Three remarkable individuals have been chosen as Honorary Fellows for Trinity Hall. They include a medical charity pioneer, a world-leading engineer and a scientist who studies the origins of the universe.
All three studied at Trinity Hall. They are:
Dr Waheed Arian, a former Afghan refugee, is an NHS emergency doctor, author of best-selling memoir In The Wars and founder of the pioneering charity Arian Teleheal, which works directly with clinicians on the ground in low-resource and war-torn countries. He also helps global organizations and governments with the development of their healthcare and education systems.
Dr Arian said: “I am so honoured and humbled to have been elected as an Honorary Fellow. I could never reach such a prestigious position on my own having been born in a war-torn country and spending my childhood hiding from bombs and surviving live-threatening diseases. However, I have always believed in the power of hope and kindness. Not giving up on hope and believing in the kindness of others have allowed me to survive childhood traumas and to seek refuge in the UK, enabling me to pursue my dream of becoming a physician to heal others.
“Since becoming a doctor, giving hope to others in need has also shaped my purpose in life. This Honorary Fellowship will significantly support me in inspiring many others. I am so thrilled and privileged to be associated with Trinity Hall and Cambridge once again in this wider mission.”
Fiona Cousins works in a senior role in the multinational engineering group Arup. She is currently Arup Americas Region Chair and a member of the Arup Group Board. Ms Cousins graduated from Trinity Hall in 1989 in Engineering Science. Her built projects include the US Embassy in London, Fulton Street Station in New York and the Frick Chemistry Building at Princeton University.
Reflecting on the honour she said: “I am delighted to have been made an Honorary Fellow. I loved my time at College – studying, rowing, and becoming myself – and have enjoyed alumni events too. It’s a great pleasure to be renewing the connection and I look forward to engaging more.”
Professor Jo Dunkley is the Joseph Henry Professor of Physics and Astrophysical Sciences at Princeton University. Her research is in cosmology, studying the origins and evolution of the Universe. She plays leading roles in the Atacama Cosmology Telescope and Simons Observatory projects and has been awarded the Maxwell Medal, the Rosalind Franklin award and the New Horizons prize. In 2019 she received an OBE for services to science, and in 2024 was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society.
Professor Dunkley said: “I am so delighted to become an Honorary Fellow at Trinity Hall. It is such a special place for me, and the teaching environment gave me the confidence and enthusiasm to pursue physics. I have very happy memories of my time there as a student.”
Congratulating the trio Mary Hockaday, Master of Trinity Hall, said: “We’re delighted to announce the election of these three remarkable people as Honorary Fellows of Trinity Hall. They have all forged extraordinary paths, at times greatly against the odds, and achieved eminence and distinction in their fields.
“They are notable role-models in the worlds of medicine, engineering and astrophysics, and all of them use their talents in service to others and wider society. Trinity Hall is proud to have helped set them on their way and we look forward to welcoming them formally into the Fellowship.”
All three will be formally admitted to their Honorary Fellowships at a ceremony in the College next month.
