It seems both timely and appropriate that this issue of the Darwinian should have a special focus on genetics. As the College prepares itself for its 60^th anniversary in 2024, and the University of Cambridge celebrates 70 years since the unravelling of the structure of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) by James Watson and Francis Crick, the articles that follow demonstrate the continued contribution this College, bearing the Darwin family’s name, plays in understanding the role of genes in our lives and that of all other life on Earth.

Charles Darwin's contributions to evolutionary biology are well known, but his contributions to genetics are much less so. He collected a tremendous amount of genetic data, and attempted to provide a theoretical framework for its interpretation; he described many genetic phenomena of fundamental importance and formulated a developmental theory of heredity. Interestingly, his grandfather, Erasmus Darwin - a respected physician, poet, philosopher, botanist, and naturalist - was also very enlightened in his theories around the origins of inherited characteristics, and interest sustained by subsequent generations of the Darwin family up to the present day.

In a similar vein, but over a much shorter time span, Darwin Fellows and students have engaged in ground-breaking research in many area of genetics. These include Emeritus Fellow and Nobel Laureate, the late César Milstein, who made such an extraordinary contribution to developments in monoclonal antibody technology;  our 1970s alumnus, Sir Ian Wilmut, who went on to create Dolly the sheep at the Roslin Institute here in the UK; alumna, Honorary Fellow and Nobel Laureate Elizabeth Blackburn, whose discovery that chromosomes are protected by telomeres advanced the understanding of the field; and all those who have contributed to the pieces that follow.

As this academic year draws to a close I would like to extend an enormous thank you to the global community of Darwin alumni, Fellows, students and staff who have contributed so much to the life and productivity of the College this year.

This has been my first ‘near-normal’ year as Master, with a rich mix of graduation ceremonies, formal and informal halls, full lecture theatres for the Darwin Lectures, garden parties, lively in-person research seminars and workshops, plus many other delightful informal College-based events.

Darwin has witnessed some exciting developments this year: the adoption of our Ten-Year Strategic Plan; the launch of the Erasmus Seminar Series; the purchase of 44 flats that form Causewayside for student accommodation;  the opening of a new fully equipped College Gym; and the continued focus on sustainability with staff, students and our catering team winning yet more Green Impact Awards.

We have begun the degasification of our estate with air-source heat pumps being fitted to Frank Young House this summer and a feasibility study for water-source heat pumps for the core properties underway. This year’s students have been, as always, very active and innovative in their approach to sustainability – our May Ball was, I believe, the first Oxbridge May Ball to have entirely plant-based catering.

Darwin is first and foremost here for its students, so let me conclude by congratulating all of them. It has been, and remains, a difficult time to be a student for many reasons, some internal to the University setting, others thanks to global challenges largely beyond our immediate control. Many of our students this year have been recognised for their outstanding academic achievements and I do not have space to celebrate them all. But I would like to congratulate Chelsea Edmonds, a PhD student in Computer Science, on receiving the prestigious Mary Bradburn Award from the British Federation of Women Graduates in recognition of her outstanding research in mathematics, and thank her for her support for all of us in the College as DCSA President this last academic year.