved.”

Other Johnians to have been honoured this year are Michael Sweeney (BA 1966), former Chairman of the Henley Royal Regatta, who was awarded a CBE for services to Rowing; John Woolf (BA 1969), who was awarded an MBE for services to Music; and Professor Hugh Williamson (PhD 1975), who worked for many years as Regius Professor of Hebrew at Oxford University and was awarded an OBE for his services to Scholarship and Theology.