74 new scholars have been announced and will join 10 others to form the Gates Cambridge Class of 2021
This year’s cohort are an extraordinarily impressive and diverse group who have already achieved much in terms of their academic studies and leadership abilities and have already shown their commitment to improving the lives of others in multiple ways.
Professor Barry Everitt
The Gates Cambridge Class of 2021 made up of 74 outstanding new scholars has been officially announced.
The Gates Cambridge scholarship programme, which this year celebrates its 20th anniversary, is the University of Cambridge’s leading international postgraduate scholarship programme.
It was established through a US$210 million donation to the University of Cambridge from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in 2000; this remains the largest single donation to a UK university. Since the first class in 2001, Gates Cambridge has awarded over 2,000 scholarships to scholars from 111 countries who represent more than 600 universities globally and more than 80 academic departments and all 31 Colleges at Cambridge.
This year sees 74 new Gates Cambridge Scholars added to the list of students who have been elected to the programme. In addition to generous funding to do their research, with no age limit on candidates, they will benefit from the strong sense of community and identity that has been forged by their predecessors and an absolute commitment to improving the lives of others. The 74 new Scholars will be joined by up to 10 scholars who are deferring from 2020, to form a class of 84 this October.
They come from 30 countries and are studying subjects ranging from post-violence narratives of resistance and the development of contextually relevant curricula and pedagogy with marginalised schools and communities to clean energy access and development and the transportation of nucleic acids into cellular environments. The class comprises 42 women, 31 men and one non-binary scholar.
Professor Barry Everitt FRS, Provost of the Gates Cambridge Trust, said: “I am delighted that the Trust is able to announce the class of 2021. This year has been extraordinarily challenging, but it has highlighted the importance of the international, outward-looking and socially committed approach of these diverse and outstanding Scholars. The Scholars-elect have been selected to reflect the mission of the Trust that has been made possible by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s generous and historic gift to the University of Cambridge, the 20th anniversary of which we are currently celebrating.
“Like their predecessors, this year’s cohort are an extraordinarily impressive and diverse group who have already achieved much in terms of their academic studies and leadership abilities and have already shown their commitment to improving the lives of others in multiple ways. We are sure that the 2021 class of scholars will flourish in the rich, international community at Cambridge and will make a significant impact in their fields and in the wider global community. I also take this opportunity to warmly thank the selection panel members who have generously given their time and expertise to the selection of these exceptional scholars.”
*A list of the class of 2021 on the Gates Cambridge’s Directory page and a feature story on the announcement can be found on the University of Cambridge website here. Picture of Scholar-Elect Myesha Jemison.
