The Foundation Year is taught by a dedicated teaching team made up of specialists in one or several subjects in the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, and supported by professional services staff who ensure effective administration of the course.
The course is overseen by the Foundation Year Management Committee which includes representatives from across the University and which reports to the University's General Board of the Faculties.
The programme is generously supported by a cornerstone gift from founding benefactors Christina and Peter Dawson.
For the swiftest response to enquiries, view our contact details here.
Dr Alex Pryce
Foundation Year Course Director
Fellow, Homerton College
Bye-Fellow, Fitzwilliam College
Pronouns: she/her
Alex is responsible for the overall development and delivery of the Cambridge Foundation Year. Her professional experience includes work in widening participation and student recruitment at the University of Oxford and research communications at Cranfield University and the Arts and Humanities Research Council. She holds a DPhil in English from the University of Oxford specialising in contemporary Northern Irish poetry and feminism. She is a sixth-form governor, a regular reviewer for poetry magazines and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.
Dr Corinne Roughley
Foundation Year Senior Teaching Associate
Fellow, Hughes Hall
Pronouns: she/her
Corinne is responsible for course development and teaches across a wide range of Foundation Year papers. At Cambridge, she has taught for the Department of Archaeology and the Institute for Continuing Education. Her research uses digital mapping and data analysis to explore relationships between people and landscapes from prehistory to the nineteenth century. Prior to joining the Foundation Year, she was Deputy Senior Tutor at Hughes Hall where she had responsibility for student welfare and admissions.
Dr Marieke Dhont
Foundation Year Teaching Associate
Bye-Fellow, Girton College
Pronouns: she/her
Marieke is responsible for the development and delivery of the Foundation Year courses, particularly within the language stream. With a background in classics, linguistics, cultural and religious studies, she specialises in ancient languages (particularly Greek and Hebrew) and her research focuses on Hellenistic Judaism and its literature. She holds a teaching degree from KU Leuven and is an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. She has been teaching at Cambridge since 2018, and is currently also an affiliated lecturer at the Divinity Faculty and a Bye-Fellow at Girton College.
Dr Stuart Palmer
Foundation Year Teaching Associate
Fellow and Undergraduate Admissions Director for Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, Murray Edwards College
Bye-Fellow, Lucy Cavendish College
Pronouns: he/him
Stuart is a Teaching Associate responsible for delivery of a range of the Foundation Year papers. Stuart specialises in the history of early modern popular politics and culture, and holds a PhD in Medieval and Early Modern Studies from the University of Kent. Before joining the Foundation Year, Stuart worked in various Widening Participation roles and has taught in a range of settings, including the University of Kent, University of East Anglia, and Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge.
Dr Ruth Jackson Ravenscroft
Foundation Year Teaching Associate
Bye-Fellow, Sidney Sussex College
Pronouns: she/her
As a Teaching Associate, Ruth develops and provides lectures, supervisions, and small group teaching to Foundation Year students. She obtained her PhD in philosophical theology at Cambridge in 2016, and has since held Research Fellowships at CRASSH and at Sidney Sussex College. Her research interests include hermeneutics, religious language, gender, and religious epistemology. She is currently an affiliated lecturer at the Divinity Faculty in Cambridge, a Tutor at Sidney Sussex College, and a Director of Studies in Theology, Religion, and Philosophy of Religion.
Phyllis Richardson
Foundation Year Teaching Associate
Pronouns: she/her
Phyllis teaches on papers in the textual sources stream. She previously taught on and was coordinator of the Foundation Year in English Literature at Goldsmiths, University of London. She completed her BA (Hons) at the University of California, Los Angeles, and her MA at University College London. She has published numerous books and articles on architecture, design and urban development. Her most recent book, House of Fiction, explores the houses at the centre of great British novels.
Dr Alex Serafimov
Foundation Year Teaching Associate
Pronouns: he/him
Alex is responsible for development and delivery of a number of Foundation Year papers, particularly within the 'Working with Data' stream. He holds a PhD in Politics and International Relations, and has previously taught undergraduates at the Universities of Nottingham and Chester, and at Loughborough University.
Dr Shyane Siriwardena
Foundation Year Teaching Associate
Bye-Fellow, Girton College
Pronouns: she/her
Shyane is responsible for development and delivery of a number of Foundation Year papers, particularly within the 'Working with Textual Sources' stream. She holds a PhD in Philosophy, and has previously taught undergraduate and postgraduate philosophy at the Universities of Cambridge and Leeds, and at Leeds Trinity University.
Dr Claire Wilkinson (on leave)
Foundation Year Teaching Associate
Fellow in English, Murray Edwards College
Lecturer in English, Robinson College
Pronouns: she/her
Claire specialises in eighteenth-century literature and her research focuses on the relationship between literary writing and the economy. She has a PhD in English from the University of Cambridge (2017), an MA from the University of York, and a BA from the University of Cambridge. She is currently an affiliated lecturer in the Faculty of English in addition to roles in Robinson and Murray Edwards Colleges. As a FY Teaching Associate, she is responsible for delivering papers in the textual sources stream, particularly on literature post-1680.
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Cerys Minogue
Foundation Year Course Coordinator
Pronouns: she/her
Cerys is responsible for the overall management and administration of the Foundation Year course at Cambridge. Prior to working on the Foundation Year, Cerys coordinated the PhD in Politics and MPhil in Public Policy programmes in the Department of Politics and Interational Studies at the University of Cambridge. Cerys holds an MLitt in Women, Writing and Gender from the University of St Andrews.
Debbie Gray
Admissions and Data Services Administrator
Pronouns: she/her
Debbie administers the admissions process for the Foundation Year. Before joining the Cambridge Admissions Office, Debbie worked in postgraduate administration for the Degree Committee for Clinical Medicine and Veterinary Medicine at the University of Cambridge. She holds an MA in English Literature from the University of Edinburgh.
William Adkins
Student Recruitment Coordinator
William is responsible for student recruitment and marketing, including running our applicant support webinars and newsletter. Prior to working on the Foundation Year, Will worked in Programme Administration and Quality Assurance at the University of Kent and International Recruitment at the University of Sunderland. Will holds a BBA in Financial Accounting and Business Administration from the University of Kent.
Deb Taylor
Disability Advisor
Deb offers disability support for students on the Foundation Year. Before working on the programme, Deb worked supporting other Cambridge students through the Accessibility and Disability Resource Centre. She has also done similar roles at the University of York and the University of Roehampton.