# List of University of Reading alumni

This is a list of University of Reading alumni.

## Academics

* Catherine Abbott - Professor of Molecular Genetics at the University of Edinburgh
* Fatima Akilu – Nigerian psychologist and head of major national program of de-radicalisation to tackle Boko Haram
* Ash Amin – Professor of Geography, University of Cambridge
* Simon Batterbury, Professor of Environmental Studies, geographer at the University of Melbourne
* Janet Beer – Vice-Chancellor of the University of Liverpool (formerly Vice-Chancellor of Oxford Brookes University)
* L. J. F. Brimble – botanist and editor of Nature magazine
* Sir Clifford Charles Butler – co-discoverer of hyperons and mesons, Professor of Physics at Imperial College London, Vice-chancellor of Loughborough University
* Stephen E. Calvert – Emeritus Professor of Geology, University of British Columbia
* David Carpanini – Emeritus Professor of Art, University of Wolverhampton
* Michael Cox – Professor of International Relations, London School of Economics
* Sir Peter Crane – Professor of Botany, Yale University
* Beate Hermelin (1920–2008) – German-born experimental psychologist, who worked in the UK
* Sean Holly – Professor of Economics, University of Cambridge
* Jolyon Howorth – Professor of European politics, University of Bath and Visiting Professor of Political Science at Yale University
* Michael Leifer – was a professor of International Relations, London School of Economics
* Jane Lewis - Barnett Professor of Social Policy at the University of Oxford
* David Marks – Professor of Psychology, City University London
* Dragan Marušič – Professor of Mathematics at the University of Ljubljana
* Sarah Mercer – Professor of linguistics at the University of Graz
* Mark Nixon – Emeritus Professor of Electronics and Computer Science at University of Southampton
* Avi Shlaim – Professor of International Relations, University of Oxford
* Nigel Smart (cryptographer)
* Zohrah Sulaiman – Vice-Chancellor of Universiti Teknologi Brunei
* John R. Terry – Professor of Biomedical Modelling, University of Exeter
* June Thoburn – Emeritus Professor of Social Work at the University of East Anglia
* Ethelwynn Trewavas – ichthyologist and taxonomist
* John Turner – Professor of Engineering and Pro-Vice Chancellor of the University of Portsmouth
* Janet Watson - geologist
* Sean Whelan (scientist) – Professor of Microbiology at Harvard Medical School
* A. E. Wilder-Smith – creationist and chemist

## Broadcasting

* Julian Barratt – comedian, BBC's The Mighty Boosh
* Keith Bosley – former BBC broadcaster and prizewinning poet and translator
* Richard Holmes – military historian and television presenter
* Julian Richards – archaeologist and broadcaster
* Richard Sambrook – Director of the BBC World Service
* Tomasz Schafernaker – TV weather presenter
* Nick Thorpe – BBC Central Europe correspondent (1996–); formerly BBC Budapest correspondent
* Laura Tobin – TV weather presenter
* Jay Wynne – TV weather presenter

## Business

* Richard Adam - former finance director of Carillion
* David Atkins – Chief Executive, Hammerson plc
* Linda Bennett OBE - English-Icelandic clothing designer and entrepreneur
* Nick Candy – Co-Founder and partner of high end property development company, Candy & Candy, London
* Gavin Grant – Chief Executive of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
* Nicky Kinnaird – founder and president of British cosmetic retailer Space NK
* Robert Noel – businessman, Chief Executive of Land Securities Group plc
* Noel Stockdale – Co-founder of Asda

## Military

* Lieutenant-Colonel Rupert Thorneloe - Welsh Guards officer killed in action in Afghanistan
* Lance Corporal Oliver Thomas - killed in action (2014) in Afghanistan
* Wilfred Owen - First World War poet and soldier

## Music

* Rotimi Alakija – Nigerian disc jockey, record producer and recording artist.
* Rick Battersby – member of the band Twelfth Night
* Arthur Brown – rock and roll singer
* Alan Clayson – singer, composer, record producer, leader of the band Clayson and the Argonauts
* Jamie Cullum – jazz pianist and singer
* Brian Devoil – member of the band Twelfth Night
* Falz - Nigerian Musician and actor
* Liam Howe – music producer, musician, formed the band Sneaker pimps with David Westlake and Joe Wilson (musician) also alumni
* Hilary James – singer, double bassist, guitarist, and mando-bassist
* Andy MacKay – member of the band Roxy Music
* Geoff Mann – member of the band Twelfth Night
* Simon Mayor – mandolinist, fiddle player, guitarist, and composer
* Clive Mitten – member of the band Twelfth Night
* Martin Noble – musician, Noble in the band British Sea Power
* Andy Revell – member of the band Twelfth Night
* Edmund Rubbra – composer
* Julian Wagstaff – composer
* Scott Wilkinson – musician and composer, Yan in the band British Sea Power

## Politics

* Anton Apriantono, Indonesian politician
* Dimeji Bankole – Nigerian politician and Speaker of the House of Representatives of Nigeria
* Sharon Bowles, British Liberal Democrats European politician.
* Harriet Cross, British Conservative Party politician
* Daniel Feetham, Gibraltarian politician
* Fred Gardiner, Canadian politician
* Gilbert Seidu Iddi, Ghanaian politician
* Edison James, Prime Minister of Dominica 1995–2000
* Morgan Jones, British Labour Party politician, the first conscientious objector to be elected to Parliament after the First World War
* Shukuru Kawambwa, Tanzanian Government Minister
* Jan Kavan, Czech diplomat and politician
* Rupert Lowe, Reform UK politician
* Penny Mordaunt, British Conservative Party politician
* Tony Page, British Labour Party politician
* Mike Penning, British Conservative Party politician
* Frauke Petry, German Politician
* Mark Prisk, British Conservative Party politician
* Hugh Robertson, British Conservative Party politician
* Adrienne Ryan - Australian politician
* Sophie Walker, British Women's Equality Party politician
* Rob Wilson, British Conservative Party politician
* Sean Woodcock, Labour MP for Banbury 2024-present

## Sport

* David Bedford – runner
* Cath Bishop – rower, silver medallist in the coxless pairs at the 2004 Olympics
* James Cracknell – rower, gold medallist in the coxless fours at the 2000 Olympics and 2004 Olympics
* Adrian Ellison - rower, gold medallist in the coxed four at the 1984 Olympics
* Debbie Flood – rower, silver medallist in the quadruple sculls at the 2004 Olympics
* Alex Gregory - rower, gold medallist in the coxless fours at the 2012 Olympics
* Garry Herbert – rower, gold medallist in the coxed pairs at the 1992 Olympics
* Molly Hide – cricketer, captained the English women's team for seventeen years
* Will Hoy – racing driver, British Touring Car Champion in 1991
* Bill Lucas - rower
* Anna Watkins – rower, gold medallist in the double sculls at the 2012 Olympics

## Writing and art

* Steven Atkinson – theatre director, and artistic director of HighTide Festival Theatre
* Anne Bean – installation and performance artist
* Audrey Blackman - sculptor, potter
* Jane Carpanini – artist
* Vincent Connare – creator of Comic Sans
* Jeff Evans – beer writer
* Cherryl Fountain artist
* Robert Gillmor – ornithologist, artist, illustrator, author and editor
* Elizabeth Goudge - Carnegie Medal winning novelist
* Kathleen Hale – artist and children's author, the Orlando the Marmalade Cat series
* Ingrid Kerma - European Artist
* Robin Kinross - writer
* Myfanwy Kitchin – artist
* Alan Morrison - poet
* Mike Nelson – installation artist
* Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor Award winning Kenyan writer of Luo Nationality
* Kusha Petts – artist and writer
* Joan Smith – novelist and journalist
* Hilary Summers Welsh singer
* David Watkins – designer of the London 2012 Olympics medals
* Richard Wilson – installation artist

## Others

* Lorna Arnold - British historian
* Eve Balfour – farmer, educator, organic farming pioneer, and a founding figure in the organic movement
* Robin Bextor – film and television director, father of Sophie Ellis-Bextor
* Pippa Greenwood - TV plant pathologist
* Bunny Guinness - landscape architect
* Azahari Husin – leading member of the Jemaah Islamiyah group, believed to have been involved in the 2002 and 2005 Bali bombings
* Clive Ponting – civil servant who faced trial for the leaking of information on the sinking of the Belgrano, during the Falklands War
* John Tabatabai – professional poker player
* Wei Tang – actress, Ang Lee's Lust, Caution
* Ibrahim Taguri - British community worker
* Rachel Treweek – Bishop of Gloucester; the first female diocesan bishop in the Church of England, and first female Lord Spiritual
* Carl Wright - civil servant former director of the Commonwealth Trade Union Group and Secretary-General of the Commonwealth Local Government Forum