The American Friends of Christ Church Graduate Scholarship winners announced

The American Friends (the association of Christ Church Old Members resident in the US) have generously established a scholarship fund to provide financial assistance for postgraduate students who are currently enrolled at Christ Church.

American Friends of Christ Church Graduate Scholarships worth up to £4,000 each for the 2022–2023 academic year, were awarded by the Governing Body of Christ Church, on the basis of academic merit and financial need.

Winners of the 2022 scholarships

The winners of the 2022 American Friends of Christ Church Graduate Scholarships are:

Andrew Biedermann (History DPhil)

Amanda Curtis (Information, Communication and Social Sciences DPhil)

Suzie Fisk (Taxation MSc (part-time)

Zara Kahlet (Theology and Religion DPhil)

Samantha Sharkoff (Economics MPhil)

Paul Ulishney (History DPhil)

Peter Varga (Experimental Psychology DPhil)

Jenna Zmrzel (History DPhil)

'It is a great joy to be back at Christ Church as a postgraduate after first coming up to the House as a visiting undergraduate. I am now reading for the DPhil in Experimental Psychology under the supervision of Christ Church’s own Professor Brian Parkinson.

'Drawing on my background as a classically-trained guitarist and liturgical organist, my thesis investigates how emotion and higher states (e.g. inspiration) are communicated by composers to listeners via music as well as the implications of this process for cultural transmission and evolution. This work is supported by my typically interdisciplinary approach to research, exemplified in past projects examining the role of aesthetics in science, experiences of higher goods (e.g., unity, truth, goodness, beauty) as indicators of self-transcendent well-being, the function of inspiration and imagination in the creative process, the social and emotional underpinnings of the ‘chills’ response to film and music, the effect of social stress on prospective memory, and differences between terrestrial and lunar psychophysics using virtual reality.

'Prior to beginning the DPhil course, I received my MS in Psychological Sciences from William & Mary and graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa as the President's Award recipient and a University Scholar from The Catholic University of America with a BA in Psychology and minors in Neuroscience, Philosophy, and Theology and Religious Studies, earning additional honours in Classical Philosophy, Theology, and Humanities.

'Being at Oxford, and Christ Church particularly has allowed me to pursue what has long been my passion project in music psychology research whilst still being immersed in the practice and performance of music myself.  In the coming year, I will serve as choir manager to the College Choir of Christ Church in addition to my ongoing role supporting the Cathedral Choir and Frideswide Voices as Music Trust Development Officer.

'The process of cobbling together funding at Oxford can be exceedingly difficult and time-consuming, especially after the first year when most funding sources are no longer available. I am thus especially grateful for the support of the American Friends in the form of this scholarship aimed specifically at continuing postgraduates. It makes a significant difference in allowing me to pursue my intellectual and musical interests and offer novel contributions in my academic field, uninhibited by financial obstacles.'

Scholarship eligibility

These scholarships are open to applicants who completed their undergraduate degree at an American university and who are already enrolled in graduate study at Christ Church.