List of University of Edinburgh people

Last updated

This is a list of notable graduates as well as non-graduate former students, academic staff, and university officials of the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. It also includes those who may be considered alumni by extension, having studied at institutions that later merged with the University of Edinburgh. The university is associated with 19 Nobel Prize laureates, three Turing Award winners, an Abel Prize laureate and Fields Medallist, four Pulitzer Prize winners, three Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom, and several Olympic gold medallists.

Contents

Government and politics

Heads of state and government

Gordon Brown, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Gordon Brown Davos 2008 low-key background.jpg
Gordon Brown, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
John Russell, 1st Earl Russell, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom John Russell, 1st Earl Russell by Lowes Cato Dickinson detail.jpg
John Russell, 1st Earl Russell, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Henry Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston by John Partridge.jpg
Henry Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
LeaderState/GovernmentOffice
Hastings Banda [1] [2] Flag of Malawi.svg  Malawi Prime Minister (1964–1966), President (1966–1994)
Sir Robert Black [3] Flag of Singapore (1946-1952).svg Colony of Singapore Governor (1955–1957)
Flag of Hong Kong 1959.svg  British Hong Kong Governor (1958–1964)
Sir Thomas Brisbane [4] Flag of New South Wales.svg  New South Wales Governor (1821–1825)
Gordon Brown [5] Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom Prime Minister (2007–2010)
Chang Taek-sang (張澤相) [6] Flag of South Korea (1949-1984).svg  South Korea Prime Minister (1952)
John Crawfurd [7] Flag of the British East India Company (1801).svg Colonial Singapore Resident (1823–1826)
Sir Gilbert Elliott [8] Flag of Corsica.svg Anglo-Corsican Kingdom Viceroy (1793–1796)
Flag of the British East India Company (1801).svg British India Governor-General (1807–1813)
Sir Dawda Jawara [9] Flag of The Gambia (1889-1965).svg Gambia Colony and Protectorate Prime Minister (1962–1965)
Flag of The Gambia.svg The Gambia Prime Minister (1965–1970), President (1970–1994)
Yusuf Lule [10] Flag of Uganda.svg  Uganda President (1979)
Fawzi Mulki [11] Flag of Jordan.svg  Jordan Prime Minister (1953-1954)
Lord Dunrossil [12] Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia Governor-General (1960-1961)
Daniel Chanis Pinzón [13] Flag of Panama.svg  Panama President (1949)
Julius Nyerere [14] [15] Flag of Tanganyika (1961-1964).svg  Tanganyika Chief Minister (1960-1961), Prime Minister (1961-1962), President (1962-1964)
Flag of Tanzania.svg  Tanzania President (1964–1985)
Paul Reeves [16] Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand Governor-General (1985-1990)
Lord John Russell [17] Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom Prime Minister (1846–1852; 1865–1866)
Lord Palmerston [18] Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom Prime Minister (1855–1858; 1859–1865)
Sir Charles Tupper [19] Flag of Canada (1896).svg Canada Prime Minister (1896)
William Walker Flag of Nicaragua under William Walker (1856-1857).svg Nicaragua President (1856–1857)
Yun Posun (尹潽善) [20] Flag of South Korea (1949-1984).svg  South Korea President (1960–1962)

United Kingdom

Cabinet and Party Leaders

Amber Rudd, Home Secretary Official portrait of Amber Rudd crop 2.jpg
Amber Rudd, Home Secretary
David Steel, Leader of the Liberal Democrats Official portrait of The Lord Steel of Aikwood.jpg
David Steel, Leader of the Liberal Democrats

Scottish Cabinet and Party Leaders

Kate Forbes, Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy Kateforbescropped.jpg
Kate Forbes, Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy
John Swinney, Deputy First Minister of Scotland John Swinney.png
John Swinney, Deputy First Minister of Scotland

Current Members of the House of Commons

Current Members of the House of Lords

Current Members of the Scottish Parliament

United States

Ash Carter, United States Secretary of Defense Ash Carter DOD Secretary Portrait.jpg
Ash Carter, United States Secretary of Defense
Robert J. Faucher, Assistant Secretary of State for Conflict and Stabilization Operations Rob-Faucher.jpeg
Robert J. Faucher, Assistant Secretary of State for Conflict and Stabilization Operations

Africa

Asia

Canada

Christy Clark, Premier of British Columbia Christy Clark at the India Economic Summit 2011.jpg
Christy Clark, Premier of British Columbia

Caribbean

Europe

Gerhard Schroder (CDU), West German Foreign Minister and Defence Minister Bundesarchiv B 145 Bild-F038041-0033, Wiesbaden, CDU-Parteitag, Schroder.jpg
Gerhard Schröder (CDU), West German Foreign Minister and Defence Minister

Middle East

Oceania

Sir Michael Cullen, Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand Michael Cullen, 2008.jpg
Sir Michael Cullen, Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand

Royalty

Judges and lawyers

Military

Officers

James Francis Edward Keith, Generalfeldmarschall of the Prussian Army James Keith, by Belle 1724 (enhanced).jpg
James Francis Edward Keith, Generalfeldmarschall of the Prussian Army
Lord Cochrane, Admiral of the Red Lord Cochrane, by James Ramsay.jpg
Lord Cochrane, Admiral of the Red
Sharon Nesmith, Deputy Chief of the General Staff Sharon Nesmith (cropped).jpg
Sharon Nesmith, Deputy Chief of the General Staff

Soldiers

William Brydon Remnants of an army2.jpg
William Brydon

Victoria Cross and George Cross Recipients

Recipients of the Victoria Cross:

Recipients of the George Cross:

Natural sciences, engineering and medicine

Astronomy

Chemistry

Joseph Black Professor-joseph-black-1728-1799-chemist.jpg
Joseph Black
Sir James Dewar James Dewar.jpg
Sir James Dewar

Geology

Sir Roderick Murchison Jgs2021-037.01.jpg
Sir Roderick Murchison

Computer Science and Informatics

Senior Academic Staff

Christopher Bishop Chris Bishop June 2015 Image 3 - SMALLER.jpg
Christopher Bishop

Former Staff and Alumni

Geoffrey Hinton Geoffrey Hinton - Collision 2023 - Centre Stage RCZ 1307 (cropped).jpg
Geoffrey Hinton
Robert Kowalski Robert Kowalski.jpg
Robert Kowalski

Engineering

Alexander Graham Bell Alexander Graham Bell.jpg
Alexander Graham Bell

Mathematics and Physics

James Clerk Maxwell James Clerk Maxwell.png
James Clerk Maxwell
Max Born Max Born.jpg
Max Born

Medicine and biology

Charles Darwin Charles Darwin 01.jpg
Charles Darwin
Joseph Lister Lister Joseph.jpg
Joseph Lister
Robert Liston Portrait of Robert liston when a student. Wellcome M0005604.jpg
Robert Liston
May-Britt Moser May-Britt Moser 01.jpg
May-Britt Moser

Social sciences, arts and business

Pulitzer Prize

Architecture

Robert Adam Robert-adam.jpg
Robert Adam

Business

John Boyd Dunlop John Boyd Dunlop (c1915) (cropped).jpg
John Boyd Dunlop
Tony Hayward Tony Hayward - World Economic Forum on the Middle East 2008.jpg
Tony Hayward
Susie Wolff SusieStoddart2009.JPG
Susie Wolff

Economics

Sir James Mirrlees Sir James Mirrlees.jpg
Sir James Mirrlees

Literature

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, 1859-1930 LCCN2002706307.jpg
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Robert Louis Stevenson Robert Louis Stevenson in Cassell's Universal Portrait Gallery.jpg
Robert Louis Stevenson

Media and the arts

Laura Kuenssberg Laura Kuenssberg and Rachel Reeves MP.jpg
Laura Kuenssberg
Sir David Wilkie Sir David Wilkie self portrait.jpg
Sir David Wilkie

Music

Max Richter Max Richter - 2015 - ATP Festival (cropped).png
Max Richter
Sir James MacMillan James MacMillan at Meet the Composers 2012, headshot.jpg
Sir James MacMillan

History, philosophy, sociology and theology

David Hume David Hume Ramsay.jpg
David Hume
Sir Patrick Geddes Patrick Geddes (cropped).jpg
Sir Patrick Geddes
V. Gordon Childe Gordon Childe.jpg
V. Gordon Childe

Others

Sports

Sir Chris Hoy Sir Chris Hoy.jpg
Sir Chris Hoy

Miscellaneous

Piers Sellers Astronaut Piers J. Sellers, STS-112 (27368406363).jpg
Piers Sellers

University officials

Sir Edward Appleton, Nobel Laureate in Physics in 1947 for his discoveries of the Ionosphere, was Principal from 1949 to 1965. Appleton.jpg
Sir Edward Appleton, Nobel Laureate in Physics in 1947 for his discoveries of the Ionosphere, was Principal from 1949 to 1965.

See also

Notes

    1. Edward was taught by professor Lyon Playfair and others at Edinburgh during 1859. Although he attended courses, he never formally matriculated as a student.
    2. Rowling attended the Moray House School of Education in 1995, before it merged with the university in 1998.

    References

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