Joseph beaden, President of the Durham University United Nations Society
Hi! I’m Joseph, DUUNS’ current President. I am a third year history student, and member ofCollege. This year’s exec and I are aiming to turn DUUNS into one of the most active and dynamic societies in Durham. We’re rolling out new social events–for example our society ball in Michaelmas term, and we’re expanding our society journal–the Mondial–to become a hub for original writing and scholarship. Not everything is new, however, and our annual conference DurMUN, is shaping up to be bigger and better than ever! A fun fact about me is that, when graduating high school, I was voted ‘most likely to take over the world’. Make of that what you will.
Ákos Holányi, Secretary-General DurMUN 2020
My name is Ákos Holányi, a second year Human Geography student at Durham University. It is a great honor to serve as the Secretary-General of DurMUN 2020. Even though I only started MUN last year, I have already participated in five British and international conferences. As the main organizer of the DurMUN 2020, I try my best to ensure that we provide one of the best experiences Durham can offer. As this year’s DurMUN is slightly different than other conferences, I am confident that it will be interesting and engaging for newcomers and returning attendees as well. I am looking forward to welcoming you to Durham in January!
Nicole Terry, Deputy-Secretary General
Hello Everyone! My name is Nicole Terry and I will be serving as Deputy-Secretary General for DurMUN this year. I will be primarily supporting Ákos in planning DurMUN and assisting with organization of the conference in this role. I am a member of Ustinov College studying for an LLM in International Law and Governance.
I joined MUN initially in my last year of high school and very much enjoyed participating in the debates and conferences. I was not able to participate in MUN during my undergrad due to the time constraints of my studies but now that I have a bit more time I am excited to be able to participate in MUN again.
Alexandra Beste, Secretary
Heya, my name is Alex, I’m a third year Liberal Arts student and I’m serving as Secretary for DUUNS! My job is to oversee the administrative duties of the society and to book venues for society events. Fun fact: I follow Jenny’s cat’s Instagram and IT is worth, fur real.
Basanth Sadasivan, Social Secretary
Hi everyone! My name is Basanth Sadasivan, and I am a rising third year from the United States studying Combined Honors in Social Sciences at Durham University. I am delighted to be serving as social secretary of the United Nations Society for the second year in a row. As social secretary, I will be in charge of organizing the society’s termly socials, Michaelmas Term Ball, along with the formal dinner and evening social at DURMUN 2020. My hobbies include American football, soccer, rapping and globetrotting. I have been an avid MUNer since my second year of high school, and have had the honor of representing Durham University both as a delegate and as a chair over the last 3 years. I look forward to working with the society this coming year, and will always strive to make it a memorable experience for our loyal followers and DURMUN 2020 participants.
Tanay Vankayalapati, Speakers Officer
Hi, I’m Tanay Vankayalapati, and I am the Speakers Officer for the Durham Model UN Society for the coming academic year. I am a second year, studying Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Van Mildert College. I enjoyed participating in DurMUN 2019, our annual conference, and am looking forward to ensuring our society can host high quality speakers, hopefully giving members enriching and exciting talks to look forward to! I am also eager to work with the rest of exec to ensure a successful year for our society as a whole.
Jenny Roberts, Mondial Editor
I’m Jenny, Editor-In-Chief of DUUNS’ newspaper and online journal, ‘The Mondial’, and head of the DURMUN 2020 Press Team. I’m in my third year studying English Literature and I’m a proud member of Josephine Butler College. A fun fact about me: I run an Instagram account for my cat (@a_cat_called_frodo). This year, I want to make ‘The Mondial’ a more widely known student publication, renowned Durham-wide for its high-quality discussions of current affairs. A new element to ‘The Mondial’ this year is our ‘Writer’s Choice’ article, based on the writers’ personal areas of research linked to current affairs!
Tamara Celeste Herrington, Publicity and Communications Officer
I’m Tamara, a second year Politics student at St Chad’s college, and the current Communications and Publicity Officer for the Durham University Model United Nations Society. I’m responsible for the society’s email and social media, as well as working with the publicity of the DUUNS events. Aside from my love of MUN, I’m also president of the Durham University Liberal Democrats and Publicity Officer for the Durham Union Society.
Durham University Model United Nations 