The Queen’s New Year Honours list for 2015 has been published, and among the recipients are a number of associates of the university and people from Cambridgeshire.

This year’s list recognises 1,008 candidates, 74 per cent of who have been honoured for outstanding work in their communities, either in a voluntary or paid capacity.

Professor Sharon Peacock, Professor of Clinical Microbiology, received a CBE (Commander for the Order of the British Empire) for services to medical microbiology. Professor Peacock worked in Thailand for seven years with the Wellcome Trust, overseeing a major programme on bacterial research.

Professor Graeme Barker has also been awarded a CBE for his services to archaeology. Professor Barker has served as Disney Professor of Archaeology at the university, and as Director of the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research.

Tim Oates was similarly honoured with a CBE for Services to Education. He is currently Group Director of Assessment, Research and Development at Cambridge Assessment, the body that operates the exam board OCR, Cambridge International Examinations and Cambridge English Language Assessment (CELA).

Julie Deane, founder of the Cambridge Satchel Company, was also featured on the list. She has been appointed an OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire), for her services to entrepreneurship. Deane started her business with £600 in 2008, and now sells to customers in over 120 countries.

Novelist Ali Smith has received the same honour for services to literature, following on from her recent receipt of the Goldsmiths Prize for her 2014 novel How to Be Both. Ms Smith lives in Cambridgeshire and studied for a PhD at Newnham College, though she never finished.

Other Cambridgeshire residents have also been recognised for their work in their communities. Receiving the recently reinstated British Empire Medal was Timothy Meynell, who was honoured for his long-standing commitment to education at Alconbury Church of England Primary School.

This year’s list has a higher proportion of female recipients than previous honours lists, with 50 per cent of the candidates on the list being women; the 2014 New Year Honours list included more women than men for the first time. Jane Shepherdson, the CEO of Whistles, the company that produces the “This is what a feminist looks like” t-shirts that were the subject of allegations of poor working practices in Mauritius, was also awarded a CBE for services to UK retail business.

The next Honours list will be published on the Queen’s official birthday in June.