# List of University of Essex people

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)

### 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 - FRSA, Senior Lecturer and Honorary Professor of Computer Science
* Mohammed Ghanbari - Professor, Department of Electronic Systems Engineering (1996 - )
* Martin Henson - FRSA, 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)
* David Musselwhite - Senior Lecturer, English Literature (1974–2010)
* 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, CBE - Professor of Art History

### Law

* Steve Peers, Professor of European laws

### 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, Professor of Global History University of Leeds
* 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
* 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.

### 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
* John Lawton – novelist
* Marianne Majerus - photographer
* Okello Oculi - Ugandan novelist and poet
* Ben Okri - Booker Prize winner
* Douglas Oliver - English contemporary poet and novelist
* Kate Rhodes - British poet
* Mike Ripley – novelist
* Michelene Wandor - English playwright and poet
* Nathan Zach - Israeli poet
* The Kipper Kids - Performance Artists (at East 15 Acting School)

### Science and technology

* Richard Bartle - co-creator of MUD1, the first ever MUD (Multi-User Dungeon)
* Phil O'Donovan - Bluetooth engineer & CSR plc co-founder
* Nigel Roberts - Internet naming pioneer, Board Director at ICANN
* Roy Trubshaw - co-creator of MUD1, the first ever MUD (Multi-User Dungeon)
* Rodolfo Neri Vela - Mexico's first astronaut

### Human rights

* Akram H. Chowdhury - founder of the Bangladesh Rehabilitation Centre for Trauma Victims
* Alex Neve - Secretary General of Amnesty International Canada
* Carry Somers - Founder and Global Operations Director of Fashion Revolution UK
* Lyal S. Sunga - expert in international human rights law, humanitarian law and international criminal law