Darwin College is a

constituent college A collegiate university is a university where functions are divided between a central administration and a number of constituent colleges. Historically, the first collegiate university was the University of Paris and its first college was the Col ...

of the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

. Founded on 28 July 1964, Darwin was Cambridge University's first graduate-only college, and also the first to admit both men and women. The college is named after the family of

Charles Darwin Charles Robert Darwin ( ; 12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English Natural history#Before 1900, naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. His proposition that all speci ...

who previously owned some of the land, Newnham Grange, on which the college now stands. The college has between 650 and 800 students, mostly studying for

PhD A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

MPhil A Master of Philosophy (MPhil or PhM; Latin ' or ') is a postgraduate degree. The name of the degree is most often abbreviated MPhil (or, at times, as PhM in other countries). MPhil are awarded to postgraduate students after completing at least ...

degrees with strengths in the sciences, humanities, and law. Darwin is the largest graduate college of Cambridge. Darwin's sister college at

Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...

is Wolfson College. Members of Darwin College are termed ''Darwinians'' and alumni include British primatologist and anthropologist

Jane Goodall Dame Jane Morris Goodall (; born Valerie Jane Morris-Goodall; 3 April 1934), formerly Baroness Jane van Lawick-Goodall, is an English zoologist, Primatology, primatologist and Anthropology, anthropologist. She is considered the world's foremo ...

, American conservationist Dian Fossey, Barbadian Governor-General Elliott Belgrave, Nobel Prize winner

Elizabeth Blackburn Elizabeth Helen Blackburn (born 26 November 1948) is an Australian-American Nobel laureate who is the former president of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. In 1984, Blackburn co-discovered telomerase, the enzyme that replenishes the ...

, Nobel Prize winner

Eric Maskin Eric Stark Maskin (born December 12, 1950) is an American economist and mathematician. He was jointly awarded the 2007 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences with Leonid Hurwicz and Roger Myerson "for having laid the foundations of mechanism d ...

, Solicitor-General of the United States

Paul Clement Paul Drew Clement (born June 24, 1966) is an American attorney who served as United States Solicitor General, U.S. Solicitor General from 2005 to 2008 and is known for his advocacy before the Supreme Court of the United States, U.S. Supreme Cou ...

, Global Energy Prize winning scientist Thorsteinn I. Sigfusson, and

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prizes () are 23 annual awards given by Columbia University in New York City for achievements in the United States in "journalism, arts and letters". They were established in 1917 by the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made his fo ...

nominated neurosurgeon Paul Kalanithi.

History

Darwin College - Silver Street - geograph

A significant increase in the number of postgraduate students at Cambridge University in the post-war period led to a growing realisation that a graduate college was becoming a necessity. In 1963, three of the university's older colleges – Trinity College, St John's College, and Gonville and Caius College – announced their intention to jointly form a new, wholly graduate college. The college was established in 1964, located on the bank of the

River Cam The River Cam () is the main river flowing through Cambridge in eastern England. After leaving Cambridge, it flows north and east before joining the River Great Ouse to the south of Ely, Cambridgeshire, Ely, at Pope's Corner. The total distanc ...

, opposite Queens' College. On 29 January 1965, the Privy Council gave formal approval to the college as an Approved Foundation. It received its

Royal Charter A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, but ...

as an independent college within the university in 1976. The college is named after the Darwin family, Charles Darwin's second son,

George Darwin Sir George Howard Darwin (9 July 1845 – 7 December 1912) was an English barrister and astronomer, the second son and fifth child of Charles Darwin and Emma Darwin. He is known for the harmonic analysis of the theory of tides. The Darwin s ...

, having owned some of the property which the college now occupies. He bought Newnham Grange, the oldest part of the college, in 1885, together with the adjacent building known as The Old Granary, and Small Island. (Newnham Grange was originally built in 1793 for the family of Patrick Beales, a local corn and

coal merchant A coal merchant is the term used in the UK and other countries for a trader who sells coal and often delivers it to households. Coal merchants were once a major class of local business, but have declined in importance in many parts of the developed ...

. It was extensively remodelled by George Darwin.) Following the death of George's son, Sir Charles Galton Darwin, in 1962, those concerned with the foundation of the new college learned that the property was to become available. Katherine, Lady Darwin, and her family were very receptive to the idea of their home becoming the nucleus of a new college, and to the suggestion that it should bear the family's name. Family portraits of the Darwin family are on loan to the college from the Darwin Heirloom Trust and can be found on the walls of several of the college's main rooms. In the book '' Period Piece: A Cambridge Childhood'', the granddaughter of Charles Darwin, Gwen Raverat describes how she grew up at Newnham Grange. A commemorative book entitled ''Darwin College: A 50th Anniversary Portrait'' was commissioned and published by the college in 2014 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the college in 1964.

Buildings

Darwin College is known for its distinctive Georgian and Victorian architecture, gardens, and college site which is integrated into the nearby

. Located on Silver Street and Newnham Road, the college is also known for the Darwin College Bridges which connect the college grounds with the two islands of the college. In 1966 the college acquired the Hermitage (a house built in the nineteenth century on the west side of Newnham Grange) from St John's College. Work to convert and extend the college's buildings was funded by the founding colleges and through substantial donations from the Rayne Foundation established by Sir Max Rayne, a

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

businessman and philanthropist. In 1994 Darwin College completed construction of a new library and study centre along the side of The Old Granary. The centre is built on a narrow strip of land alongside the millpond in Cambridge, and uses a structure of green oak and lime mortar brickwork. The building uses high-level automatically opening windows and a chimney to control natural ventilation. In 2004, the college acquired the Malting House to accommodate 12 students. The Malting House is Grade II listed and its name reflects the original purpose of the building. The building was the home of the Malting House School, which experimented with radical ideas in education in the 1920s. In 2010 the college acquired No 4 Newnham Terrace, the former Rectory for the Church of St Mary the Less, Cambridge (Little St Mary's) thereby finally establishing an entire boundary for the college from Queen's Bridge to Newnham Road and to the

River Granta The River Granta is the name of two of the four tributaries of the River Cam, although both names are often used synonymously. The Granta starts near the village of Widdington in Essex, flowing north past Audley End House to merge with the ot ...

. The long boundary returns to Queen's Bridge and is formed by the two islands in the middle of the river.

Academic profile

Darwin College has particular strengths across a range of subjects and is particularly strong in the

sciences Science is a systematic discipline that builds and organises knowledge in the form of testable hypotheses and predictions about the universe. Modern science is typically divided into twoor threemajor branches: the natural sciences, which stu ...

law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a science and as the ar ...

, and

humanities Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture, including Philosophy, certain fundamental questions asked by humans. During the Renaissance, the term "humanities" referred to the study of classical literature a ...

with the majority of the postgraduate students graduating with PhDs and MPhils in these academic subjects. As a postgraduate college, Darwin College is not ranked in the

Tompkins Table The Tompkins Table is an annual ranking that lists the Colleges of the University of Cambridge in order of their undergraduate students' performances in that year's examinations. Two colleges— Darwin and Clare Hall—do not have undergraduat ...

ranking of Cambridge colleges that provide undergraduate studies.

Student life

The college organises the annual prestigious Darwin Lecture Series, eight talks over eight weeks structured around a single theme (such as 'Power') examined from very different perspectives (scientific, humanities, arts), given by eminent speakers who are leading international authorities in their fields. The lectures have been hosted for over twenty-five years and form one of the key events in the Cambridge calendar. Most of the series of lectures have been published as books and the more recent series are also available as videos for free live-streaming and download. Past speakers at the Darwin Lecture Series have included Sir

Walter Bodmer Sir Walter Fred Bodmer (born 10 January 1936) is a German-born British human geneticist. Early life Bodmer was born in Frankfurt, Germany. He was educated at Manchester Grammar School and went on to study the Mathematical Tripos at the Univ ...

, Rose George,

Andrew Fabian Andrew Christopher Fabian (born 20 February 1948) is a British astronomer and astrophysicist. He was Director of the Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge from 2013 to 2018. He was a Royal Society Research Professor at the Institute ...

, and historian David Olusoga. The inaugural lecture was given by

Karl Popper Sir Karl Raimund Popper (28 July 1902 – 17 September 1994) was an Austrian–British philosopher, academic and social commentator. One of the 20th century's most influential philosophers of science, Popper is known for his rejection of the ...

. The college has a 24-hour library and study centre overlooking the

and provides extensive punting for its students. In sports, Darwin College Boat Club is a popular student society at Darwin College, as well as Darwin College Football Club who play in the long established

Cambridge University Association Football League The Cambridge University Association Football League (CUAFL) is a football league between the Colleges of Cambridge University organised by the Cambridge University Association Football Club. History Origins of collegiate football Football i ...

(CUAFL), representing the only graduate college within CUAFL. The club plays throughout the year in and out of term. The college has regular formal dinners with students and fellows and also holds annual May Balls during Cambridge's May Week. In 2023, Darwin College became the first University of Cambridge college to have a fully plant-based May Ball. Every Darwinian is automatically a member of the Darwin College Student Association (DCSA). The DCSA committee comprises 20 students, organising events and parties, supporting societies, and helping students make the most of their time in Cambridge. The Darwin College University Challenge team achieved some success on

University Challenge ''University Challenge'' is a British television quiz programme which first aired in 1962. ''University Challenge'' aired for 913 episodes on ITV from 21 September 1962 to 31 December 1987, presented by quizmaster Bamber Gascoigne. The BBC ...

in the 2018-2019 season reaching the semi-finals of the competition led by captain Jason Golfinos. The college team reached the first-round of the 2020-21 season of University Challenge.

Notable alumni

Darwin College is associated with a number of distinguished alumni in fields such as scientists, lawyers, politicians, academics, civil servants, diplomats, and representatives of international organisations.

, the 2009 Nobel laureate in medicine, studied for her PhD at Darwin.

, the 2007 Nobel laureate in economics, was a visiting student in 1975–76. Conservationists

and Dian Fossey, Brian Gibson,

Seamus O'Regan Seamus Thomas Harris O'Regan (born January 18, 1971) is a Canadian politician and a former cabinet minister in the government of Justin Trudeau. He resigned from cabinet effective July 19, 2024. A member of the Liberal Party, O'Regan was first ...

and Sir Ian Wilmut, the leader of the research group that first cloned the sheep Dolly, a mammal from an adult somatic cell, are alumni/ae.

, the former

United States Solicitor General The solicitor general of the United States (USSG or SG), is the fourth-highest-ranking official within the United States Department of Justice (DOJ), and represents the federal government in cases before the Supreme Court of the United States. ...

, read for an MPhil in Politics and Economics at Darwin in 1988–89. Elliott Belgrave, the

Governor-General Governor-general (plural governors-general), or governor general (plural governors general), is the title of an official, most prominently associated with the British Empire. In the context of the governors-general and former British colonies, ...

and High Court Judge of

Barbados Barbados, officially the Republic of Barbados, is an island country in the Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies and the easternmost island of the Caribbean region. It lies on the boundary of the South American ...

was an alumnus of the college. Eyimofe Atake, Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) read for a PhD degree in Law from 1984-87 Paul Kalanithi, the Pulitzer Prize nominated neurosurgeon, was an MPhil student at Darwin. The philosopher

Huw Price Huw Price (; born 17 May 1953) is an Australian philosopher, formerly the Bertrand Russell Professor in the Faculty of Philosophy, Cambridge, and a Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge. He was previously Challis Professor of Philosophy and D ...

, current Bertrand Russell Professor of Philosophy at Cambridge, studied for his PhD in philosophy at Darwin. The philosopher

Nigel Warburton Nigel Warburton (; born 1962) is a British philosopher. He is best known as a populariser of philosophy, having written a number of books in the genre, but he has also written academic works in aesthetics and applied ethics. Education Warburton ...

also studied for his PhD at Darwin. British nutritionist Ann Prentice is also an alumnus of the university. British architect and founder of van Heyningen and Haward Architects Joanna Van Heyningen is an alumnus of the college. Alumni who became notable in sport include Helen McFie, a Scottish rower who as a member of the Cambridge University Boat Club won the

1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses (Solar eclipse of February 25, 1971, February 25, Solar eclipse of July 22, 1971, July 22 and Solar eclipse of August 20, 1971, August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 1971 lunar eclip ...

and 1972 Boat Races and who competed for Great Britain at the

1975 World Rowing Championships The 1975 World Rowing Championships was the fifth World Rowing Championships. It was held from 21 to 30 August at Holme Pierrepont National Watersports Centre in Nottingham, England, United Kingdom. Medal summary Medalists at the 1975 World ...

. The Sri Lankan first-class cricketer Gajan Pathmanathan studied at Darwin College in 1982 and played first-class cricket at Cambridge. Three current or former masters of Cambridge colleges are Darwin alumnae: Mary Fowler (Darwin), Nicola Padfield (Fitzwilliam), and Dame Jean Thomas (St. Catharine's). File:Elizabeth_Blackburn_2009-01.JPG,

: 2009 Nobel laureate in medicine File:05N3441_emaskin.jpg,

: 2007 Nobel laureate in economics File:Nancy_Cox.jpg, Nancy Cox: Virologist File:Paul D. Clement.jpg,

: Former United States Solicitor General File:Elliott Belgrave (cropped).jpg, Elliott Belgrave: Governor-General and High Court Judge of

File:Roger Gosden 2006.jpg,

Roger Gosden Roger Gordon Gosden (born 23 September 1948) is a British-American physiologist in the field of female reproductive medicine. His scientific research focused on understanding the basic biology of development and senescence of ovaries in women, ...

: Physiologist File:Professor Stephen Gaukroger.jpg,

Stephen Gaukroger Stephen Gaukroger (July 9, 1950 – September 3, 2023) was a British historian of philosophy and science who spent the majority of his academic career in Australia. Gaukroger was Emeritus Professor of History of Philosophy and History of Scienc ...

: Australian historian File:Philip Dawid Royal Society.jpg, Philip Dawid: Statistician File:Seamus_ORegan.jpg,

: Canadian cabinet minister and journalist File:MMG_May_2016.jpg, Monica Grady CBE: British space scientist File:Thomas Woodcock.jpg, Thomas Woodcock:

Garter Principal King of Arms Garter Principal King of Arms (also Garter King of Arms or simply Garter) is the senior king of arms and officer of arms of the College of Arms, the heraldic authority with jurisdiction over England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The position has ...

File:Janet Rossant.jpg, Janet Rossant: British developmental biologist Eyimofe Doyle Atake.jpg, Eyimofe Atake: Senior Advocate of Nigeria, (SAN)

Fellows

César Milstein, who received the 1984

Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine () is awarded yearly by the Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute for outstanding discoveries in physiology or medicine. The Nobel Prize is not a single prize, but five separate prizes that, acco ...

, was a Fellow of Darwin College from 1980 to 2002. Richard Henderson, winner of the 2017

Nobel Prize in Chemistry The Nobel Prize in Chemistry () is awarded annually by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences to scientists in the various fields of chemistry. It is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Alfred Nobel in 1895, awarded for outst ...

, has been a Fellow since 1981. Sir Karl Popper and the Nobel Prize winner

Max Perutz Max Ferdinand Perutz (19 May 1914 – 6 February 2002) was an Austrian-born British molecular biologist, who shared the 1962 Nobel Prize for Chemistry with John Kendrew, for their studies of the structures of haemoglobin and myoglobin. He went ...

were Honorary Fellows, as are

Amartya Sen Amartya Kumar Sen (; born 3 November 1933) is an Indian economist and philosopher. Sen has taught and worked in England and the United States since 1972. In 1998, Sen received the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for his contributions ...

and

Martin Rees Martin John Rees, Baron Rees of Ludlow,