List of University of Birmingham alumni
This is a list of notable alumni related to the University of Birmingham and its predecessors, Mason Science College and Queen's College, Birmingham. Excluded from this list are those people whose only connection with Birmingham University is that they were awarded an honorary degree.
Heads of state and government
| State | Leader | Office |
| ' | Kenny Anthony | Prime Minister of St. Lucia, 1997–2006, 2011– |
| ' | Stanley Baldwin | Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, 1923–24, 1924–29, 1935–1937 |
| ' | Joe Bossano | Chief Minister of Gibraltar, 1988–96 |
| ' | Neville Chamberlain | Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, 1937–1940 |
| Perry Christie | Prime Minister of the Bahamas, 2005–07, 2012– |
Nobel Prize recipients
| Name | Year | Prize | Affiliation | Reference |
| Francis William Aston | 1922 | Nobel Prize in Chemistry | BSc in Applied/Pure Science, 1910; DSc in Applied/Pure Science, 1914 | |
| Maurice Wilkins | 1962 | Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine | PhD in Physics, 1940 | |
| Sir John Vane | 1982 | Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine | BSc in Chemistry, 1947 | |
| Sir Paul Nurse | 2001 | Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine | BSc in Biology, 1970 |
In addition, soil scientist Peter Bullock contributed to the reports of the IPCC, which was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007
Academics
Agriculture
- Chris Pollock, Chief Scientific Adviser to the Welsh Assembly Government 2007-08
- Christopher Wathes, Chairman of the Farm Animal Welfare Council, awarded the Research Medal of the Royal Agricultural Society of England
Biology
Chemistry
Computer science, mathematics and statistics
- Julian Besag, statistician, recipient of the Guy Medal in Silver
- Mike Cowlishaw, computer scientist
- Peter McCullagh, statistician, recipient of the Guy Medal in Bronze and in Silver, and the inaugural Karl Pearson Prize
- Mary Lee Woods, mathematician and computer programmer
- Mike Worboys, mathematician and computer scientist
Cultural studies
- Paul Gilroy, sociologist and cultural theorist
- Stuart Hall, cultural theorist
- Lawrence Grossberg, cultural studies theorist
- Paul Willis, sociologist and cultural theorist
- Angela McRobbie, media studies scholar and cultural theorist
Economics
- David Bailey, economist
- Michael Beesley, industrial economist
- David Blanchflower, labour economist
- Julian Cooper, specialist in Russian economic matters
- Milton Ezrati, economist
- Homa Katouzian, economist, historian, political scientist and literary critic, with a special interest in Iranian studies
- Alan Williams, health economist
Education
- John Omoniyi Abiri, Nigerian academic, dean of the Faculty of Education University of Ilorin
- Mel Ainscow, Professor of Education at the University of Manchester
- William Arbuckle Reid, British curriculum theorist
- Leaena Tambyah, social worker and founder of the first school for children with multiple disabilities in Singapore
Engineering
English
- David Lodge, novelist and literary critic
- Lorna Sage, English academic, author and literary critic
- F. P. Wilson, literary scholar and bibliographer
Geography
- John Brian Harley, geographer and map historian
- Geoffrey J.D. Hewings, geographer
- Terry Slater, Reader in Historical Geography
- Michael John Wise, Emeritus Professor of Geography, University of London
Geology
- Rob Larter, Marine Geolophysicist, British Antarctic Survey, awarded the Polar Medal
- Li Siguang, father of geomechanics in China
- Frank H. T. Rhodes, geologist, President of Cornell University from 1977 to 1995
- Ethel Shakespear, geologist
- Gordon Warwick, geomorphologist and speleologist
- Harry B. Whittington, palaeontologist who made a major contribution to the study of fossils of the Burgess Shale and other Cambrian fauna
- Leonard Johnston Wills, British geologist, recipient of the Wollaston Medal of the Geological Society of London in 1954
History
Humanities, management and social sciences
- Akbar S. Ahmed, anthropologist; Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies, American University, Washington, DC
- Shahram Akbarzadeh, professor of International Relations, East European Studies and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Melbourne
- Paul Crawford, academic, author and broadcaster; professor of Health Humanities at the University of Nottingham
- John Ellis, media academic
- Sir John Hills, professor of Social Policy at the London School of Economics; director of the ESRC Research Centre for the Analysis of Social Exclusion
- Stephen Hinton, Avalon Foundation Professor in the Humanities at Stanford University
- Alan Kennedy, Professor of Psychology from 1972–2006 at the University of Dundee
- Vincent Watts, management consultant, Vice-Chancellor of the University of East Anglia
- Ian Wilson, Canadian linguist
Medicine and dentistry
Philosophy
- John Lewis, philosopher
- Bernard Mayo, English philosopher
Physics
Political science
- Stephen Gill, political scientist
- Philip Gummett, Chief Executive at the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales, Pro Vice-Chancellor, Director of the PREST institute, and Professor of Government and Technology Policy at Manchester University
- Richard Sakwa, Russian and European political scientist
Theology
- Robert Beckford, theologian and film-maker
- William Lane Craig, philosopher and Christian apologist
- Gavin D'Costa, Professor of Theology at the University of Bristol
- Lynn de Silva, Sri Lankan theologian, former director of the Ecumenical Institute for Study and Dialogue, Methodist minister
- James Haire, Director of the Public and Contextual Theology Research Centre at Charles Sturt University in Canberra
- James Holt, Mormon scholar
- John M. Hull, Emeritus Professor of Religious Education at the University of Birmingham
- J. Spencer Trimingham, Islam scholar
Zoology
- Minnie Abercrombie, zoologist
- Leslie Brent, immunologist and zoologist
- Desmond Morris, zoologist, author and TV presenter
- Karl Shuker, zoologist and cryptozoologist
Actors, comedians and directors
Armed forces
- Chua Chwee Koh, Brigadier-General Singapore Armed Forces
- Peter Gray, Air Commodore and military historian
- Alan Hawley, Major General, Director General of the Army Medical Services 2006-09
- Sir Mike Jackson, former Chief of the General Staff, the most senior officer in the British Army
- Adrian Nance, Commodore of Royal Navy Maritime Warfare School based in HMS Collingwood, commanding officer of HMS Ark Royal
- David Tinker, Royal Navy supply officer, killed in action, shortly before the end of the Falklands War, when HMS Glamorgan was hit by an Exocet missile
Authors and writers
Business and entrepreneurship
Charities and NGOs
- H. J. Blackham, first president and co-founder of the British Humanist Association
- Ian Bruce, academic, vice-president of the Royal National Institute of Blind People, founder and president of the Centre for Charity Effectiveness at Cass Business School
- Hany El-Banna, founder of Islamic Relief
- Monica Fletcher, Chief Executive of Education for Health
- George Hosking, founder of the WAVE Trust
- Jane Slowey, Chief Executive of The Foyer Federation
- Sir Nick Young, Chief Executive of the British Red Cross, Chief Executive of Macmillan Cancer Relief
Engineers
Healthcare
Lawyers and judges
Media and journalism
Musicians
Politics and government
United Kingdom
Africa
Asia
The Caribbean
- John Delaney, Attorney-General and Minister of Legal Affairs of The Bahamas
- Harold Lovell, Minister of Finance, the Economy and Public Administration Antigua and Barbuda
- Alvina Reynolds, Saint Lucian minister for Health, Wellness, Human Services and Gender Relations
Europe
- Sven Giegold, Green Party MEP
- David Hallam Labour Party MEP
Middle East
- Lucien Dahdah, Lebanese foreign minister, 1975
- Abdulaziz bin Mohieddin Khoja, Information and Culture Minister of Saudi Arabia 2009-14
Oceania
- Gerry Bates, member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly
- Michael Johnson, member of the Australian House of Representatives
- ʻAna Taufeʻulungaki, Tongan minister
International organisations and ambassadors
Religion
Royalty
- Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, Lesotho High Commissioner to the United Kingdom
- Prince Manucher Mirza Farman Farmaian, sixth son of Prince Abdol Hossein Mirza Farmanfarma and of Batoul Khanoum, Iran
Sport