The following is a list of notable University of Essex people (in chronological or alphabetical order).
Chancellors
Rab Butler (1966–1982) Sir Patrick Nairne (1982–1997) Michael Nolan, Baron Nolan (1997–2002) Andrew Phillips, Baron Phillips of Sudbury (2003–2014) Shami Chakrabarti, Baroness Chakrabarti (2014–2017) John Bercow (2017–2021) Sarah Perry (2023–)
Notable faculty
Vice-Chancellors Sir Albert Sloman (1963–1987) Sir Martin Harris (1987–1993) Ron J. Johnston (1993–1995) Sir Ivor Crewe (1995–2007) Colin Riordan (2007–2012) Anthony Forster (2012–2024)
Frances Bowen (2025 - )
Economics George Christopher Archibald - Professor (1964–1971) Anthony Barnes Atkinson - Professor of Economics (1971 to 1976) Rex Bergstrom - Professor of Economics (1970–1992) Graciela Chichilnisky - Chair in Economics (1980 to 1981) Sanjeev Goyal - Professor of Economics (2003-2006) Oliver Hart - Lecturer in Economics (1974 to 1975) Ravi Kanbur - Professor in economics (1983–87) David Laidler - Lecturer (1966–1969) Richard Lipsey - Head Professor of Economics (1963–1969) Michio Morishima - Visiting Professor of Economics (1968 to 1970) Abhinay Muthoo - Head of Department of Economics (2000 to 2007); Professor of Economics (1998 to 2008); Reader (1995 to 1998); Lecturer (1992 to 1995). Motty Perry - Professor of Economics Peter C.B. Phillips - Lecturer in Economics (1972 to 1976) Anthony Shorrocks - Professor of Economics Anthony Venables - Lecturer in Economics (1978 to 1979)
Sciences George Alfred Barnard - Professor of Mathematics (1966 to 1975) Richard Bartle - Senior Lecturer and Honorary Professor of Computer Science Charles George Broyden - Senior Lecturer and Professor of Mathematics (1967 to 1986) Mohammed Ghanbari - Professor, Department of Electronic Systems Engineering (1996 - ) Martin Henson - Professor of Computer Science Owen Holland - Professor of Computer Science Rodney Loudon - Professor of Theoretical Physics Edward Tsang - Director of Centre for Computational Finance and Economic Agents; Professor of Computer Science Yorick Wilks - Professor of Computer Science and Linguistics
Humanities
Robert D. Borsley - Professor of Linguistics (2000 - ) Peter Carruthers - Lecturer, Philosophy Department (1985–1991) Donald Davie - Professor of Literature (1964–1968) Peter Kenneth Dews - Professor of Philosophy (1988 - ) Elaine Feinstein - Assistant Lecturer, English Literature (1967–1970) Matt Lodder - Senior Lecturer, Art History and Interdisciplinary Studies (2013 - ) David Musselwhite - Senior Lecturer, English Literature (1974–2010) Lucy Noakes - Professor of History (2017 - ) José Emilio Pacheco - Visiting Professor of Literature Michael Podro - Professor of Art History (1973 to 1997) Mark Sacks - Professor of Philosophy (1993–2008) Derek Walcott - Nobel Laureate 1992, Professor of Poetry (2010 - 2015) Dawn Adès - Professor of Art History
Law Steve Peers, Professor of European laws Paulo Gonet Branco, Attorney General of Brazil.
Social sciences Brian Barry - Professor of Politics Robin Blackburn - Professor of Sociology Jean Blondel - Professor of Politics (1964 to 1984) Kevin Boyle - former director, Human Rights Centre (3 terms) Hugh Brogan - Professor of History, (1974 to 1998) Ian Craib - Professor of Sociology (1973–2003) Vic Gatrell - Professor of British History (2003 - ) Paul Hunt - former director, Human Rights Centre (2001 to 2003) Bob Jessop - Professor, Department of Government (1975 to 1989) Anthony King - Professor, Department of Government Alan Knight - Lecturer, History Department (1973 to 1985) Ernesto Laclau - Visiting Professor, Department of Government Michael Mann Geoffrey Martin - Professor, Department of History Harvey Molotch - Professor of Sociology Sir Nigel S. Rodley - current Head of Human Rights Centre (also a graduate: see below) John Scott - Professor of Sociology (1994-2008) and Honorary Doctorate Fatos Tarifa - guest lecturer Peter Townsend - founding professor of Sociology
Notable alumni
Academia in economics Erkin Bairam - Professor of Economics, University of Otago (1991–2001) Panicos O. Demetriades - Professor of Financial Economics, University of Leicester Jean Drèze - Professor of Economics, Delhi School of Economics Colm Kearney - Professor of International Business, University College Dublin Graham Loomes - Professor of Economics, University of Warwick Christopher A. Pissarides - Nobel Laureate 2010 British-Cypriot Economists, Professor of Economics at the London School of Economics Michael Riordan - Professor of Economics, Columbia University Norman Schofield - Professor of Political Economy, Washington University in St. Louis Richard J. Smith - Professor of Econometric Theory and Economic Statistics, University of Cambridge Yanis Varoufakis - Professor of Economics, University of Athens; Finance Minister of Greece (2015 onward) John Whalley - Professor of International Trade at University of Western Ontario
Academia in other areas Martin J. Ball - Emeritus Professor of Linguistics, Bangor University, Cymru/Wales Stephen J. Ball - Karl Mannheim Professor of Sociology of Education at the Institute of Education of University College London Richard Barbrook - Senior Lecturer in Humanities and Social Science, University of Westminster Manuel Barcia, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Global Engagement, University of Bath John Barrell - Professor of English, University of York David M. Barrett - Professor of Political Science, Villanova University Eva Collins - Professor of Management, University of Waikato John Fauvel - historian of mathematics, Open University James Gomez - Associate Professor at the School of International Studies, Universiti Utara Malaysia Stephen F. Jones - academic in the field of Eastern European affairs Kusuma Karunaratne - Sri Lankan academic; university administrator; professor and scholar in the fields of Sinhalese language, comparative literature, and sociology, University of Colombo Ernesto Laclau - Post-Marxist political theorist at Northwestern University; Visiting Professor at Essex's Department of Government Jill Marsden - scholar of the work of philosopher Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche; lecturer at the University of Bolton Maxine Molyneux - Professor of Sociology, Institute of Latin American Studies, University of London John Warwick Montgomery - American lawyer, theologian and academic known for his work in the field of Christian apologetics; Distinguished Research Professor of Philosophy and Christian Thought at Patrick Henry College Farish Ahmad Noor - Senior Fellow, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore Alberto Pérez-Gómez - Professor of Architectural History, McGill University David Robertson - Professor of Politics, Oxford University Nigel S. Rodley - international human rights lawyer and academic, University of Essex Deborah Sugg Ryan - Professor of Design History and Theory, University of Portsmouth Michael Tappin - academic associated with Keele University Michael Taylor - Professor of Politics, University of Washington Nathan Widder - Professor of Political Theory, Royal Holloway, University of London Jonathan Wilson - Fletcher Professor of Rhetoric and Debate; Director of the Center for Humanities, Tufts University Wong Chin Huat - Malaysian political scientist, activist and columnist
Politics and government
Martin Docherty-Hughes - Scottish National Party politician Óscar Arias - President of Costa Rica and 1987 Nobel Peace Prize Winner Ian Austin - Former MP for Dudley North Sima Sami Bahous - Jordanian Executive Director of UN Women John Bercow - Speaker of the House of Commons John Biehl - Chilean lawyer, political scientist and diplomat Thozamile Botha - South African politician Virginia Bottomley - Conservative Party politician Dragiša Burzan - Serbian Ambassador to the United Kingdom, former Foreign Minister of Montenegro Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury - Speaker of the Bangladesh National Assembly Fátima Choi - Director of Audit, Macau SAR, China James Duddridge - Conservative Party politician, MP for Rochford and Southend East Sean Farren - former Northern Irish politician Anne Gibson, Baroness Gibson of Market Rasen - British trade unionist Reshef Hen - former member of the Knesset Peter Housden - Permanent Secretary, Department for Communities and Local Government John Howarth - Labour Party Politician, MEP for South East England Ibrahim Jazi - Jordanian Minister of State for Prime Ministry Affairs Omar Asghar Khan - Pakistani social activist, economist and politician Leung Yiu-chung - member of the Hong Kong SAR Legislative Council Siobhain McDonagh - Labour Party politician Priti Patel - Conservative Party politician Donald C. Pogue - Chief Judge, United States Court of International Trade Dimitrij Rupel - first Foreign Minister of Republic of Slovenia Mark Shields - Deputy Commissioner of the Jamaica Constabulary Force from 2005 to 2009 Duncan Shipley-Dalton - former Northern Irish politician David Triesman, Baron Triesman - Labour Party Member in the House of Lords; Chairman of the English Football Association Yanis Varoufakis - Professor of Economics, University of Athens; Finance Minister of Greece (2015 onward) Hoshyar Zebari - Iraqi Minister of Foreign Affairs
Business and economics Richard Douthwaite - economist, co-founder of Feasta Már Guðmundsson - Former Governor of the Central Bank of Iceland Hanif Lalani - ex-CEO of BT Global Services"BT's Hanif Lalani ends 26-year career under global services cloud" Financial Director website, 25 January 2010. Charles Mbire - Ugandan businessman, entrepreneur and industrialist Thorarinn G. Petursson - Chief Economist of the Central Bank of Iceland George Provopoulos - Governor of the Bank of Greece and European Central Bank Governing Council Member. Nasrat Khalid - Social entrepreneur, founder at Aseel
Actors and directors
Nick Broomfield - documentary filmmaker Stephen Daldry - film and theatre director (East 15 Acting School), BAFTA award-winner Rhys Frake-Waterfield - producer, writer and director of horror films Blake Harrison - actor (Neil from The Inbetweeners) (East 15 Acting School) Vera Kolodzig - actress in theatre productions and several Portuguese soap operas (East 15 Acting School) Mike Leigh - film and theatre director (East 15 Acting School) Alison Steadman - actress (East 15 Acting School), twice nominated for BAFTA award David Yates - multi-BAFTA winning English film and television director
Law and order Mariela Belski – lawyer; Executive Director, Amnesty International Argentina Peter Joslin - Chief Constable of Warwickshire Michael J. Todd - Chief Constable of Greater Manchester from 2002 until 2008 Mark Watson-Gandy – barrister
Media and journalism Dotun Adebayo - radio presenter on BBC FiveLive Chris Boucher - television screenwriter, script editor and novelist Brian Hanrahan - BBC foreign correspondent Nick Margerrison - radio presenter on Kerrang! Radio
Musicians Gilad Atzmon - Israeli-born British jazz saxophonist Clint Boon - keyboardist and lead singer of the Inspiral Carpets John Etheridge - British jazz/fusion guitarist associated with the Canterbury Scene Steve Chandra Savale - Asian Dub Foundation guitarist
Architecture and urban planning
Daniel Libeskind - architect of the Freedom Tower and Memory Foundations on the site of the World Trade Center in New York City
Philosophy Simon Critchley - British philosopher, academic at the New School for Social Research William McNeill - British philosopher, academic at DePaul University
Literary figures and artists Kee Thuan Chye - Malaysian dramatist, poet and journalist Charlie Connelly - author and broadcaster Nick Dear - writer for stage, screen and radio Mark Felton - author and historian Fraser Harrison - English writer Nigel Jenkins - Welsh poet and writer