Donor Day Celebrations 2026
The Warden, Sir Richard Heaton KCB, will host the annual Robinson College Donor Day on Saturday 27 June 2026 from 12.30-16.00 at the Crausaz Wordsworth Building. This special event serves as an annual thank you to those who have given to the College over the past 2 years.
Please note: this is an invitation-only event and is not open to all. If you have received an email invitation for this event, please use the booking form below to register your attendance:
Event Programme:
12:30 - 13:00 Welcome Drinks
13:00 - 14:00 Buffet Lunch
14:00 - 15:00 Talks from members of the Robinson Community
15:00 - 15:30 Music Concert
15:30 - 16:00 Tea & Cake
Donor Day Speakers:
Professor Melinda Duer
Title: Stopping cancer cells in their tracks
Professor Melinda Duer, Fellow in Natural Sciences (Physical), Professor of Biological and Biomedical Chemistry at the Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, is leading ground-breaking new research to stop brain cancer cells spreading by essentially 'freezing' a key molecule in the brain.
"This could be a real opportunity to slow glioblastoma progression" says Professor Melinda Duer. The finding could pave the way for a new type of treatment for glioblastoma, the most aggressive form of brain cancer, although extensive testing will be required before it can be trialled in patients. Glioblastoma is the most common type of brain cancer, with a five-year survival rate of just 15%. “Fundamentally, hyaluronic acid molecules need to be flexible to bind to cancer cell receptors.” “If you can stop hyaluronic acid being flexible, you can stop cancer cells from spreading. The remarkable thing is that we didn’t have to kill the cells — we simply changed their environment, and they gave up trying to escape and invade neighbouring tissue.”
Oliver Basquette
Title: Probing the adolescent Universe with the Cosmic Microwave Background
Oli Basquette matriculated at Robinson College in 2021, reading Natural Sciences and eventually specialising into Astrophysics. He began his PhD in October 2025 as a member of the Cosmic Dawn Lab at the Institute of Astronomy, investigating the era of the first stars and galaxies.
Abstract: The Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) is the oldest light we can observe, carrying primordial information about its origins across the infant Universe. Throughout its nearly 14 billion-year journey to our modern telescopes, this relic radiation has traversed the expanding cosmos, gathering a wealth of data about the aging Universe. Oli will talk about how astronomers hope to unwind the cosmic tapestry and extract precise information about the origins and evolution of the Universe.
Please review the Robinson College event Terms and Conditions.