History

Ben is the Senior Tutorial Programme Co-ordinator, and Tutor for Undergraduate and Postgraduate students. With Dr Koenraad Claes, he organises the College’s Tutorial programme, helping students develop their wellbeing, academic, careers and financial skills. He also acts as one of the daytime Duty Tutors with the Student Office.

Ben is Director of Studies for IA History and is a historian by training (he writes about the activities of Medieval Popes).

Mark King is the Admissions Director at Lucy Cavendish College.  In this role he is responsible for the management of undergraduate and postgraduate admissions to the College, the selection of applicants and the development of the College’s outreach strategy.  He is a historian by background, having studied history at Cambridge, where he specialised in the political history of late medieval England.  Having taught undergraduates whilst completing his PhD, Mark moved into secondary education and spent two years teaching history at a large urban comprehensive in Peterborough.  He returned to the University in 2017 to work in admissions and outreach at Christ’s College, before moving to Lucy Cavendish in 2020 to take up the position of Admissions Director.

Renan is a historian and a philologist with broad interests from Hadrian’s Wall to the Mediterranean, and from Homer to Charlemagne. His most recent research focuses on chronology of the Ancient World, Roman Imperial Biographies and the reception of Classics in the early middle ages. 

He received his DPhil in Classics from the University of Oxford, and holds a British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship in Cambridge. 

He is enthusiastic about teaching and making ancient history and classics accessible to all. Renan is also an Affiliated Lecturer in the History Faculty, and his teaching focuses on ancient history (Greece and Rome) and the early middle ages and HAP—all while making sure the broader historical and historiographical context is considered. He has been nominated and received various awards for teaching excellence from the History Faculty. 

His current academic work finalizes his book manuscript on the Historia Augusta (a collection of Roman imperial biographies) and an English translation and commentary of a less-known work of St. Epiphanius, Bishop of Salamis, on measures and biblical chronology. 

Renan’s extra-curricular interests include: student well-being, investment management (with relevant qualifications from CFA, UK and LSEG Academy) and rock and wall climbing (bouldering).

Dr Siyabonga Njica is a literary and cultural historian based at the Centre of African Studies at Cambridge University. His work draws on the histories of black transnationalism in the twentieth century, African and diasporic intellectual traditions, the black literary archive, history and performance cultures, and cultural history.

At Luicy Cavendish College, he is a Newton Trust Fellow and Director of Studies in History Part IB.

I am from Poland, and came to Lucy Cavendish with the International Baccalaureate, having also spent a foundation year at the School of Oriental and African Studies. History at Cambridge is an academically demanding programme, but Lucy Cavendish offers a wonderfully supportive community that allows students to fully benefit from the opportunities available. I have been able to challenge myself throughout my studies, and it has been a true privilege to have one-to-one supervisions with experts in the field. My particular area of interest lies in modern South Asian history, and the international network at Lucy meant I benefited from debates with students from the region about the issues discussed during lectures. I really encourage prospective historians to go beyond the comfort zone - subjects you were not comfortable with at the beginning may become your new academic passions! 

I'm from Norfolk, and have a background in environmental educational consultancy and web design, as well as an AQA Baccalaureate. Studying History at Lucy Cavendish has been a hugely enriching and rewarding experience. The weekly supervisions have been invaluable. I have come away from them buzzing from discussions with world-leading experts in the field, which have changed my thinking, both in understanding topics and presenting an argument. There is a wealth of resources, ranging from a well-stocked college library, to the Seeley and University Library 15 minutes away. Whilst as one would expect, the course is intensive and demanding, the College provides an incredibly supportive environment. The History community here is small, but there are many opportunities to discuss historical topics with those in other disciplines, whose perspectives shine new light on debates. Prospective historians, be prepared to be intellectually stimulated at a College whose own history is inspiring and thought provoking. 

I grew up in Northern Ireland and worked in waitressing, hospitality and the airline industry for ten years prior to completing an Access to HE Diploma at Southern Regional College. Studying at Lucy Cavendish is an opportunity I never thought I would have; it still amazes me that there is a place for me at Cambridge and the College has greatly exceeded my expectations. At Lucy I have been able to indulge my passion for history and learn about topics I would have little access to otherwise. The supportive environment has allowed me to study what I love whilst juggling the challenges of life as a single parent at the same time.  My advice to anyone interested in coming here is: believe you have the ability within yourself to achieve great things, no matter what your background or circumstances are.

What made you choose History?

I've always enjoyed studying how different topics changed throughout history, specifically gender. To see how ideas have developed- and how they may develop in the future- is really interesting to me as I hope one day individuals will take the mistakes from the past seriously to prevent them happening again in the future. 

And why History at Cambridge?

After my GCSE examinations, I took part in a week-long residential summer school (LPN) at Christ's College. The style of teaching I experienced, alongside the historical significance of Cambridge cemented my choice. Once I had returned home and researched the course, I was fully set on applying to Cambridge. My great-grandmother had hopes of studying at an institution like Cambridge but was unable to due to her family's economic situation. This was the further push I needed, as I knew she would be proud to know that eventually her dreams would come to reality through my own. 

How did you find applying for your course at Cambridge?

I am thankful to have received support from the LPN Summer School before I made my application to Cambridge. My school had little experience with students applying to Oxbridge, so my history teacher and I worked together to understand the process. It was tough, but now there are so many resources available for students to access, especially from Lucy Cavendish College.

What has been great about your course so far?

The History course here at Cambridge offers students the ability to study a range of periods, ideas, thinkers, and geographical locations. This will change this year (2022) with the new course structure, to further the diversity of all these sections of history. Supervisions have been very helpful in developing my academic skills, meaning I am able to understand how I am progressing throughout the year.

What do you like about studying at Lucy Cavendish College?

Lucy Cavendish is a very friendly, welcoming environment. The pastoral and academic support is amazing, especially during times you need it the most. Everyone at the College wants the best for those who are here, and will do anything they can to help make your time here run as smoothly as possible. 

I was a self-taught A-level student who initially trained in accountancy before taking a role with the Birmingham Museums Service and realizing that history, not numbers, excited me. We have a small but brilliant community of historians at Lucy, undergraduate and postgraduate, they are a phenomenal resource. I have been privileged to have the most wonderful Director of Studies during my time here. Her door is always open and she cares passionately about her students. The College feels like home rather than the student accommodation I was dreading and the variety of the history course at Cambridge has been great. I came wanting to read all political history and in the end read none as the sheer diversity of the papers available inspired me to learn about places and periods I would never have had a chance to study somewhere else.

Nick is an Assistant Professor of Post-1800 US History. His primary research interests include U.S. culture, politics, and religion during the twentieth century. Nick completed a MA in Church-State Studies and PhD in History at Baylor University. For the 2024-2025 academic year, he is convening "The United States since World War I" and offering lectures in "North America, Central America and the Caribbean since 1775" and "Research Project: Themes in American History." Nick also supervises undergraduate dissertations and American History MPhil students. He is the author of Open Hearts, Closed Doors: Immigration Reform and the Waning of Mainline Protestantism (New York University Press, 2021).