List of Ulster University people

This is a list of notable alumni and staff of Ulster University , and its predecessors, including the University of Ulster, New University of Ulster, Ulster Polytechnic, Belfast School of Art and Design and Magee College (asterisk * indicates deceased).

Academics

Notable academics who have had positions at the university include:

• Antony Alcock, historian and Ulster Unionist politician
• Walter Allen (1911–1995), Professor of English, novelist and literary critic
• John Anderson, head of the School of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering and co-founder of HeartSine® Technologies Inc. ^[1]
• Stephen William Boyd, Professor of Tourism
• Brice Dickson, former Professor of Law; first Chief Commissioner of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission
• John Loughlin, Emeritus Fellow, St Edmund's College, University of Cambridge
• Richard Lynn, former professor emeritus of psychology (title withdrawn)
• Declan McGonagle, Professor of Art; the only curator, to date, to be nominated for the Turner Prize (1987)
• Gerry McKenna, Dean of Science, Pro Vice Chancellor (Research), Vice Chancellor and President, University of Ulster; Senior Vice President, Royal Irish Academy
• Monica McWilliams, academic, peace activist, human rights defender and former politician
• Denis Moloney, lawyer
• Fabian Monds, BBC Governor with responsibility for Northern Ireland
• Brian Norton, president of Dublin Institute of Technology; solar energy technologist
• Kim L. O'Neill, professor of microbiology at Brigham Young University
• Neil Shawcross, artist and portrait painter
• James Simmons, poet
• Andrew Waterman, poet
• Robert Anthony Welch (1947–2014), literature, former dean of the faculty of arts

Notable alumni

Academics

• Alison Kitson, nurse and academic
• Simon Kitson, historian
• Pat Loughrey, warden of Goldsmiths, University of London
• Gerry McKenna; Dean of Science, Pro Vice Chancellor (Research), Vice Chancellor and President, University of Ulster; Senior Vice President, Royal Irish Academy
• Calum Neill, psychoanalyst
• Steve Nimmons, information technologist and industry commentator
• Terri Scott, first female president of Institute of Technology, Sligo (ITS)
• Ailsa A. Welch, nutritional epidemiologist ^[2]

Artists and photographers

• Arthur Armstrong (1924–1996), painter who worked in a Cubist style*
• Basil Blackshaw, artist, Royal Ulster Academy
• Doris Blair, artist
• Christine Borland, artist
• Muriel Brandt (1909-1981), painter of mural decorations, portraits and landscapes*
• John Byrne, performance and multimedia artist ^[3]
• Duncan Campbell, nominated for the 2014 Turner Prize; 2008 winner of the Bâloise Prize
• William Conor (1881-1968), Belfast-born artist*
• Jack Coulter, artist
• Colin Davidson, artist, Royal Ulster Academy
• Willie Doherty, visual artist, twice nominated for the Turner Prize
• Micky Donnelly, painter
• Rita Duffy, artist ^{[4] [5]}

Oliver Jeffers

• Mary Fitzpatrick, photographer
• Rowel Friers (1920-1998), cartoonist, illustrator, painter and lithographer*
• Maurice Harron, sculptor
• Seán Hillen, artist whose work includes collages and the creative use of photographs
• Oliver Jeffers, artist, designer, illustrator and writer
• John Kindness, artist
• John Long, artist, painter, lecturer, member of the Royal Hibernian Academy
• John Luke, artist
• Gladys Maccabe, artist
• Mary McIntyre, artist and academic
• Eva McKee, craftswomen and designer
• Frank McKelvey (1895–1974), painter from Belfast*
• Colin Middleton (1910–1983), artist and surrealist*
• Claire Morgan, sculptor and artist
• Albert Morrow (1863-1927), illustrator, poster designer and cartoonist*
• Conor Murphy, Sinn Féin MLA
• Martin Parr, British photographer and former President of Magnum Photo Agency*
• Susan Philipsz, Scottish artist, winner of the 2010 Turner Prize ^[6]
• Peter Richards, artist, curator and director of the Golden Thread Gallery in Belfast since 2002
• Markey Robinson (1918-1999), painter and sculptor*
• William Scott (1913–1989), artist*

Paul Seawright's Valley, taken in Afghanistan in 2002. Courtesy Imperial War Museum, London.

• Paul Seawright, official war artist
• Dermot Seymour, artist; member of Aosdána ^{[7] [8]}
• David Sherry, artist ^[9]
• Victor Sloan, artist
• Stephen Snoddy, gallery director
• Andre Stitt, artist, academic
• Cathy Wilkes, artist, 2008 Turner Prize nominee
• Ross Wilson, sculptor

Film and media

Omid Djalili, 2010 Tribeca TFF Shankbone

• Gerry Anderson, radio and television personality*
• Neil Brittain, television presenter and journalist, UTV
• Aidan Browne, television presenter; actor; senior lecturer in Performing Arts at the Belfast Metropolitan College
• Omid Djalili, comedian
• Stuart Graham, actor
• Martin O'Hagan (1950–2001), investigative journalist*
• Michael Riley, film producer and CEO of London-based production company Sterling Pictures
• Lalor Roddy, actor
• Caroline St John-Brooks (1947-2003), journalist and academic* ^[10]
• Arshad Sharif, investigative journalist and anchor person

Music

• Michael Alcorn, composer and current Director of the School of Music and Sonic Arts at Queen's University Belfast ^[11]
• David Holmes, DJ, musician and composer
• Brian Irvine, composer
• Gary Lightbody, singer, songwriter and frontman of Snow Patrol
• David Lyttle, musician, producer, songwriter, composer and record label owner ^[12]
• Pádraigín Ní Uallacháin, Traditional Irish singer-songwriter
• Ian Wilson, composer

Politicians

• Eileen Bell, former MLA for North Down;Former Deputy Leader of the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland
• Roberta Carol Blackman-Woods, Labour Party, MP for City of Durham since 2005
• Dominic Bradley, Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) MLA for Newry and Armagh
• Gregory Campbell, Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) MP for East Londonderry
• Gerry Carroll, People Before Profit (PBP) MLA for West Belfast
• John Dallat, SDLP, MLA and former Deputy Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly
• Mark Durkan, Former leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party; Former Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland
• Sean Farren, former SDLP MLA for North Antrim
• Michelle Gildernew, Sinn Féin, MP for Fermanagh and South Tyrone; former MLA and Minister of Agriculture Rural Development 2007-11 in the Northern Ireland Executive
• Paul Givan, DUP MLA for Lagan Valley since 2010; Former First Minister of Northern Ireland
• Kate Hoey, Labour Party, MP for Vauxhall
• Cecilia Keaveney, former Fianna Fáil politician; Teachta Dála (TD) for Donegal North-East, 1996-2007; Senator, 2007-2011
• Dolores Kelly, SDLP, MLA for Upper Bann since 2003; Deputy Leader of the SDLP since 2011
• Alban Maginness, SDLP, MP
• David McClarty, MLA, Independent Unionist; Former Deputy Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly
• Basil McCrea, leader of the Unionist Party NI21; member of the Northern Ireland Assembly
• Rebecca Ndjoze-Ojo, Namibian politician; SWAPO member of the National Assembly; Deputy Minister of Education since 2005
• Seán Neeson, former leader of the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland;Former member of the Northern Ireland Assembly
• Brian Ó Domhnaill, Fianna Fáil politician and member of Seanad Éireann since 2007 ^[13]
• Sandra Overend, Ulster Unionist Party MLA since 2011 for Mid. Ulster ^[14]
• Jennifer Whitmore, Social Democrats TD since 2020 for Wicklow ^[15]
• Sinéad Gibney, Social Democrats TD since 2024 for Dublin Rathdown ^[16]

Religion

• Reverend James Alexander Hamilton Irwin
• Reverend Roy Magee (1930–2009), Presbyterian minister

Sport

• Fionnuala Carr, camogie player
• Jonathan Magee, academic and former footballer
• Brian Robinson, former Irish rugby union international player ^[17]

Writers and poets

Anne Devlin

• Gerald Dawe, poet
• Anne Devlin, writer
• Colin Duriez, writer
• Brendan Hamill, poet and writer
• Brian Keenan, former hostage; writer
• Aodán Mac Póilin, writer
• Alastair McIntosh, Scottish writer, academic and activist
• Christina McKenna, author and painter
• Nigel McLoughlin, poet, editor and Professor of Creativity & Poetics at the University of Gloucestershire

Other

• Seán Gallagher, entrepreneur, businessman
• Barbara Gray, senior police officer
• Seán O'Connor, businessman and political activist
• Stephen Martin (BSc 1988), former CEO of the Clugston Group, director general of the Institute of Directors ^[18]
• Eileen O'Donnell, fashion model and pageant titleholder

Honorary alumni

• Wendy Austin, broadcaster ^[19]
• May Blood, Baroness Blood, community activist
• Paul Brady, musician, singer, songwriter ^[20]
• Amanda Burton, actor ^[21]
• Peter Canavan, Gaelic footballer ^[22]
• Bill Clinton, former President of the United States ^[23]
• Hillary Clinton, former US First Lady, former Secretary of State 2009-2013 ^[23]
• Evelyn Collins, Chief Executive, Equality Commission of Northern Ireland ^[24]
• Seamus Deane, writer
• Adrian Dunbar, actor ^[25]
• Joey Dunlop, motorcyclist* (awarded posthumously) ^[26]
• Robert Dunlop, motorcyclist* ^[26]
• Jonathan Edwards, Olympic gold medal winning and world record holding triple jumper ^[27]
• Enya, born Eithne Ní Bhraonáin, singer ^[28]
• Brian Friel, playwright* ^[21]
• Harry Gregg, footballer ^[29]
• Orla Guerin, journalist ^[30]
• Seamus Heaney, poet and Nobel Laureate* ^[21]
• John Hume, Nobel Peace prize co-recipient; former MP, MEP, MLA
• David Humphreys, Ulster and Ireland rugby union international ^[22]
• Dame Geraldine Keegan, educationalist ^[31]
• Brian Kerr, Baron Kerr of Tonaghmore, UK Supreme Court judge ^[24]
• Tommy Makem, folk musician, artist, poet and storyteller* ^[32]
• Inez McCormack, trade unionist and human rights activist* ^[33]
• Graeme McDowell, professional golfer
• Ewan McGregor, actor ^[21]
• Frank McGuinness, playwright
• Ian McKellen, actor ^[34]
• Van Morrison, singer-songwriter ^[35]
• Vincent O'Brien, racehorse trainer*
• Chris Patten, last Governor of Hong Kong and former MP ^[36]
• Stephen Rea, actor ^[37]
• Clare Short, MP ^[38]
• Aung San Suu Kyi, Nobel Peace laureate and Burmese pro-democracy leader (awarded in absentia) ^[39]
• Desmond Tutu, Nobel Laureate and Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town ^[40]
• Margaret Ward, activist for female equality ^[24]

References

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38. Archived June 12, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
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https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arshad_Sharif