Alumni & Communications Officer

Kathrine Walker

Kathrine’s role focuses on fostering connections across the College Community. Working closely with the rest of the Vice Principal’s office, she facilitates day to day communications for students and staff, coordinates the College’s website and social media, and leads alumni events in Durham and beyond. Kathrine is always keen to find ways of bring different generations of Johnians together through initiatives such as our Once a Johnian career themed formals.

Kathrine developed her skills in alumni relations and event coordination at University College, Durham where she earned her PhD in Classics before joining St John’s in 2024. Her academic research focuses on ancient Roman engineers and the role in society with an emphasis on the importance of communities of practice and distributed cognition as tool for understanding work in the ancient world. She also holds degrees in mechanical engineering, medieval history and Greek & Roman Studies from the University of Calgary in Canada.

Our Staff

John Dorward

Chef Manager

John leads the Catering team at St John’s, overseeing the day-to-day delivery of food and drink across the College for students, staff, alumni and visitors. Working closely with the chefs and front-of-house team, he helps create a welcoming dining experience, from everyday meals in Haughton Dining

Sarah Heslop

Chaplain

Revd Sarah is the chaplain at St John’s College, and it is her privilege to be available to all connected with the College, of all faith backgrounds, to offer a listening ear and a non-judgmental space to explore questions of life. She facilitates College worship and spaces where our community can

Colin Clifford

Assistant Chef Manager

Colin plays a key role in the day-to-day running of the College kitchens, helping to ensure the smooth delivery of catering for students, staff, conference guests and special events throughout the year. He joined St John’s in 2020 following a long career across the food service industry, including

George Weston

Resident Tutor

George is a 3rd year PhD student in the Department of Biosciences researching prediction models for carbon dioxide binding proteins. Previously he completed his undergraduate studies at St John’s and he’s been involved in many different sports teams, societies and events over the years.�

Eleanor Sanderson

Council member

Eleanor is Bishop of Hull in the Diocese of York and was previously the Assistant Bishop in the Diocese of Wellington, New Zealand. She serves on the Anglican Communion Commission for Discipleship and Evangelism and has a passion for the renewal of God’s church through multiplying missional discip

Karen Taylor

Cranmer Common Room President

Karen is an Anglican ordinand in training at Cranmer Hall. As CCR President, her role is to represent the students of Cranmer Hall to college, sharing their concerns and representing them at meetings. She then feedbacks pertinent information to the students.

Magdalena Stanilova

Resident Tutor

As a resident tutor, Magdalena helps foster a safe, inclusive and welcoming environment in St John’s College, working alongside an exceptional team of friendly, kind and empathetic people. One of the aspects she enjoys most about the role is organising the College’s Christmas decoration events,

Felipe Zarate

Resident Tutor

As a Resident Tutor at St John’s College, Felipe supports students in their academic progress and wider collegiate experience, while helping to foster a friendly and inclusive college community. Felipe also contributes to student life as a PGR Rep in the Philosophy Department. As a PhD student in

Aurelia Eburne

Resident Tutor

Aurelia’s role as Resident Tutor involves supporting wellbeing, safety, and enrichment within the College community, as first-responder to out-of-hours incidents and by actively contributing to College life through student events and outreach. Aurelia is currently completing a PhD in Garden Histor

Pei Jun Quek

Resident Tutor

As Resident Tutor, Pei Jun works closely with the College Student Support & Enrichment Team to respond to out-of-hours calls, incidents, and emergencies within the College, while also leading a variety of extracurricular activities for the student community. Pei Jun is currently completing her P