List of University of Birmingham academics

This is a list of notable academics related to the University of Birmingham and its predecessors, Mason Science College and Queen's College, Birmingham. This page includes those who work or have worked as lecturers, readers, professors, fellows, and researchers at Birmingham University. Administrators are included only in exceptional cases. Those who are/were academics of the university as well as alumni are included on the list of University of Birmingham alumni.

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by expanding it with reliably sourced entries.

Nobel Prize recipients

Nobel Prize winner Sir Norman Haworth

Nobel Prize winner Sir Peter Medawar

Nobel Prize winner John Robert Schrieffer

Sir Marcus Oliphant

Name	Year	Prize	Affiliation	Reference
Robert Cecil, 1st Viscount Cecil of Chelwood	1937	Nobel Peace Prize	University Chancellor, 1918–1944	[1]
Sir Norman Haworth	1937	Nobel Prize in Chemistry	Professor, 1925–1948	[2]
Sir Peter Medawar	1960	Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine	Professor of Zoology, 1947–51	[3][4]
John Robert Schrieffer	1972	Nobel Prize in Physics	NSF Fellow at Birmingham University, 1957	[5]

Science, engineering and medicine

Biology

• Rupert E. Billingham, former Chair in Zoology
• John Berry Haycraft, professor in Physiology at Mason Science College, discovered an anticoagulant created by the leech, which he named hirudin
• Lancelot Hogben, Professor of Zoology (1941–1947) and Professor of Medical Statistics (1947–1961)
• Sir Kenneth Mather, Professor of Genetics (1948), recipient of the 1964 Darwin Medal, later Vice Chancellor of the University of Southampton
• Bryan M. Turner, Professor of Experimental Genetics^[6][7]
• Horace Waring, zoologist, head of the department of zoology (1946–1948) and recipient of the 1962 Clarke Medal of the Royal Society of New South Wales^[8]
• William Brunsdon Yapp, zoologist and author
• Solly Zuckerman, Baron Zuckerman, Professor of Anatomy (1946–1968) and chief scientific adviser to the British government (1964-1971)

Chemistry

• Leroy (Lee) Cronin, chemist, Regius Chair of Chemistry at the University of Glasgow
• Percy F. Frankland, chemist
• Sir Fraser Stoddart, chemist, researcher in supramolecular chemistry and nanotechnology, Professor of Chemistry (1990–1997)
• Sir William A. Tilden, Professor of Chemistry (1880–1894)

Engineering and computing

• Adrian John Brown, Professor of Malting and Brewing (1900–1928)
• Lord Cadman, mining engineer and petroleum technologist
• John Knott, Professor of Metallurgy and Materials, recipient of the 2005 Leverhulme Medal
• Sir Richard Redmayne, professor of mining 1902-08, first Chief Inspector of Mines
• Aaron Sloman, former Chair in Artificial Intelligence and Cognitive Science
• Thomas Turner, metallurgist
• Arnold Tustin, Professor of Engineering (1947–1955)^[9]

Geology

• Charles Lapworth, the first Professor of Geology at Mason Science College^[10]
• Sir Raymond Priestley, geologist, early Antarctic explorer, and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Birmingham
• Frederick William Shotton, geologist whose research into the geological makeup of Normandy beaches helped allied commanders decide which were the best to use on D-Day
• William Whitehead Watts, geologist
• Sir Alwyn Williams, geologist, Professor of Geology (1974–1976)^[11]

Mathematics and statistics

• Jonathan Bennett, Professor of Mathematics, recipient of the 2011 Whitehead Prize of the London Mathematical Society^[12]
• Henry Daniels, statistician, the first professor of mathematical statistics (1957–1978), recipient of the Guy Medal in Gold in 1984^[13]
• Micaiah John Muller Hill, English mathematician, known for Hill's spherical vortex and Hill's tetrahedra
• Daniela Kühn, Mason Professor of Mathematics, recipient of the 2003 European Prize in Combinatorics and the 2014 Whitehead Prize of the London Mathematical Society^[14]
• Deryk Osthus, Professor in Graph Theory, recipient of the 2003 European Prize in Combinatorics and the 2014 Whitehead Prize of the London Mathematical Society^[15]
• Bill Parry, mathematician, lectureship at the university (1960–1965)^[16]
• Daniel Pedoe, mathematician, Professor of Mathematics (1942–1946)
• G. N. Watson, Professor of Mathematics from 1918 to 1951, recipient of the 1946 Sylvester Medal

Medicine

• Sir Melville Arnott, former William Withering Chair in Medicine
• George Augustus Auden, former School Medical Officer and Lecturer in Public Health
• Ian Brockington, British psychiatrist
• William Sands Cox, surgeon and the founder of Queen's College, Birmingham
• Lord Ilkeston, physician
• Ian Calman Muir MacLennan, Professor of Immunology^[17][18]
• Dion Morton, Professor of Surgery
• Kenneth Walton, experimental pathologist and rheumatologist, former Professor of Experimental Pathology^[19]
• Sir Bertram Windle, Dean of the Medical School

Physics

• Freeman Dyson, physicist, teaching fellow (1949–1951)^[20]
• Yvonne Elsworth, Professor of Helioseismology and Poynting Professor of Physics^[6]
• Klaus Fuchs, theoretical physicist and atomic spy
• Sir Leonard Huxley, physicist
• John M. Kosterlitz, Research Fellow in high energy physics, 1970-1973; lecturer, 1974-1982; recipient of the 2000 Lars Onsager Prize^[21]
• Philip Burton Moon, former Professor of Physics, recipient of the 1991 Hughes Medal^[22]
• Sir Marcus Oliphant, Poynting Professor of Physics (1937–1950)^[23]
• Sir Rudolf Peierls, Professor of Mathematical Physics (1937–1943; 1945–1963), recipient of the 1986 Copley Medal^[24]
• John Henry Poynting, former Professor of Physics, recipient of the 1893 Adams Prize and the 1905 Royal Medal
• Sir John Randall, Royal Society fellow (1937–1943), worked on the cavity magnetron valve, recipient of the 1946 Hughes Medal
• James Sayers, physicist who played a crucial role in developing centimetric radar
• Tony Skyrme, former research fellow, recipient of the 1985 Hughes Medal^[25]
• David J. Thouless, Professor of Mathematical Physics from 1965 to 1978, recipient of the 2000 Lars Onsager Prize^[26]
• William Frank Vinen, Professor of Physics, recipient of the 1980 Rumford Medal^[27]

Humanities, management and social sciences

Sir Willim Ashley

Sir Edward Elgar

Lord King

Anthony Burgess

Sir Nikolaus Pevsner

• Edward Arber, academic and writer
• Sir William James Ashley, first Dean and the founder of the Birmingham Business School
• Sir Granville Bantock, Peyton Professor of Music, conductor and composer, co-founded City of Birmingham Orchestra 1920
• Sir Charles Raymond Beazley, Professor of History
• Mark Beeson, Head of the Department of Political Science and International Studies
• Sir Nathan Bodington, Professor of classics
• Lord Borrie, English lawyer, Labour Party life peer, law professor at Birmingham University
• Stewart Brown, Reader in African Literature and Director of the Centre of West African Studies
• Anthony Burgess, British novelist who taught in the extramural department (1946–50)
• Peter Burnham, Professor of Political Science and International Studies
• John Churton Collins, former Professor of English Literature
• Reginald Cline-Cole, Senior Lecturer at the Centre of West African Studies
• Thomas Diez, Professor of International Relations Theory
• E. R. Dodds, Professor of Greek (1924–1936)
• Sir Michael Dummett, philosopher
• David Edgar, Professor of Playwrighting Studies
• Sir Edward Elgar, Professor of Music, composer
• John Fage, former Professor of African History, founder of Birmingham's Centre for West African Studies
• Hermann Georg Fiedler, German scholar
• David F. Ford, lecturer and senior lecturer of theology, 1976–1991^[28]
• Frank Hahn, lecturer in economics 1948-1960^[29]
• Stuart Hall, former Director of the Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies
• Sir Keith Hancock, Australian historian
• William Haywood, Special Lecturer in Town Planning, architect and founder of the Birmingham Civic Society
• John Hick, emeritus H.G. Wood Professor of Theology
• Rodney Hilton, former Professor of Medieval History
• Richard Hoggart, founder of the Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies and former Assistant Director-General of UNESCO
• A. G. Hopkins, historian
• Bill Hopkins, taught music at the University
• Mervyn King, Baron King of Lothbury, former professor in the Faculty of Commerce and Governor of the Bank of England
• Carenza Lewis, archaeologist
• Jerzy Lukowski, Historian
• Sir Michael Lyons, Professor of Public Policy from 2001 to 2006
• Louis MacNeice, poet and playwright, lecturer in classics (1930–1936)^[30]
• Anand Menon, Professor of West European Politics and Director of the European Research Institute
• John Henry Muirhead, philosopher
• Allardyce Nicoll, Head of the English Department and founding director of the Shakespeare Institute
• Ronen Palan, Professor of International Political Economy
• Maureen Perrie, Professor Emeritus in Russian History
• Sir Nikolaus Pevsner, art historian who held a research post at the university for a number of years
• Owen Hood Phillips, Barber Professor of Jurisprudence, Dean of the Faculty of Law, Vice-Principal and Pro-Vice-Chancellor
• Philip Rahtz, British archaeologist
• Brinley Rees, lecturer in Classics (1970–1975)
• Sir Francis Richards, Director, Centre for Studies in Security and Diplomacy, former de facto Head of State of Gibraltar
• Alan S. C. Ross, Professor of English Language (1948–1951) and Professor of Linguistics (1951–1974)
• Ernest de Sélincourt, literary scholar and critic
• John McHardy Sinclair, Professor of Modern English Language, founder of the COBUILD project
• Ninian Smart, former Professor of Religious Studies
• Edward Adolf Sonnenschein, classical scholar and writer on Latin grammar and verse
• Colin Thain, Professor of Political Science
• Sir Alan Walters, Professor of Econometrics and Statistics (1951–1968) and Chief Economic Adviser to the former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher^[31]
• Sir Ellis Waterhouse, Barber Professor of Fine Art (1952–1970)
• Stanley Wells, Emeritus Professor of Shakespeare Studies and former Director of the Shakespeare Institute
• Tony Wright, lecturer in politics, 1975-1992, before being elected Labour Member of Parliament for Cannock and Burntwood
• Gordon Warwick, Reader in Geomorphology

See also

• List of University of Birmingham people
• List of University of Birmingham alumni

References

1. "Lord Robert Cecil". University of Birmingham. Retrieved 2012-12-14.
2. "Sir Norman Haworth". Birmingham University. Retrieved 2012-12-14.
3. "Sir Peter Medawar". Birmingham University. Retrieved 2012-12-14.
4. "Peter Medawar - Biographical". Nobelprize.org. The Nobel Foundation. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
5. "J. Robert Schrieffer". The American Institute of Physics. Retrieved 23 August 2013.
6. "Two University of Birmingham scientists elected Royal Society Fellows". Birmingham University. 1 May 2015. Retrieved 4 May 2015.
7. "Professor Bryan Turner FMedSci FRS". The Royal Society. Retrieved 4 May 2015.
8. Main, A. R. "Waring, Horace (1910–1980)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
9. Curzon, L. B. (18 February 1994). "Obituary: Professor Arnold Tustin". The Independent. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
10. "Professor Charles Lapworth LL D FRS". University of Birmingham. Retrieved 17 October 2013.
11. Brunton, Howard (23 April 2004). "Obituary: Sir Alwyn Williams". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 November 2014.
12. "London Mathematical Society Prizes 2011" (PDF). London Mathematical Society. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
13. Whittle, Peter (4 May 2000). "Obituary: Henry Daniels". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
14. "Daniela Kühn:Short CV". Birmingham University. Retrieved 7 August 2014.
15. "Deryk Osthus: Short CV". Birmingham University. Retrieved 7 August 2014.
16. Epstein, David; Pollicott, Mark (13 October 2006). "Obituary: Bill Parry". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
17. "University of Birmingham immunologist made Fellow of the Royal Society". Birmingham University. Retrieved 4 May 2015.
18. "Professor Ian Calman Muir MacLennan CBE FMedSci FRS". The Royal Society. 23 April 2012. Retrieved 4 May 2015.
19. "Obituary: Prof. Kenneth W. W. Walton". Published by Oxford University Press. 2008. Retrieved 2009-01-07.
20. "Freeman Dyson". The American Institute of Physics. Retrieved 23 August 2013.
21. "2000 Lars Onsager Prize Recipient: John Michael Kosterlitz". American Physical Society. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
22. Isaak, George (19 October 1994). "Obituary: Professor P. B. Moon". The Independent. Retrieved 3 February 2016.
23. "Oliphant, Marcus Laurence Elwin (1901 - 2000)". Encyclopedia of Australian Science. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
24. Lee, S. (2007). "Rudolf Ernst Peierls. 5 June 1907 -- 19 September 1995: Elected FRS 1945". Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society 53: 265. doi:10.1098/rsbm.2007.0003.
25. Briain, Dara O. (2014). Parc, Sam, ed. 50 Visions of Mathematics. OUP Oxford. pp. 39–40. ISBN 0198701810.
26. "2000 Lars Onsager Prize Recipient: David James Thouless". American Physical Society. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
27. "Professor W F Vinen". Birmingham University. Retrieved 3 February 2016.
28. "David Ford Profile". University of Cambridge. 2010. Retrieved 23 May 2011.
29. "Obituary: Professor Frank Hahn". The Telegraph. 28 March 2013. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
30. "Louis MacNeice". Poetry Foundation. Retrieved 20 December 2014.
31. "Obituary: Sir Alan Walters". The Daily Telegraph (London). 5 January 2009. Retrieved 19 July 2014.