Fitzroy Morrissey, OE (KS 2010) and Pembroke College, Oxford graduate, has been awarded a prestigious Examination Fellowship at All Souls College, Oxford.
All Souls College holds a rigorous examination each autumn, which can be sat by recent graduates of the University and by those registered for graduate degrees in Oxford. The College seeks to elect two Examination Fellows each year from a field of fifty or more candidates, but only if candidates of a suitable standard present themselves.
This fully funded seven year fellowship will give Fitzroy the opportunity to finish his DPhil and conduct his own academic research in ideal conditions, in regular contact with leading scholars in his field. As a Fellow of the college he will sit on the Governing Body and be given a room, dining rights and a variety of travel and book allowances in addition to a generous stipend.
'It is an huge honour to be elected to a fellowship at All Souls. It's a pretty sudden transformation, so I don't think it's fully sunk in yet, but obviously I'm delighted. I've also been really touched by the messages of congratulations that I've received from many of my former teachers at Eton, who inspired me to pursue my academic studies with rigour, an open mind and a passion for the subject. Though my degrees are in Islamic Studies, I was elected as a fellow in history, so I owe a debt of gratitude to the wonderful historians who taught me at school, particularly my specialist tutor Henry Proctor, and my medieval history teachers Andrew Robinson and Gareth Mann. I'm also especially indebted to Haroon Shirwani, who introduced me to Arabic in C-Block, and without whom I certainly wouldn't be where I am today.'
During his undergraduate studies at Pembroke College, Fitzroy studied Arabic and Islamic Studies, going on to combine Islamic Studies with History for his MPhil at Wadham in 2014. Fitzroy’s DPhil research is looking at Sufi Muslim views of other religions during the late medieval period. His academic advisor will be the Historian, Academic and Journalist Sir Noel Malcolm.
‘I hope to make the most of the unique opportunities provided by All Souls, both in terms of developing relationships with the distinguished academics and contributors to public life based there (including the Provost, who has been very welcoming!), and conducting research that is both academically rigorous and of relevance to wider society.’
Eton is delighted to share this exciting news and offers its warmest congratulations to Fitzroy on this excellent achievement.