List of people associated with Birkbeck, University of London

This article is a list of people associated with Birkbeck, University of London, including alumni, members of faculty and fellows.

Current and former faculty Georgios Alogoskoufis, Greek Minister of Economy and Finance from March 2004 till January 2009. Anthony Bale, medievalist Julia Bell, author J. D. Bernal, pioneer of X-ray crystallography Derek Barton, organic chemist and Nobel Laureate for Chemistry, 1969 Antony Beevor, historian Patrick Blackett, professor and Nobel Laureate for Physics, 1948 Sir Tom Blundell, crystallographer, FRS David Bohm, quantum physicist Andrew Donald Booth, head of Numerical Automation Kathleen Booth née Britten, computer scientist C. Delisle Burns (1879-1942), atheist and secularist writer and lecturer Ian Christie, professor of film and media history Steven Connor, professor Ian Crawford, Professor of Planetary Science and Astrobiology Diana Coole, social scientist Costas Douzinas, law professor T. S. Eliot, Nobel Laureate for Literature 1948, publisher, playwright, literary and social critic Hilda Ellis Davidson, academic and English antiquarian Martina Evans, poet Richard J. Evans, Regius Professor of Modern History at Cambridge Martin Paul Eve, professor Dame Millicent Fawcett, suffragist Orlando Figes, professor of history Ben Fine, professor Rosalind Franklin, crystallographer Hugh Gaitskell, lecturer Caroline Goodson, medievalist A. C. Grayling, philosopher Vittorio Grilli, Italy's economy and finances minister (Monti cabinet) from 2012 to 2013. Richard Hamblyn, lecturer in creative writing Vanessa Harding, professor of London history Basil Hiley, quantum physicist and emeritus professor Paul Hirst, professor Eric Hobsbawm, professor of History Thomas Hodgskin, lecturer in economic theory Kenneth Holmes, crystallographer Elizabeth Hounsell, carbohydrate scientist C. E. M. Joad, Reader in Philosophy, author and popular broadcaster Mark Johnson, professor Charlotte Jolles, Professor, historian Russell Celyn Jones, professor of creative writing Annette Karmiloff-Smith, professor Anthony Julius, visiting professor Aaron Klug, crystallographer and Nobel Laureate for Chemistry, 1982 Jon Lansman, Labour Party activist Gail Lewis, academic and activist Toby Litt, author, lecturer Joni Lovenduski, political scientist Mark Mazower, Ira D. Wallach Professor of History at Columbia University Louis Mordell, researcher in mathematics Laura Mulvey, professor of film and media studies Jeremy K. Nicholson, professor of biological chemistry Roger Penrose, theoretical physicist and Nobel Laureate for Physics, 2020 Nikolaus Pevsner, professor Ben Pimlott, professor Lucy Riall, historian Helen Saibil, molecular biologist Roger Scruton, professor Lynne Segal, professor Colin Teevan, professor of playwriting Dame Janet Thornton, structural bioinformatics, Director EBI Li Wei, academic, linguist Ralph Vaughan Williams, lecturer, composer Kalpana Wilson, author, researcher, lecturer Tony Wright, politician, distinguished professor at Birkbeck Slavoj Žižek, philosopher

Presidents The following have served as President of Birkbeck: 1823–1841: George Birkbeck (founder of Birkbeck) 1841–1888: William Lloyd Birkbeck 1888–1897: Thomas Baring, 1st Earl of Northbrook 1903–1915: Lord Alverstone 1919–1928: Viscount Haldane 1929–1933: Harry Levy-Lawson, 1st Viscount Burnham 1935–1936: The Duke of York (later King George VI) 1942–1944: William Temple (Archbishop of Canterbury) 1947–1950: Field-Marshal Archibald Wavell, 1st Earl Wavell 1952–1983: Lord Denning 1983–1989: Baroness Lockwood 1989–1993: Lord Young of Dartington 1993–1998: Lord Healey 1998-2002: Baroness Smith of Gilmorehill 2002-2012: Eric Hobsbawm 2012-present: Baroness Bakewell

Masters and Vice Chancellors John Redcliffe Maud (1939–1943) E.H. Warmington (acting, 1950–1951) John Lockwood (1951–1965; Vice-Chancellor of the University of London 1955–1958) E.H. Warmington (acting, 1965–1966) Kenneth Hare (1966–1968) Ronald Tress (1968–1977) Tessa Blackstone, Baroness Blackstone (1987–1997; Vice-Chancellor of University of Greenwich) Timothy O'Shea (1998–2002; Principal of the University of Edinburgh) David Latchman (2003–2023) Sally Wheeler (since 2024)

Alumni Chris Abani, writer Kemi Badenoch, politician and Member of Parliament, candidate for Leader of the Conservative Party and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Marian Bell, economist; former member of the Monetary Policy Committee Luciana Berger, politician and Member of Parliament Annie Besant, theosophist Simon Bird, actor and comedian Mukhlesur Rahman Chowdhury, politician, editor, Minister and former Adviser to the President of Bangladesh Oliver Chris, actor Alex Corbisiero, England and British Lions rugby player Beth Cordingly, actress David Cox, statistician Bernard Crick, political theorist Juliet Davenport, businesswoman Alan Davey, civil servant; current Chief executive of British Arts Council Edward Davey, politician and Member of Parliament Dido, singer Jennifer Donnelly, writer Samir El-Youssef, writer Tracey Emin, artist Nissim Ezekiel, professor, poet Rachel Glennerster, economist, Chief Economist at the Department for International Development Tomás González Estrada, Colombian politician, former minister of energy Marcus Garvey, founder Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League Eliane Glaser, writer, broadcaster Julia Goldsworthy, politician; former Liberal Democrat MP for Falmouth and Camborne Bear Grylls, adventurer, author and television presenter John Joseph Haldane, philosopher Frank Hartley, vice-chancellor of the university Zhu Hua, applied linguist Vernon Ingram, Fellow of the Royal Society Paul Johnson, economist, Director of Institute of Fiscal Studies William Joyce, deputy Leader of the British Union of Fascists, Nazi wartime broadcaster and convicted traitor Oliver Kamm, journalist James Lovelock, developer of the Gaia Hypothesis Ramsay MacDonald, politician; first Labour Prime Minister of the United Kingdom John McDonnell, politician Denis MacShane, politician Leonard Mandel, nuclear physicist Ehsan Masood, science writer and editor of Research Fortnight Ram Charan Mehrotra, organometallic chemist, Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar laureate Amina Memon, social and cognitive psychologist, academic, and author Ernest Millington, politician Seumas Milne, journalist and political aide Omeima Mudawi-Rowlings, deaf British-Sudanese textile artist based in Brighton Lisa Nandy, politician and Member of Parliament Jesse Norman, politician and Member of Parliament Nerina Pallot, singer Nick Palmer, politician and former Member of Parliament Arthur Wing Pinero, actor, stage director and dramatist Daisy Ridley, actress J. Philippe Rushton, psychologist John Rowan (psychologist), psychologist Jenny Rowe, Chief Executive, UK Supreme Court Richard Sambrook, broadcaster, formerly director of the BBC World Frank Sando, former International Cross-Country Champion Andy Saull, rugby player Helen Sharman, chemist and cosmonaut Joost Smiers, academic Nick Smith, politician Vaughan Smith, soldier, journalist, cameraman, and social entrepreneur Laura Solomon, writer Nicola Spence, Chief Plant Health Officer, Defra William Stanley, inventor, engineer and philanthropist Kim Thomson, stage, film and television actress Mark P. Taylor, economist, Dean of Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis Laurie Taylor, sociologist Tracey Thorn, pop star, singer with Everything but the Girl Ronald Tress, economist Kitty Ussher, British economist and former Labour Party politician Alfred Russel Wallace, naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist, and biologist Allyson Williams (midwife) Rob Williams, rower, silver medallist in the 2012 Summer Olympics Sidney Webb, 1st Baron Passfield, founder of the London School of Economics Jah Wobble, musician/writer Wai Hnin Pwint Thon, political activist Sidin Vadukut, columnist, writer and blogger Claudia Webbe, Labour MPLabour suspends MP Claudia Webbe over harassment charge | UK news | The Guardian

Fellows Edward Davey, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Kingston and Surbiton Frank Dobson, Labour politician Dame Vivien Duffield, philanthropist Sir Richard J. Evans, historian Dame Julia Goodfellow, former Chief Executive of the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council Sir Peter Lampl, educationalist and philanthropist, founder of the Sutton Trust Leonard Wolfson, Baron Wolfson

References