‘The alumni community offers a network and relationships that last a lifetime’: Geraldine Keefe on the US alumni network

Geraldine Keefe smiles in front of a leafy, outdoor background.

Geraldine Keefe (MEng 2000) is the new Chair of the University of Bristol Foundation, working to strengthen the University’s community of over 4,500 Bristol graduates in the US. She is the head of Investment Banking for the Midwest Region at Goldman Sachs. Passionate about education and music, Geraldine holds a number of board roles, including at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Old Town School of Music, and The Posse Foundation Chicago Advisory Board. Here, she shares the story of her start at Bristol and how it’s impacted her life today.

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‘Shakespeare has been a passport through my life’: celebrating the 2024 Alumni Award winners

In celebration of Bristol’s 2024 Alumni Award winners, the University hosted a special dinner in The Orangery at Goldney Hall, bringing awardees and their guests together to honour the remarkable achievements of these Bristol graduates.  (more…)

Applications open for student telephone fundraising team!

Two student callers wearing headsets smile and use a computer.

We are currently recruiting for student callers to work on our spring 2024 telephone fundraising campaign. This is a fantastic opportunity to join a friendly team in which you can build your skills, make a difference, and gain fundraising experience. Applications can be submitted through our online form. (more…)

Applications open for student telephone fundraising team!

Two student callers wearing headsets smile and use a computer.

We are currently recruiting for student callers to work on our 2023/24 Telephone Fundraising Campaign. This is a fantastic opportunity to join a friendly team in which you can build your skills, make a difference, and gain fundraising experience. Applications can be submitted through our online form. (more…)

‘Fail quickly and move on. And always cherish and celebrate your unsung heroes’: Jonathan de Pass on his unique career path

Jonathan de Pass (MBChB 1979) graduated with a degree in Medicine in 1979. After working as a junior doctor, and a spell at business school, he joined an investment bank specialising in financing pharmaceutical and bioscience companies. In 1996 he founded Evaluate, a provider of data and intelligence to the bioscience industry which would become a market leader.

A recipient of an honorary graduate degree this year, Jonathan shares insights into his unique career path and his advice to those starting out today. (more…)

Bristol alumni recognised in 2023 Honours lists

Each year, the King’s Birthday Honours recognise a group of exceptional individuals, each of whom have made a positive and lasting contribution to society. This year, they were announced just after another set of awards, those of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Resignation Honours. These 19 outstanding Bristol alumni have been acknowledged for their services to health, environmental science, politics, education and more.

We admire their commitment to service and are exceedingly proud to showcase their achievements. (more…)

Celebrating Volunteers’ Week 2023: Gowri Shankar (MSc 2012)

For Volunteers’ Week 2023, we’re celebrating our incredible Bristol Volunteers who give their experience, advice and time to support our students and alumni community.

Gowri Shankar Sivabala (MSc 2012) is the founder of SpaceNXT Labs, an innovation start-up specialising in industrial design and technology, and is a mentor for entrepreneurial start-ups around the world. Based in Sri Lanka, he studied an MSc in Integrated Aerospace Systems Design at Bristol and now supports current students through the online platform Bristol Connects. We hear from Gowri Shankar about his experience as a volunteer. (more…)

Celebrating Volunteers’ Week 2023: Savannah Coombe (MSc 2023)

For Volunteers’ Week 2023 we’re celebrating our amazing volunteers who have given their time, insights, and expertise to support our students and alumni community.

International student Savannah Coombe (MSc 2023) is Deputy Editor of Bristol-based non-profit communication agency Resource Media, which champions resource efficiency and sustainability, and she also holds the position of Chairperson of the Badock Hall Association.

Savannah shares with us her experiences as a student in Badock Hall, working on the UoB student newspaper Epigram, her career as a journalist, and what being a volunteer means to her. (more…)

Celebrating Volunteers’ Week 2023: Sarauniya Shehu (LLB 2016)

For Volunteers’ Week 2023, we’re celebrating our incredible Bristol Volunteers who give their experience, advice and time to support our students and alumni community.

Sarauniya Shehu (LLB 2016) studied Law and is now Public Affairs Manager at the National Housing Federation. As a volunteer for the Bristol Mentors programme, she reflects on the value of mentoring and why she finds it so rewarding. (more…)

‘Storytelling is one of the most universal things about the human condition’: Gillian Burke on the aims of documentary filmmaking

A portrait of Gillian Burke taken in a field of wild grasses.
Photo credit: Victoria Harrison

Gillian Burke (BSc 1995), is a biologist, presenter, public speaker, voiceover artist and writer. Gillian was born in Kenya and studied biology at Bristol before launching an incredible career as a wildlife documentarian that has taken her all over the world. She has been a co-presenter of the BBC nature series Springwatch and its spin-offs since 2017.  She also presented BBC’s Blue Planet UK with co-host Steve Brown and was recently named Vice President at The Wildlife Trusts.   (more…)