Getting into Oxford (as a student, that is) is a significant achievement, especially as an undergraduate. Which Matthew Golesworthy (K, 2011) was when he entered Oxford as the Organ Scholar at Trinity College where, aside from his music duties, he earned his MChem.

He then moved to New College to complete his DPhil in the Interdisciplinary Bioscience DTP. At the end of September he was awarded his doctorate on "understanding the physical origins of animals' ability to sense the earth's magnetic field using spectroscopy". His research focuses on the effects that magnetic fields have on biochemical and chemical reactions and processes, with a particular interest on understanding magnetoreception – the ability of many organisms to sense the Earth's magnetic field. He works on a custom-built spectrometer that uses cavity-enhancement to more sensitively measure the changes in concentrations of chemical species under the influence, or absence, of magnetic fields (plain-English translations on a postcard, please). These measurements provide information about the kinetics and composition of such photochemical processes.

Matthew, often heard at the UK Annual Dinners intoning the Grace, is now teaching maths at St Edward's, Oxford.

Congratulations, Matthew.