Cathie Clarke, 1980

Professor Cathie Clarke read Natural Sciences at Clare. She is now Professor of Theoretical Astrophysics at the University of Cambridge and a fellow of Clare College.

Who was your greatest Clare influence and why?

I was really struck by the sheer talent of my fellow students, and not just in the subjects they were studying. Their musical talent was particularly astonishing (and humbling to myself...). But also the standard of supervisions was generally very high and a lifeline to me as I struggled with the school to University transition.

Cathie's Story

How has your time at Clare shaped your career and the person you are today?

Well, I am still in Clare which was certainly something I never expected! I think Clare really taxed me initially because I'd gone in for a rather effortless supremacy at school which clearly wasn't going to work in Cambridge. I guess the fact that I struggled and overcame was a useful preparation for life in academia - and certainly gives me lots of sympathy for first year students who are going through the same thing. It's useful, as a Nat. Sci. DoS, to have this perspective.

What were the best aspects of being in Clare?

Firstly the music - so many wonderful concerts. I particularly loved the Bach cantatas in chapel. And secondly the beauty of Old Court and its gardens. In my third year I had a room over the Masters Lodge and revised for finals while sunning myself on the leaded balcony overlooking the river (nowadays strictly banned for safety reasons).

What was the worst aspect of being in Clare?

Being at the bottom of the rooms ballot in second year and ending up in 16 Castle Street which was infested with toads and snails... Nowadays, it's still in College hands but is quite smart.

What was your most memorable experience at Clare?

Probably coming to interview - very exciting and daunting and unattainable feeling. I remember going down to Clare Bridge and thinking ` this is amazing but I'll probably never come here again!' I sometimes think of this as I charge over Clare Bridge, late for a supervision or College meeting, and try and slow down to do justice to the setting, sometimes to be rewarded by the sight of a kingfisher...

Did Clare feel like a College that had only gone mixed quite recently?

It's true that the man who used to collect the tickets in the Buttery used to call all the students `Sir', so not everyone was fully acclimatised to the change even by 1980. But the College was very welcoming of its female students (partly because it made the College very popular and so drove up academic standards). I can't speak for everyone but my own experience was that the academic expectations on female students, and the help they received, were the same as for male students. This for me was a marked contrast with my experiences at school and was very welcome.