Notable People

The notable people who contributed to the world changing achievements of the University of Glasgow. Currently there are 119 people listed. Click on a peron's name to view information about them, including images, biographical details and links to their achievements. In the navigation bar, hover over a letter to see how many people's surnames begin with the letter. Click on a letter to limit the list to surnames of your chosen letter.

• Aitchison, John
  An award winning statistician who revolutionised the way Geologists analyse data.
• Andross, Mary
  A pioneer of the dietetic profession.
• Baird, John Logie
  The inventor of television.
• Barnwell, Frank
  A pioneering aircraft designer who achieved the first powered flight in Scotland.
• Barr, Archibald
  A world leading inventor and businessman.
• Barton, Sir Derek
  A Nobel prize winning chemist, whose work on the concept of conformation in chemistry was groundbreaking.
• Bell Burnell, Dame (Susan) Jocelyn
  An internationally acclaimed astronomer, honoured for her discovery of pulsars.
• Black, Sir James
  A Nobel prizewinning pharmacologist whose invention of beta blockers was hailed as one of the most important drug discoveries of the century.
• Bond, Sir Michael
  A leading psychiatrist, who with Bryan Jennett, created the Glasgow Outcome Scale.
• Boyd, Ian
  An award winning physiologist who pioneered the use of electronic methods to study the muscle spindle and the heart.
• Boyd, William
  An internationally acclaimed novelist and screenwriter, who has won many prizes including the Costa and Los Angeles Times awards.
• Bryce, John
  A noted literary scholar who co-edited the internationally acclaimed Glasgow Edition of the Works and Correspondence of Adam Smith in 7 volumes.
• Cairncross, Sir Alec
  An internationally renowned economist who, with Donald Robertson, pioneered multi-disciplinary social and economic research.
• Cameron, Murdoch
  An exceptional obstetrician who was first to successfully perform a series of Caesarian sections, proving them safe, routine operations.
• Campbell, Jessie
  A philanthropist and education pioneer whose vision for women's education was realised by the creation of Queen Margaret College.
• Campbell, Roy
  A noted economic historian who co-edited the internationally acclaimed Glasgow Edition of the Works and Correspondence of Adam Smith in 7 volumes.
• Campbell-Bannerman, Sir Henry
  British Prime Minister 1905-1908
• Carmichael, Kay
  An influential policy adviser, lecturer and activist, credited with establishing the UK's first training programme for probation officers.
• Carswell, Catherine
  A celebrated novelist and biographer, and one of the most significant Scottish women writers of the early 20th century.
• Cartmell, Matthew
  An acclaimed engineer who has developed technology which could revolutionise space rocket propulsion systems.
• Cogdell, Richard
  An acclaimed botanist who, with chemist Neil Isaacs, conducted seminal research into the structure and function of bacterial reaction centres and light-harvesting complexes.
• Cranston, John Arnold
  An eminent physicist who, with Frederick Soddy, discovered the element Protactinium (Pa-231).
• Crowson, Roy Albert
  An esteemed evolutionary biologist whose system of classification of beetles has become a standard.
• Curran, Sir Samuel Crowe
  An exceptional physicist whose inventions were used in laboratories all over the world.
• Currie, Ethel Dobbie
  A distinguished geologist and one of the first women to be appointed as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.
• Dewar, Donald
  First Minister of Scotland 1999-2000
• Donald, Ian
  An outstanding obstetrician and inventor of the first diagnostic ultrasound machine.
• Edwards, Robert Geoffrey
  A Nobel prize-winning biologist who pioneered in vitro fertilisation.
• Elder, Isabella
  A prominent philanthropist and pioneer of educational development across social barriers.
• Eldridge, John
  An influential sociologist who, with Greg Philo, created the award winning Glasgow Media Group.
• Elliot, Walter
  Member of the British Cabinet 1932-1940.
• Ewing, Winnie
  The accomplished politician who brought the Scottish National Party to prominence with her victory in the 1967 Hamilton By-Election.
• Fallick, Anthony
  A distinguished geoscientist who revolutionised our understanding of the earth's geodynamic carbon cycle.
• Fergus, Oswald
  A forward thinking dentist who developed a simulated head for training dental students.
• Ferguson-Smith, Malcolm
  A celebrated geneticist whose work on gene mapping has shaped our understanding of human evolution.
• Franks, Oliver
  The remarkable philosopher and diplomat who was instrumental in brokering the Marshall Plan after the Second World War and who, as British Ambassador to Washington 1948-1952 negotiated on Britain's behalf in the formation of NATO.
• Fraser, Kate
  A pioneering psychiatrist who was influential in establishing the employment rights of those with mental health issues.
• Galloway, Janet Anne
  A noted pioneer of women's education.
• Geddes, Dorothy
  A pioneering dental surgeon, she was the first woman to hold a chair in dentistry in any UK University.
• Gibson, Sir Alexander
  A celebrated conductor and founder Scottish Opera.
• Gibson, Thomas
  A pioneering surgeon who was first to understand the rejection grafts of tissue taken from a donor as an antigen-antibody reaction.
• Glaister, John
  A forensic scientist famed for his expert testimony in prominent legal cases and for a classic text that moulded the development of his subject.
• Gloag, William
  A prominent legal educator, the textbook he co-authored with RC Henderson became a classic, still in use in the 21st century.
• Graham, David
  An eminent neuropathologist who, with Hume Adams and David Doyle, established conculsively that Ischaemic brain damage (IBD) is an important cause of mortality and morbidity after head injury.
• Hawthorne, Victor
  A distinguished epidemiologist who set up the MIDSPAN Project which is largest long-term health study of socio-economically deprived areas in the UK.
• Hemingway, R Gordon
  A prominent animal scientist who, with James Parkins and Norman Ritchie, developed the first intra-ruminal bolus for cattle to prevent mineral deficiencies.
• Henderson, Sir David
  A forward thinking army officer who is credited with being the 'Father of the Royal Air Force'.
• Herbison, Peggy
  A notable politician, government minister and campaigner, she was named Scotswoman of the year in 1970.
• Hobsbaum, Philip
  A highly influential poet and literary critic, who had a great impact on many writers including Seamus Heaney, Alasdair Gray and Liz Lochhead.
• Houston, David
  A distinguished zoologist whose experiments with Pat Monaghan were the first to demonstrate that female birds of certain species could adjust the sex ratio of the eggs they produced in response to environmental circumstances.
• Hutchison, William McPhee
  An eminent zoologist who discovered that cats are the source of the Toxoplasma parasite infection in humans.
• Isaacs, Neil
  A distinguished chemist who, with botanist Richard Cogdell, conducted seminal research into the structure and function of bacterial reaction centres and light-harvesting complexes.
• Jarrett, Bill
  An acclaimed veterinary scientist who discovered the viral cause of feline leukaemia and who was one of the team who created the first commercial vaccine for a parasitic disease in cattle.
• Jennett, Bryan
  The leading neurosurgeon of his day, with Graham Teasdale, he created the Glasgow Coma Scale and with Michael Bond, he created the Glasgow Outcome Scale.
• Jennings, Frank
  An eminent veterinary scientist, who was on the team who created the first commercial vaccine for a parasitic disease in cattle.
• Johnston, Tom
  Secretary of State for Scotland 1941-1945
• Kay, Christian
  A language scholar and part of the team who created the award winning Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary.
• Kenny, Gavin
  A prominent anaesthetist, who developed the first commercially available computer-assisted anaesthetic delivery system.
• Laing, R D
  A world-renowned psychiatrist, his radical approach questioned all norms of the mental health practioners of his day.
• Law, Andrew Bonar
  British Prime Minister 1922-1923.
• Lean, Michael
  A prominent nutritionist, his work on the link between waist circumference and chronic heart disease and type 2 diabetes has been hugely influential in their prevention and treatment.
• Leiper, Robert Thomson
  The father of modern helminthology.
• Leishman, Sir William Boog
  A celebtrated bacteriologist, he discovered the cause of the disease later named Leishmaniasis.
• Lister, Joseph
  The surgeon who transformed operating practice with his system of antiseptic surgery.
• MacCormick, John
  One of the founding fathers of the Scottish Nationalist movement.
• MacCormick, Sir Neil
  An internationally recognised legal philosopher and politician, his works were hugely important in our understanding of the role of law in shaping society.
• Macewen, Sir William
  The pioneering surgeon who undertook the first successful removal of a brain tumour.
• Macfarlane, Peter
  An award winning electrocardiologist who pioneered the use of computers in hospital-baased ECG interpretation.
• Macfie, Alec Lawrence
  A noted political economist who co-edited the internationally acclaimed Glasgow Edition of the Works and Correspondence of Adam Smith in 7 volumes.
• MacIntyre, John
  An acclaimed radiologist and pioneer of the use of X-rays as a therapeutic tool.
• MacKie, Rona
  An award winning dermatologist who demonstrated the dangers of using melanoma patients as transplant donors.
• Maclean, John
  A revolutionary socialist and leading member of the Red Clydeside movement.
• MacRobert, Thomas Murray
  An internationally renowned research mathematician, who discovered the E-function.
• Marshall, Sheina
  A major figure in British biological oceanography, she was one of the first women to be made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.
• Mavor, Osborne Henry
  Better known as playright James Bridie, he was one of Scotland's most influential writers and founder of the Glasgow Citizens Theatre.
• Maxton, James
  A politician and leading member of the Red Clydeside movement.
• McAllister, Anne
  A pioneering speech therapist, she was one of the founders of the profession in the UK.
• McIlroy, Dame Anne Louise
  A pioneering obstetrician, gynaecologist and surgeon, who became the first woman medical professor in the UK.
• McIntyre, Ian
  An eminent veterinary scientist, who was on the team who created the first commercial vaccine for a parasitic disease in cattle.
• Meek, Ronald
  A noted political economist who co-edited the internationally acclaimed Glasgow Edition of the Works and Correspondence of Adam Smith in 7 volumes.
• Melville, Frances
  A noted suffragist and campaigner for women's rights to higher education, she was the first women to graduate with a Bachelor of Theology degree from a Scottish University.
• Monaghan, Pat
  An esteemed ecologist, whose experiments were first to demonstrate that female birds of certain species could adjust the sex ratio of the eggs they produced in response to environmental circumstances.
• Morgan, Edwin
  Widely recognised as one of the foremost Scottish poets of his generation, he was the first Poet Laureate for Glasgow and Scot Makar from 2004-2010.
• Mulligan, William
  An eminent biochemist, who was on the team who created the first commercial vaccine for a parasitic disease in cattle.
• Nove, Alexander
  An influential economist and historian who became advisor to successive British Ambassadors to the Soviet Union and was instrumental in changing British Government policy towards the Soviet Union in the early 1980s.
• Orr, John Boyd
  A Nobel prize winning nutritionist and physiologist, who led pioneering studies in the nutition of farm animals and human populations.
• Parkins, James
  A prominent animal scientist who, with Gordon Hemingway and Norman Ritchie, developed the first intra-ruminal bolus for cattle to prevent mineral deficiencies.
• Philo, Greg
  An influential sociologist who, with John Eldridge, is responsible for the success of the award winning Glasgow Media Group.
• Pirret, Ruth
  A pioneering nuclear chemist whose work with Frederick Soddy shed new light on the disintegration theory of radioactivity.
• Pontecorvo, Guido
  A ground breaking geneticist who established the fungus Aspergillus nidulans as a conventient genetical tool and who discovered and patented the 'Parasexual cycle'.
• Ramsay, Sir William
  A Nobel prizewinning chemist who discovered the inert gaseous elements in air and determined their place in the periodic system.
• Raphael, David
  A noted philosopher who co-edited the internationally acclaimed Glasgow Edition of the Works and Correspondence of Adam Smith in 7 volumes.
• Ritchie, Norman
  A prominent animal scientist who, with Gordon Hemingway and James Parkins, developed the first intra-ruminal bolus for cattle to prevent mineral deficiencies.
• Roberts, Jane
  A language scholar and part of the team who created the award winning Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary.
• Robertson, Anne
  An award winning Roman archaeologist and numismatist.
• Robertson, Donald
  One of the leading industrial relations experts of his day, with Alec Cairncross, he pioneered multi-disciplinary social and economic research.
• Robertson, J Monteath
  The founder of organic crystallography.
• Robertson, Muriel
  A noted zoologist who made key discoveries of the life cycle of Trypanosomes.
• Ross, Willie
  Secretary of State for Scotland, 1964-1970 and 1974-1976.
• Samuels, Michael
  A language scholar and founder of the award winning Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary Project.
• Sanderson, David C W
  An eminent environmental physicist who developed robust methods and protocols for detecting irradiated foods.
• Scott , Roger
  A renowned nuclear physicist who was responsible for the first successful delicensing of a nuclear reactor in the UK.
• Shepherd, James
  A world leading pathologist whose work with the WOSCOPS research team led to the introduction of statins in the UK as a treatment to prevent heart attacks.
• Silver, Robert
  An internationally honoured mechanical engineer whose system for desalination was adopted as an industry standard.
• Skinner, Andrew
  A noted political economist who co-edited the internationally acclaimed Glasgow Edition of the Works and Correspondence of Adam Smith in 7 volumes.
• Smith, Adam
  Father of modern economics
• Smith, John
  Leader of the Opposition in the House of Commons, 1992-1994
• Soddy, Frederick
  A Nobel prizewinning chemist, honoured for his discovery of isotopes.
• Spens, Janet
  One of the leading literary critics of her day, she co-founded Laurel Bank School in Glasgow.
• Takamine, Jokichi
  An eminent chemist, his discovery, and commericial application, of synthetic adrenalin was instrumental in establishing the US biotech industry.
• Teasdale, Sir Graham
  A leading neurosurgeon, with Bryan Jennet, he created the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS).
• Thomson, Derick Smith
  One of the leading Gaelic poets and critics of his generation, he published and edited the Gaelic language magazine Gairm for over fifty years.
• Thomson, Sir William
  The University of Glasgow's most eminent physicist, honoured in many countries for his numerous inventions.
• Todd, Sir Alexander
  A Nobel prizewinning chemist, honoured for his research on nucleotides and nucleotide co-enzymes.
• Touschek, Bruno
  A world leading physicist who invented the storage ring most commonly used for storing high-energy elementary particles.
• Urquhart, George
  An eminent veterinary scientist, who was on the team who created the first commercial vaccine for a parasitic disease in cattle.
• Vickerman, Keith
  An acclaimed zoologist who was first to demonstrate the existence of variable surface antigen types in metacyclic trypanosomes.
• Williams, Sir Alwyn
  A prominent geologist who discovered silica and phosphate biominerals in brachiopod shells.
• Wotherspoon, Irene
  A language scholar and part of the team who created the award winning Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary.