Professor Peter Robinson has been elected by the Fellowship to succeed Professor John Mollon as President of Gonville & Caius College.

At Caius, the President has statutory duties as the Master’s deputy, but the President also serves as the advocate for the Fellows and is at the centre of the communal life of the Fellowship as a society of scholars.

Professor Mollon, a neuroscientist, has served two terms as President.  The largest task that fell to him in these eight years was the management of a Mastership election – an extended exercise in modern Cambridge, but one that ended with the successful installation of Dr Pippa Rogerson as the present Master. 

He has nurtured the seasonal events of the academic years, such as Dr Caius’ Birthday and Burns’ Night.  Together with his wife Marina, he introduced the Children’s Party that nowadays precedes the President’s Summer Party; and – inspired by Russian tradition – he initiated the annual celebration of International Women’s Day, an event that has now taken on a vigorous life of its own.

Professor Robinson, pictured above, matriculated as an undergraduate in 1971 and has remained at the College ever since, a 50-year stint he describes as “unimaginative but very enjoyable”.

His roles included being a College Lecturer and Director of Studies in Computer Science from 1983. He retired from offices in 2019, but continues to supervise.

He was Praelector from 1987 to 2007, with many Caians graduating at the end of his arm, has been a member of the Finance Committee for 20 years, and has been Vice-President of the College's Shakespere Society for over 40 years.

His research, which enjoys global collaborations with universities and industry, focuses on human-machine interaction, particularly video in user interfaces.  Recent work on processing social signals such as emotional expression through facial displays has had applications for car drivers, and in recognising pain in animals.

Professor Robinson and his wife Sarah hope to continue Professor Mollon's efforts to make the College a welcoming place for Fellows and their families, and would particularly like to find ways to support young academics, given the increasing demands of University duties.

Professor John Mollon (credit: Dan White)