The University Council has now submitted to the Regent House the names of eight distinguished persons, nominated for admission to Honorary Doctorates in June.
Each year at the Honorary Degree Congregation, the University celebrates the outstanding achievements of individuals both in the United Kingdom and around the world. The nominees this year are:
Sir David Adjaye
David Adjaye, the Founder and Principal of Adjaye Associates, is an outstanding architect of his generation. He was the lead designer of the National Museum of African American History and Culture on the National Mall in Washington DC, and his recent works include: the Museum of Contemporary Art in Denver, the Nobel Peace Centre in Oslo and the Skolkovo Moscow School of Management. Sir David has acted as an external examiner for the Department of Architecture in Cambridge.
Professor Dame Rosemary Cramp
Rosemary Cramp is a renowned archaeologist, specialising in the Anglo-Saxon period. The first female professor at the University of Durham, she has served as President of the Society of Antiquaries of London and of the Council for British Archaeology. She conducted ground-breaking excavations at the twin monasteries of Jarrow and Monkwearmouth, home to the Venerable Bede, and Dame Rosemary has been a leading figure in the campaign to elevate these sites to World Heritage status.
Professor Sir Angus Deaton
Angus Deaton (Fitzwilliam College) is a Presidential Professor at the University of Southern California and a Senior Scholar and Professor Emeritus at Princeton. An economist who focuses on poverty, inequality, health, wellbeing, and economic development, his current research examines the determinants of health in rich and poor countries, as well as on the measurement of poverty and inequality in the US, India and around the world. Sir Angus was awarded the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for his analysis of consumption, poverty, and welfare.
Sir Mark Elder
Mark Elder (Corpus Christi College) is a renowned conductor and has been music director of the Hallé Orchestra in Manchester since 2000. Sir Mark has worked with many of the world’s leading symphony orchestras and international opera houses, making a number of notable recordings and television appearances. He won an Olivier Award in 1991 for his outstanding work at ENO (English National Opera), and in May 2006 he was named Conductor of the Year by the Royal Philharmonic Society.
Dame Jane Goodall
Jane Goodall (Newnham College) is a primatologist, anthropologist and a world expert on chimpanzees. She founded the Jane Goodall Institute, a global wildlife and environment conservation organisation, and the Roots & Shoots programme, which aims to bring together people from preschool to university age to work on environmental, conservation, and humanitarian issues. Dame Jane has served on the Board of the Nonhuman Rights Project since its foundation and is a United Nations Messenger of Peace.
The Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon
Doreen Lawrence is a resolute campaigner for racial justice and reform of the police service and a champion of strengthened community relations. The mother of Stephen Lawrence, who was murdered during a racist attack in London, she subsequently founded the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust, which works with disadvantaged young people to help them gain the knowledge, skills, support and qualifications they need to pursue the career of their choice. Lady Lawrence is the Chancellor of De Montfort University.
Professor Michael Levitt
Michael Levitt (Peterhouse and Gonville and Caius College) is a pioneering biophysicist and structural biologist currently based at Stanford University, who has conducted research on the molecular structure of essential biological compounds. He has also made outstanding contributions to the study of protein folding and helped to popularise the use of computer modelling in biology. Professor Levitt’s work won him a Nobel Prize in Chemistry, along with Martin Karplus and Arieh Warshel.
Professor Marilynne Robinson
Marilynne Robinson is a novelist, essayist and Professor Emerita at the University of Iowa. Her numerous awards include the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Celebrated for novels such as Housekeeping and Gilead, her writing is noted for thematic depictions of rural life and faith. Her essays span the relationship between religion and science, nuclear pollution, John Calvin, and contemporary American politics. Professor Robinson has been both Hulsean Lecturer and Preacher in Cambridge.
The Congregation for Honorary Degrees is due to take place on Wednesday 19 June.