Notable alumni of University of Reading

Wilfred Owen

soldier · 1893–1918

English poet and soldier (1893-1918)

Frauke Petry

choir director · b. 1975

German politician

Tang Wei

model · b. 1979

Chinese actress (born 1979)

Amina J. Mohammed

minister · b. 1961

Nigerian-British diplomat and Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations

Penny Mordaunt

politician · b. 1973

British politician (born 1973)

Stephen Baxter

science fiction writer · b. 1957

British writer

Jamie Cullum

jazz musician · b. 1979

English jazz singer and pianist

Michael Rosen

YouTuber · b. 1946

British children's author and poet (born 1946)

Stella Kyriakides

clinical psychologist · b. 1956

Cypriot politician

Arthur Brown

songwriter · b. 1942

English singer (born 1942)

Elisa Ferreira

economist · b. 1955

Portuguese politician

Edmund Rubbra

musicologist · 1901–1986

British composer (1901-1986)

Julian Baggini

philosopher · b. 1968

British philosopher, author and journalist (born 1968)

Avi Shlaim

political scientist · b. 1945

Israeli-British historian (born 1945)

Adrian Tchaikovsky

science fiction writer · b. 1972

British fantasy and science fiction author

Andy Mackay

oboist · b. 1946

British musician

Alex Gregory

rower · b. 1984

British rower

Nigerian physicist and academic

James Cracknell

ocean rower · b. 1972

British rower

South African author (1948–2025)

Cornelia Parker

installation artist · b. 1956

British artist (born 1956)

Peter Lovesey

short story writer · 1936–2025

British writer

Vasso Papandreou

economist · 1944–2024

Greek politician and economist (1944–2024)

English ichthyologist (1900–1993)

Nadia Al-Sakkaf

journalist · b. 1977

former government minister in Yemen; editor-in-chief of the Yemen Times

Agnes Atim Apea

social entrepreneur · b. 1975

Ugandan politician and social entrepreneur

Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor

novelist · b. 1968

Kenyan writer

Jan Kavan

essayist · b. 1946

Czech politician

Cath Bishop

rower · b. 1971

British rower

Falz

rapper · b. 1990

Nigerian rapper, songwriter, and actor

Sarah Darwin

botanist · b. 1964

British botanist

British film director, producer and screenwriter (1930–2014)

English rower

Sharon Bowles

politician · b. 1953

British politician (born 1953)

English author, journalist, broadcaster, magistrate, environmentalist, farmer, and government adviser

John Marshall

jazz musician · 1941–2023

British drummer (1941–2023)

Vincent Connare

designer · b. 1960

American typographer

Julian Barratt

film actor · b. 1968

British comedian and actor

Edison James

politician · b. 1943

Prime Minister of Dominica

British botanist (born 1960)

Rupert Lowe

politician · b. 1957

British right-wing politician

Klajda Gjosha

politician · b. 1983

Albanian politician

Ralph Percy, 12th Duke of Northumberland

land agent · b. 1956

English aristocrat, hereditary peer, and largely rural landowner (born 1956)

climatologist, atmospheric physics, meteorologist, environmentalist

British artist

Nigerian lawyer and business executive

Rachel Treweek

Anglican priest · b. 1963

Anglican bishop in England

British mycologist (1874-1955)

Fatima Akilu

psychologist

Nigerian psychologist and public speaker

Eve Balfour

crime fiction writer · 1898–1990

noblewoman; 20th-century organic farming pioneer

British geologist & academic

Joan Solà Cortassa

philologist · 1940–2010

Catalan linguist, philologist and professor (1940-2010)

Joan Smith

novelist · b. 1953

English novelist, journalist and human rights activist

Pakistani writer of novels, short stories, poetry and plays

Mike Penning

politician · b. 1957

British politician (born 1957)

Soo Wincci

beauty pageant contestant · b. 1985

Malaysian Miss World delegate

Manolis Kefalogiannis

politician · b. 1959

Greek politician

Stephen Blackmore

botanist · b. 1952

British botanist

Rob Wilson

politician · b. 1965

British politician (born 1965)

Simon Gass

diplomat · b. 1956

British diplomat

British physicist

Zimbabwean politician (1944-2018)

Molly Hide

cricketer · 1913–1995

cricketer (1913-1995)

Joseph Belmont

politician · 1947–2022

Seychellois politician

Stewart Innes

rower · b. 1991

British rower

Zion Lights

climate activist · b. 1984

British author and activist known for her environmental work and science communication

Peter Aldous

chartered surveyor · b. 1961

British politician (born 1961)

military historian and TV presenter (1946-2011)

Dimeji Bankole

polo player · b. 1969

This is a politician in Nigeria

Malaysian engineer and terrorist (1957–2005)

Tanzania politician (1941–2001)

Francis Zammit Dimech

politician · 1954–2025

Maltese politician

Paul Scully

politician · b. 1968

British politician (born 1968)

Irene Sciriha

mathematician

Maltese mathematician

British scientist

Charlotte Scott

politician · b. 1963

former Interim First Lady of Zambia (born 1963)

British botanist and paleontologist (1954- )

Bolu Babalola

journalist · b. 1991

British author, television writer, and journalist

artist, jeweler, and designer of Olympic medal (born 1940)

Greek economist

Fuziah Salleh

politician · b. 1959

Malaysian politician

Hamza Adam

Ghana Education Service · b. 1975

Ghanian politician

Shukuru Kawambwa

minister · b. 1957

Tanzanian politician

Philip Steven Corbet

scientific collector · 1929–2008

British entomologist (1929–2008)

Pippa Greenwood

horticulturist · b. 1963

British botanist

Sophie Walker

journalist · b. 1971

British political activist; leader of Women's Equality Party (born 1971)

Haris Georgiades

political scientist · b. 1972

Cypriot politician

Zimbabwean CEO

John Lytton, 5th Earl of Lytton

aristocrat · b. 1950

British surveyor and peer (born 1950)

Mark Prisk

chartered surveyor · b. 1962

British politician (born 1962)

British actor (1925-2001)

Ziad Takieddine

arms trader · 1950–2025

Lebanese-French businessman

British cryptographer

Indonesia-born British botanist, botanical collector and botanical illustrator (1939- )

Robert Gillmor

ornithologist · 1936–2022

English ornithologist and artist (1936–2022)

Archibald Mogwe

diplomat · 1921–2021

Motswana politician (1921-2021)

Sierra Leonean politician

British chemist

Denise P. Barlow

molecular geneticist · 1950–2017

British geneticist (1950-2017)

British composer from Cornwall

British paleobotanist (1928-2016)

British botanist (1947-2009)

Ghassan Andoni

peace activist · b. 1956

Physics professor/Palestinian-Christian leader

British sociologist of religion (1942–2022)

British academic and activist

Michael Cox

university teacher · b. 1947

British academic

Adrian Bradshaw

military personnel · b. 1958

British Army general

British rower

British geographer and academic

Ugandan food nutritionist

British nutritionist (1919-1991)

Yadvinder Malhi

researcher · b. 1968

Professor of Ecosystem Science at the University of Oxford

Mark Pawsey

politician · b. 1957

British politician (born 1957)

South African business executive

Nigerian sexual violence and mental health activist

William Bradshaw, Baron Bradshaw

politician · b. 1936

British academic and politician (born 1936)

English sculptor, installation artist and musician, born 1953 (born 1953)

British historian (1946-2020)

Gordon Hillman

anthropologist · 1943–2018

British archaeobotanist (1943-2018)

British politician (born 1950)

football (1888-1969)

Rotimi Alakija

artist · b. 1953

Nigerian disc jockey, record producer and recording artist

Hugh Robertson

politician · b. 1962

British politician (born 1962)

Abdullahi Bala

academic · b. 1967

Nigerian academic

Princess Dina Mired of Jordan

b. 1965

Jordanian royal, humanitarian and health activist

Kate Westbrook

horn player · b. 1939

English musician

Ghanian politician

Sydney Skaife

entomologist · 1889–1976

UK-born entomologist and author (1889-1976), in South Africa from 1913

British linguist

British writer and screenplayer (1929-2019)

British botanist

Marjory Gill Allen

landscape architect · 1897–1976

British landscape architect

British physicist

Dragan Marušič

university teacher · b. 1953

Slovenian mathematician

University lecturer and writer (1894-1971)

British historian (1934–2025)

German Marxist philologist

Nina Allan

science fiction writer · b. 1966

British writer

Nigerian administrator

Tan Yee Kew

politician · b. 1953

Malaysian politician

Ugandan politician

British zoologist and university teacher (1889-1989)

Welsh operatic contralto

Stephen E. Calvert

geochemist · b. 1935

Canadian scientist

Victor Kofi Agawu

musicologist · b. 1956

Ghanaian musicologist

British politician; life peer (1918-2004)

Bea Fitzgerald

novelist · b. 1996

English novelist

Andrew Nien-dzu Yang

politician · b. 1955

Taiwanese politician

British biologist (1915-2007)

Argentinian botanist

botanist

Nicholas Kay

diplomat · b. 1958

British diplomat

Abdullah Al Nuaimi

engineer

Emirati government offcial

British social documentary photographer (born 1966)

British-American bank manager

British mathematician

Adi Stern

designer · b. 1966

Israeli graphic designer

Vince Dizon

mechanical engineer · b. 1974

Filipino government official

Julian Wagstaff

librettist · b. 1970

Scottish composer

Spiros Kouvelis

environmentalist · b. 1964

Greek politician

Steven Atkinson

theatre director · b. 1984

Theatre director, producer

Mark Gasson

computer scientist

Research scientist

Nick Thorpe

foreign correspondent · b. 1960

Television and print journalist

Shah M. Faruque

scientist · b. 1956

medical researcher

Syrian politician

British English biologist and cryopreservation researcher

Nigerian Yoruba poet and academic

Jill Purce

family therapist · b. 1947

British voice teacher, therapist, and author

British botanist (1973 - )

British artist (born 1945)

Hilda Horniblow

1886–1950

chief controller of Queen Mary's Army Auxiliary Corps and educationist

Welsh painter (born 1946)

British politician

Didier Dogley

politician · b. 1964

Seychelles minister of Environment, Energy & Climate Change

Gill Valentine

geographer · b. 1965

British geographer

British cultural historian

English writer

British art historian

scientist

British economist and academic

artist who designed a number of British commemorative postage stamps

Nicola Royle

geneticist

British geneticist

Egyptian translator

American philosopher

Vickii Cornborough

rugby union player · b. 1990

rugby union player (1990-)

Helene Muri

climatologist · b. 1979

researcher

Lim Tean

politician · b. 1964

Singaporean lawyer and politician

American seismologist

English historian and curator

Scottish professor of environmental physics

Lynne Brindley

librarian · b. 1950

British professional librarian

painter (1909-1952)

British journalist

British artist, illustrator, and children's author (1898–2000)

British writer, translator, folklorist

Lynne Neagle

politician · b. 1968

Welsh Labour & Co-operative politician and Member of the Senedd for Torfaen

British film director

businessperson

Harriet Cross

politician · b. 1990

British politician