Notable alumni of University of York

Aníbal Cavaco Silva

university teacher · b. 1939

Portuguese politician (born 1939)

Daron Acemoğlu

university teacher · b. 1967

Turkish-American economist and receiver of the 2024 Nobel Prize in economic sciences (born 1967)

Anthony Horowitz

novelist · b. 1955

English novelist and screenwriter (born 1955)

Harriet Harman

jurist · b. 1950

British politician (born 1950)

Graham Swift

novelist · b. 1949

English writer (born 1949)

Jung Chang

linguist · b. 1952

Chinese-British author (born 1952)

Jonathan Stroud

young adult author · b. 1970

British writer of fantasy fiction

James Callis

film actor · b. 1971

British actor

Marina Lewycka

novelist · 1946–2025

British writer

Colville Young

novelist · b. 1932

Governor-General of Belize

Helen Dunmore

novelist · 1952–2017

British novelist (1952–2017)

Andrea Barber

film actor · b. 1976

American actress (born 1976)

John Hughlings Jackson

neuroscientist · 1835–1911

British neurologist (1835–1911)

Peter Lord

director · b. 1953

British animator

Ugandan LGBT activist (1964–2011)

Tom Scott

science journalist

British science communicator

Trevor Jones

film score composer · b. 1949

South African film score composer

Peter Hitchens

blogger · b. 1951

English journalist and author (born 1951)

Phil Lester

YouTuber · b. 1987

English YouTube vlogger and radio personality

Edmund Ho

politician · b. 1955

Chinese politician

Lindiwe Sisulu

minister · b. 1954

South African politician

Stefan Molyneux

YouTuber · b. 1966

Irish-Canadian white supremacist podcaster and conspiracy theorist

Brian Stableford

science fiction writer · 1948–2024

British writer (1948–2024)

Haleh Afshar

political scientist · 1944–2022

British baroness

Michelle Donelan

politician · b. 1984

British politician

English actor

Thea Gill

jazz musician · b. 1970

Canadian actress

Tom Ransley

rower · b. 1985

British rower

Chloe Smith

politician · b. 1982

British politician

British novelist and journalist

English actor and model (born 1989)

Lama Abu-Odeh

writer · b. 1962

Professor, author

Caroline Dean

biologist · b. 1957

British plant scientist

k-os

music video director · b. 1972

Canadian rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer

Rollo Armstrong

record producer · b. 1966

British record producer

Pakistani-British poet and writer

Danielle de St. Jorre

diplomat · 1941–1997

Seychellois politician

Sarah Gavron

film director · b. 1970

British film director

Domna Michailidou

Assistant Secretary · b. 1987

Greek economist and politician

Olufunke Baruwa

activist · b. 1976

Nigeria gender activist

Canadian cinematographer

Canadian actor

Mohammad Hanif Atmar

politician · b. 1968

Afghan politician and foreign minister

Dominic Fritz

public administration scholar · b. 1983

German-Romanian politician

Ruth Lea, Baroness Lea of Lymm

journalist · b. 1947

British political economist

Canadian financier

Adam Hart-Davis

producer · b. 1943

British scientist, author, photographer, historian and broadcaster

British actress

English musician and record producer (born 1959)

British politician (1942-2006)

Gavin Wood

researcher · b. 1980

Decentralized internet pioneer

Oona King

politician · b. 1967

British politician (born 1967)

Panagiotis Kokoras

composer · b. 1974

Greek born classical contemporary music composer

Helen Blau

cell biologist · b. 1948

British-American biochemist, stem cell researcher, and university teacher (born 1948)

Lawrence Freedman

non-fiction writer · b. 1948

British military historian

Greg Mulholland

politician · b. 1970

British politician (born 1970)

Jay Foreman

YouTuber · b. 1984

British comedian and YouTuber

Greg Dyke

journalist · b. 1947

British media executive

South Africa Author

Steve Beresford

jazz musician · b. 1950

English musician

Harry Enfield

film actor · b. 1961

English actor, comedian, writer

Simon Stephens

playwright · b. 1971

British playwright

Justina Robson

science fiction writer · b. 1968

British writer

Richard Burden

politician · b. 1954

British politician (born 1954)

Mark Burton

film director · b. 1969

British screenwriter and filmmaker

Tanya Byron

journalist · b. 1967

Psychologist, television and radio presenter

Amy Matysio

film director · b. 1976

Canadian actress

British-American linguist

Nino Ricci

novelist · b. 1959

Canadian writer

Albert Owen

politician · b. 1959

Welsh politician and MP for Ynys Môn (born 1959)

Fabian Hamilton

graphic designer · b. 1955

British politician (born 1955)

British politician (born 1947)

Anna Meredith

musician · b. 1978

British composer and performer of electronic and acoustic music

Sigrid Rausing

anthropologist · b. 1962

Swedish philanthropist

Paul Dolan

social scientist · b. 1968

British behavioural scientist

Andrew Percy

politician · b. 1977

British politician (born 1977)

Australian composer

David Goodhart

journalist · b. 1956

British journalist

British swimmer

British fiction writer

Albanian composer of British citizenship

American academic (born 1967)

Nick Payne

playwright · b. 1984

British playwright

Christopher Page

music journalist · b. 1952

British musicologist and expert on medieval music

Howard Riley

jazz musician · 1943–2025

British musician (1943–2025)

Maurice Glasman, Baron Glasman

philosopher · b. 1961

British philosopher

Paul Goodman

journalist · b. 1959

British journalist and politician (born 1959)

Rory Palmer

politician · b. 1981

politician (born 1981)

English historian and writer

British children's book writer

Buster Howes

military officer · b. 1960

Royal Marines general

British composer (1964–2024)

Juliana Sokolová

philosopher · b. 1981

Slovak philosopher and writer

Miles J. Padgett

researcher · b. 1963

Professor of Optics

Rebecca Stott

scholar of English · b. 1964

British writer

Paul Mealor

composer · b. 1975

Welsh composer

Dutch composer

British composer

Silvina Batakis

economist · b. 1968

Argentine politician

Farah Mendlesohn

science fiction scholar · b. 1968

British academic and writer on science fiction and fantasy literature

Hugh Bayley

researcher · b. 1952

British politician (born 1952)

British writer

archaeologist

Portuguese composer

Ho Hsin-chun

politician · b. 1973

Taiwanese politician

British composer

English composer

Louise Ellman

council member · b. 1945

British politician (born 1945)

Keith Bradley, Baron Bradley

politician · b. 1950

British Labour Party politician and life peer (born 1950)

Li Qiaochu

human rights defender · b. 1991

Chinese labor and women's rights activist

Gary Titley

politician · b. 1950

British politician (born 1950)

British writer

Ben Macpherson

politician · b. 1985

politician

Jørgen Watne Frydnes

political scientist · b. 1984

Norwegian political scientist

Alvin Pang

poet · b. 1972

Singaporean writer

Severin Schwan

manager · b. 1967

manager

British photographer (1947–2025)

Stephen Emmott

neuroscientist · b. 1960

Computational Scientist

Erika Guevara Rosas

activist

Mexican-American human rights lawyer

Zoe Lyons

film director · b. 1971

comedian

Mary Bousted

trade unionist · b. 1959

British trade unionist (born 1959)

British athlete

British archaeologist and semitist (1937-)

Paul Holmes

politician · b. 1957

British politician (born 1957)

Juraj Draxler

civil servant · b. 1975

Slovak politician

British archaeologist

Meg Munn

politician · b. 1959

British Labour Co-op politician

Molly Meacher

social worker · b. 1940

British politician (born 1940)

Stevie Wishart

composer · b. 1959

artist

English baritone, composer, and arranger

British composer (1965- )

Janina Ramirez

scholar of English · b. 1980

British art and cultural historian

Keneiloe Molopyane

paleoanthropologist · b. 1987

Archaeologist from South Africa

Hungarian pornographic actress

British composer (1939–2015)

Lucy Moore

curator

British curator and Wikimedian

Gudula Naiga Basaza

entrepreneur

Ugandan entrepreneur and business executive

professor of nationalism and ethnicity at the London School of Economics

Neil Shephard

economist · b. 1964

British economist

British television writer

Christopher Hood

social scientist · 1947–2025

British professor of politics and international relations

Edward Acton

historian of Modern Age · b. 1949

academic

Jonathan Potter

university teacher · b. 1956

British psychologist

John Witherow

journalist · b. 1952

South African journalist

Mahmoud Mohieldin

university teacher · b. 1965

World Bank President’s Special Envoy on Millennium Development Goals

English composer

English historian

British computer scientist

English writer

Aled Gruffydd Jones

vice-chancellor · b. 1955

British academic

Christine Hamilton

autobiographer · b. 1949

English media personality and author

British television producer and director, screenwriter and documentarist

Genista McIntosh, Baroness McIntosh

politician · b. 1946

British peer (born 1946)

British journalist

British social and economic historian (1950-2011)

Yeung Sum

justice of the peace · b. 1947

Hong Kong politician and academic

Composer of electroacoustic music from New Zealand

British former politician and current newspaper and broadcast political journalist (born 1951)

Mike Mulkay

sociologist · 1936–2025

British sociologist

British evolutionary biologist (born 1947)

Michael Dobbs

writer · b. 1950

Anglo-American non-fiction author and journalist

medieval historian

Eduardo Reck Miranda

composer · b. 1963

Brazilian music composer and scientist

composer and conductor

Harvey Proctor

fashion designer · b. 1947

British politician (born 1947)

British archaeologist

Shaun Chamberlin

environmentalist

English author and activist

Jane Ferguson

journalist · b. 1984

Northern Irish journalist

French philosopher

British writer

Eugene Pandala

academic · b. 1954

Indian architect

English composer, academic and conductor (1938–2013)

John Simpson

scholar of English · b. 1953

English lexicographer, born 1953

British journalist

Taiwanese political scientist (1952–2019)

British businesswoman

Mark Pack

associate director · b. 1970

President of the Liberal Democrats

Keith Lyons

sports scientist · 1952–2020

Australian sports scientist (1952-2020)

Halyna Mykhailiuk

jurist · b. 1987

Ukrainian lawyer and politician

Fleur Anderson

politician · b. 1971

British politician and Labour MP

David Evans

political adviser · b. 1961

British politician (born 1961)

British sociologist

Emily Hall

composer · b. 1978

British composer (1978-)

Maldivian association football player

Jane Hillston

university teacher · b. 1963

British computer scientist

British composer

Hal Cruttenden

stand-up comedian · b. 1969

British comedian

South African activist

Anna Maria Friman

opera singer · b. 1972

Swedish singer

American philosopher

British economist

British libertarian and writer

British philosopher

Wolfe von Lenkiewicz

visual artist · b. 1966

British artist

American author, biographer, historian

British composer

Michael Dixon

zoologist · b. 1956

British zoologist

Paula Morris

novelist · b. 1965

New Zealand writer

Jane Clarke

biochemist · b. 1950

English biochemist and academic

British composer