Two Aularians recognised in King’s Birthday Honours 2026

St Edmund Hall congratulates alumni and Honorary Fellow, The Rt Hon David Gauke (1990, Jurisprudence), for being appointed a Knights Bachelor and, Nicholas Richardson (1994, Geology), for being awarded an MBE for services to Energy Security and the Energy Transition.

David comments: “I am delighted to have been awarded this honour for my work on the independent sentencing review. In truth, most of the credit for the review belongs to our expert panel and the officials who worked on the project, but it would have been churlish to decline a knighthood in the circumstances!”

Nicholas shares: “I was delighted to receive this award, and hope that it is also seen as recognition of all of those who have helped me along the way, including through the solid grounding in Earth Science that I gained as an Aularian. For many years, Teddy Hall has proudly produced the largest contingent of Oxford geologists in the University, supported by the unique tutorial system. It is undoubtedly true that the critical thinking I developed through tutorials with Hugh Jenkyns and Martin Brazier has helped me with not just how to approach scientific problems but, in the sphere of government and industry interactions, how to evaluate evidence carefully before delivering policies that then set the direction and framework for investments that support the country, jobs and society.

Many from my St Edmund Hall cohort went on to work in completely different fields, and it is testament to the rich experience offered by the Hall that they have all gone on to be successful in their own way, and the bonds formed have endured through our working lives. Seeing the achievements of these friends and colleagues has provided the inspiration to always dig a little deeper.”