2021 Council — Clarendon Scholars Association

Our Team

Dylan is currently in his first year of a DPhil in Engineering Science at Trinity College. Dylan was selected as a 2020 Australian John Monash Scholar and holds a Bachelor of Science (Advanced) (Honours) with the University Medal and Bachelor of Laws (Honours) from the University of Sydney. Dylan’s research builds on his previous experience as a molecular materials chemist, investigating tailorable nanoscale multifunctional hybrid materials known as Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs). Dylan is also a lawyer, having practiced as a corporate lawyer at Clayton Utz, and an experienced negotiator. Passionate about education, Dylan has been actively increasing access for regional centres to enrichment and STEM programs as a leader of the da Vinci Decathlon and with the National Indigenous Science Education Program. Dylan also specialises in teaching problem solving and creative thinking having founded the workshop program Designing Minds and as a multi-international champion Future Problem Solver. Alongside these pursuits, Dylan is a multi-national champion percussionist, enjoys playing piano and orienteers through seldom seen natural landscapes. Dylan is enthused about reinvigorating the Clarendon community in 2021 and looks forward to working with the 2021 Council to provide a huge range of fresh and unique opportunities for all as we navigate a new world.

Souvik is 1st-year D.Phil student in inorganic chemistry at Exeter College. He completed his Bachelors and Masters in India and holds a university silver medal. He is an aspiring experimental chemist with a focus on designing new inorganic materials for potential applications. He is very excited to be part of the council and to take the responsibility for the betterment of all Clarendon scholars. As vice president of the council he will handle the administrative work and along with the president keep a smooth function of the council.

Tobi was born and raised in Germany (and a bit in Poland) and is currently enrolled in the MPhil in Economics, residing in Nuffield College. For the 2021 Clarendon Scholars' Council Tobi has been appointed as the council's treasurer, so will oversee and allocate the budget available to the different secretaries together with the president and vice-president of the council, while simultaneously helping with the realization of our projects and events. Previously, Tobi served as the president of the student council of the Faculty of Economics at Goethe-University Frankfurt for two years, and he aims to combine the knowledge he has accumulated over these two years with the expertise brought together by the other council members and scholars to contribute to the well-being of the Scholars' Council!

Kate Friesen is pursuing a DPhil in Oncology working on oncolytic virotherapy at Christ Church. She is originally from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada (fun fact: it can get colder than Mars). In 2020, Kate graduated from the University of Toronto with an Honours Bachelor of Science degree majoring in Immunology and minoring in Physiology and Biology. Kate has also undertaken two research internships at the Hudson Institute of Medical Research in Melbourne, Australia. She is very excited to be one of the Clarendon Council Social Secretaries this year, and looks forward to meeting everyone!

Nick is a first-year Earth Sciences DPhil at St. John’s College from India. He is studying the fundamental processes involved with calcification in the phytoplankton group called Coccolithophores. As one of our Social Secretaries, he is responsible for making your time at Oxford even more wonderful than it already is! He will be organising virtual and in-person meetups, pub crawls, and various other fun social events. If you have any suggestions, questions, or if you just want to make a new friend, please get in touch!

Taro Kobayashi, Cultural Secretary, is currently pursuing a DPhil in Music (with a focus on early modern devotional music in Italy) at St. Hugh’s College, having previously obtained MSt. in Musicology also from there. Originally from Japan, he has lived in Hawaii and completed double Bachelors degrees in Physics (comprehensive track) and Music (guitar performance) from University of Washington, Seattle. Previous to beginning his research in music at Oxford, he worked as a physicist working on developing sensors and methods for natural disaster warning and seafloor geodesy.

Lachlan is a first-year vaccinology DPhil student at the Sir William Dunn School of Pathology. In particular, he aims to establish a novel vaccination platform to provide robust antibody responses against the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Lachlan completed his undergraduate studies in biomedicine at the Australian National University as a Tuckwell Scholar before becoming a pre-doctoral fellow at the California Institute of Technology. As Academic Secretary for the Clarendon Scholars’ Association, Lachlan will run diverse educational and social events for scholars.

Chané is a South African Medical doctor currently completing her Part time Masters in Surgical Science and Practice at Oxford while working for the NHS. She is a Kellogg College student! Additionally, she is very proud to be the Clarendon Council outreach secretary for 2020/2021. Chane is passionate about outreach and hope to help my fellow council members make a big difference this year!

Nicola is a first year DPhil student in medieval history. He has previously studied at the University of Pisa and at Scuola Normale Superiore, and has been an exchange student at École Normale Supérieure. He is Italian and is currently the external secretary within the Clarendon Council, which means that he will have to foster cooperation between the Clarendon scholarship and other scholarships at both Oxford and Cambridge. Nicola is the TedX representative of his college and the vice representative of my course. He loves rowing, rugby, classical music, reading, collecting coins and stamps, and traveling.

Ajantha is from Sydney, Australia, and is currently living in Keble College. He is a first year DPhil at the DPAG studying Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease using stem cell models and always more than happy to talk about all things neuroscience! He studied Bachelor of Advanced Science and Arts at the University of Sydney, majoring in Neuroscience, Latin, and Ancient History, with Honours in Anatomy and Histology, studying canine dementia and regenerative medicine. As well as several years as a Research Assistant and in academic teaching, he has been involved in the sport of quidditch for a long time as player, photographer, coach, club president, and Board Director for Quidditch Australia. As diversity secretary, Ajantha hopes to make full use of how incredibly international Clarendon is and make sure everyone has the opportunity to meet people from and learn more about other disciplines, countries, cultures, genders, ethnicities, backgrounds, and more!

Sarah is an MSc candidate in Integrated Immunology and a member of Linacre College. She has a particular interest in inflammation and rheumatic disease and holds a BSc in Biochemistry from the University of British Columbia, where she graduated with honours as a Wesbrook Scholar. Originally from the West Coast of Canada, Sarah enjoys the outdoors, ballet, and sharing her passion for science through outreach. Sarah is honoured to be elected Editor-in-Chief of the Clarendon Chronicle. In her role, she hopes to work closely with fellow Scholars to highlight the diverse and interdisciplinary nature of the Clarendon Community.

Leo is pursuing a DPhil in computational and data-driven approaches to drug discovery at the SABS:R3 Centre for Doctoral Training. Originally from Germany, he grew up in Russia and earned his undergraduate degree in Switzerland, which is why his hobbies include hiking, climbing, and skiing. As Alumni and Careers Secretary, Leo looks forward to connecting current and former scholars and helping them shape their career paths after their degree.

Morgan is the Dining Secretary of the 2021 Council. She is a second-year DPhil student at Hertford College, originally from Colorado in the United States, studying plant immunology and agricultural biotechnology. Aside from her obsession with food and organizing fun dining events for the Clarendons, Morgan loves a good hike, a good book, and is always up for an adventure.

Coming from Fujian, China, Dingmin completed his master study at Tsinghua University, and here in Oxford, he is a DPhil student in the department of computer science. Dingmin is really into different kinds of sports activities, among which badminton and swimming stay with him the longest. He looks forward to serving this year’s IT Secretary.

Shivani is pursuing a D.Phil. in German literature at the Faculty of Medieval and Modern Languages. Before coming to Oxford, she has studied German language and literature at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi and also attended the University of Education, Weingarten, the University of Wuppertal, and the University of Freiburg as a guest scholar in Germany. Her role as a communications secretary on the council allows her to function as a bridge between the council and the scholars’ community. Since she has always been interested in the creative reworking of her experiences in written and photographic media, the part of her job as a chronicle’s editor is immensely exhilarating for her.