List of University of Leicester people

This list of University of Leicester people is a selected list of notable past staff and students of the University of Leicester.

Chancellors

 * Edgar Adrian, 1st Baron Adrian (1957–1971)
 * Alan Lloyd Hodgkin (1971–1984)
 * Sir George Porter (1984–1995)
 * Sir Michael Atiyah (1995–2005)
 * Sir Peter Williams (2005–2010)
 * Bruce Grocott, Baron Grocott (2013–2018)
 * David Willetts, Baron Willetts (2018–2023)
 * Dame Maggie Aderin-Pocock (2023–)

Vice-Chancellors

 * Charles Wilson (1957–1961)
 * Fraser Noble (1962–1976)
 * Maurice Shock (1977–1987)
 * Kenneth Edwards (1987–1999)
 * Robert Burgess (1999–2014)
 * Paul Boyle (2014–2019)
 * Nishan Canagarajah (from November 2019)

Notable academics

 * Khurshid Ahmad, Islamic scholar
 * Chris Allen, British sociologist and associate professor at the Centre for Hate Studies at the University of Leicester
 * Penelope Allison, Professor of Archaeology
 * Lyman Andrews, American Studies
 * Isobel Armstrong, scholar of nineteenth-century poetry and women's writing
 * Graeme Barker, Disney Professor of Archaeology, University of Cambridge
 * Martin Barstow, astronomer and former President of the Royal Astronomical Society
 * Andrew Blain, astronomer
 * Richard Bonney, historian
 * Alan Bryman, social scientist
 * Grace Burrows, violinist and orchestra conductor
 * Neil Christie, Reader in Archaeology
 * Nicholas T. Clerk, Ghanaian academic, public administrator and Presbyterian minister
 * John Coffey, Professor of Early Modern history.
 * Heather Couper, astronomer and television presenter
 * Rosemary Crompton, sociologist
 * Nicholas J. Cull, US historian
 * Panicos Demetriades, economist and Governor of the Central Bank of Cyprus
 * Gabriel Dover, geneticist
 * Eric Dunning, sports sociologist
 * Christopher Dyer, medieval historian
 * Colin Eaborn FRS, chemist
 * Norbert Elias, German sociologist
 * Brian J. Ford, scientist, visiting professor
 * G. S. Fraser, Scottish poet
 * Ali A. F. Al-Furaih, professor of geology
 * Anthony Giddens, prominent sociologist, taught social psychology at Leicester
 * Reuben Goodstein, mathematician, proponent of Goodstein's theorem
 * Cosmo Graham, Public law and Competition law specialist, member of the Competition Commission
 * Sarah Hainsworth, Professor of Materials and Forensic Engineering, involved in analysing the wounds on the skeleton of Richard III
 * Rosalind Hill, historian
 * Jeffrey A. Hoffman, NASA astronaut and physicist
 * Richard Hoggart, sociologist
 * W. G. Hoskins, (1931–1952) (1965–1968), local historian, author of The Making of the English Landscape
 * Norman Housley, crusading historian
 * Jeremy Howick, director of the Stoneygate Centre for Excellence in Empathic Healthcare and inaugural Professor of Empathic Healthcare
 * Arthur Humphreys, inaugural Professor of English and first Dean of the Faculty of Arts
 * Leonard Huxley, physicist
 * Suzanne Imber, planetary scientist and winner of the 2017 BBC Two television programme Astronauts, Do You Have What It Takes?
 * Sir Alec Jeffreys, geneticist, discoverer of genetic fingerprinting
 * Hans Kornberg, biochemist
 * Philip Larkin, librarian and poet
 * Loretta Lees, Urban Geographer
 * David Mattingly, Roman archaeologist
 * John McManners, former Head of History Dept., Regius Professor of History at the University of Oxford until retirement
 * Marilyn Palmer, archaeologist and landscape historian, Professor of Industrial Archaeology and Head of the School of Archaeology and Ancient History (2000–2006)
 * Ken Pounds, Emeritus Professor of Physics, discovered black holes were common in the universe
 * Charles Rees, organic chemist
 * Martin Rees, Baron Rees of Ludlow, the Astronomer Royal, visiting professor at Leicester
 * Adrian Henry Wardle Robinson, geographer and historian of maritime surveying
 * J.B. Schneewind, philosophy professor, Johns Hopkins University
 * Malcolm Shaw QC, The Sir Robert Jennings Professor of International Law, prominent international lawyer and jurist
 * Jack Simmons, Professor of History 1947–1975
 * Brian Simon, Professor of Education 1966–1980
 * Nial Tanvir, astronomer
 * Abraham Wasserstein, Professor of Classics 1960–1969 and Dean of the Faculty of Arts
 * Sami Zubaida, political scientist

Notable alumni
See also Alumni of the University of Leicester.

Public figures

 * Malik Zahoor Ahmad, Pakistan Minister of Information
 * Peter Atkins, physical chemist
 * Natalie Bennett, Former Leader of the Green Party of England and Wales
 * David Blanchflower, economist, Dartmouth College professor
 * Sir Malcolm Bradbury, author
 * Justin Chadwick, actor and director
 * Philip Campbell, editor-in-chief of Nature
 * Andy Carter - Conservative MP for Warrington South.
 * Michael Cordy, novelist
 * Liam Donaldson, Chief Medical Officer
 * Bruce Grocott, Baron Grocott, former MP, Captain of the Gentlemen-at-Arms
 * Phelan Hill, Team GB coxswain and Olympic bronze medalist
 * Baroness Howarth of Breckland, peer, on the board of CAFCASS
 * Atifete Jahjaga, President of Kosovo
 * Jinnwoo, British Folk Musician and Visual Artist
 * Graham Joyce, novelist
 * Jyrki Katainen, Prime Minister of Finland
 * Norman Lamb, MP
 * Martin Löb, Logician and proposer of Löb's theorem
 * Her Imperial Highness Princess Mako of Akishino
 * Pete McCarthy, writer, broadcaster, comedian
 * Sunshine Martyn, Reality television star
 * Bob Mortimer, comedian
 * Massimiliano Neri, fashion model
 * Michael Nicholson, journalist
 * Bob Parr MBE, multi Emmy Award-winning television producer and former Special Air Service soldier
 * David Perry, barrister
 * J. H. Plumb, historian of 18th-century Britain
 * Patrick Redmond, novelist
 * C. P. Snow, Physical Chemist, Director of the English Electric Company, Author, Life Peer
 * Mary Ann Steggles, Commonwealth Scholar from Canada, international expert on British sculpture exported to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia
 * Sir John Stevens, former Metropolitan Police Commissioner and former adviser on international security issues to Gordon Brown
 * John Sutherland, Guardian Columnist, Emeritus Professor of English Literature, University College London
 * Dr Benjamin Swift, Home Office Forensic Pathologist
 * Laurie Taylor, broadcaster, actor, sociologist
 * Philip Tew, professor of English (Post-1900 Literature), Brunel University, novelist
 * Steven Thiru, current president of Malaysian Bar
 * Jon Tickle, celebrity
 * Storm Thorgerson, artist
 * Tony Underwood, England rugby union international
 * Sir Alan Walters, economist and former Chief Economic Adviser to Margaret Thatcher, 1981–83 and 1989.
 * Andrew Waterman, poet
 * Quentin Willson, motoring journalist/expert and TV presenter
 * Bryan R. Wilson, Oxford sociologist
 * Ted Wragg, educationalist
 * Joy Belmonte (Master of Museum Studies),Filipino Politician, Mayor of Quezon City, Former Vice Mayor of Quezon City
 * Olatunbosun Tijani, Nigerian minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy
 * Vipul Mudgal, Journalist, Researcher and Activist