List of University of Glasgow people facts for kids
This page lists some of the amazing people who have studied or taught at the University of Glasgow since it started way back in 1451. Many famous scientists, artists, leaders, and athletes have walked its halls!
Contents
Nobel Prize Winners
.jpg)
The Nobel Prize is one of the most important awards in the world. It celebrates people who have made huge discoveries or helped humanity. The University of Glasgow has been home to several Nobel winners:
- Sir Derek Barton, who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
- Sir James Black, who won the Nobel Prize in Medicine.
- John Boyd Orr, a biologist who won the Nobel Peace Prize.
- Sir William Ramsay, another winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
- Frederick Soddy, who also won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
- Alexander R. Todd, Baron Todd, a chemist who received the Nobel Prize.
- Sir Robert Geoffrey Edwards, awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine.
- David MacMillan, who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
Arts and Culture
Many talented people from Glasgow University have made their mark in the arts. This includes artists, sculptors, actors, and historians.
- Hannah Frank, a famous artist and sculptor.
- Alexander Stoddart, who is the official sculptor for the King in Scotland.
- Peter Mullan, a well-known actor and filmmaker.
Classical Studies
These scholars studied ancient Greek and Roman times. They helped us understand old texts and history.
- Nan Dunbar, famous for her work on the ancient Greek play The Birds.
- Sir James Frazer, who wrote The Golden Bough. He helped start the study of anthropology, which is about human societies and cultures.
- William Young Sellar, a classical scholar.
History Experts
Historians study the past to help us understand how things came to be.
- John Bannerman, known for his work on the history of Gaelic Scotland.
- Hew Strachan, a well-known historian.
Musicians and Songwriters
The university has seen many musicians who went on to become famous.
- Paul Buchanan, Robert Bell, and Paul Joseph Moore from the band The Blue Nile.
- Members of the band Lloyd Cole and the Commotions.
- Sydney MacEwan, a tenor singer known for Scottish and Irish songs.
- Stuart Murdoch, the main songwriter for the band Belle & Sebastian.
- Simon Neil, lead singer and guitarist for Biffy Clyro.
- Emeli Sandé, a popular R&B and soul singer.
Thinkers and Theologians
These individuals explored big ideas about life, religion, and how society works.
- John Anderson, a philosopher who founded a type of philosophy called Australian realism.
- William Barclay, a theologian.
- William Elphinstone, a statesman and bishop who helped found the University of Aberdeen.
- Francis Hutcheson, an important philosopher.
- John Knox, a key figure in the religious changes in Scotland.
- Cosmo Lang, who became the Archbishop of Canterbury, a very important religious leader.
- David Livingstone, a famous missionary and explorer.
- Adam Smith, a very important economist and philosopher.
Writers and Poets
Many creative writers and poets have studied at Glasgow University.
- James Boswell, a famous writer.
- William Boyd, a well-known writer.
- John Buchan, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir, a writer who also became the Governor General of Canada.
- Thomas Campbell, a poet.
- A. J. Cronin, a doctor and writer who helped inspire the National Health Service in the UK.
- Alasdair Gray, a famous Scottish writer and artist.
- James Herriot, a writer known for his stories about animals.
- James Kelman, a writer.
- Liz Lochhead, a poet and playwright.
- Alistair MacLean, a popular writer.
- Edwin Morgan, a celebrated poet.
- Robert William Service, a poet and writer.
- Sir John Sinclair, 1st Baronet, a writer who was the first to use the word "statistics" in English.
- Tobias Smollett, a writer.
Business Leaders
These people went on to lead big companies and make important business decisions.
- James Blyth, Baron Blyth of Rowington, who was the Chairman of Diageo, a large drinks company.
- Douglas Flint, who was the Chairman of HSBC, a big bank.
- Alexander Fleck, 1st Baron Fleck, who led ICI, a major chemical company.
- Hugh Grant, who was the Chief Executive of the Monsanto Company.
- James McGill, a fur-trader and giver who helped start McGill University in Canada.
Public Service
People from Glasgow University have also worked in important government and public roles.
- Sir Fazle Hasan Abed, who founded BRAC, one of the world's largest non-profit organizations.
- Ken McCallum, who is the Director General of MI5, the UK's security service.
- Sir Muir Russell, who was a top civil servant in the Scottish Government.
Law and Justice
Many graduates have become important figures in the legal world, working as judges and lawyers.
- Joseph Beltrami, a famous defence lawyer in Glasgow.
- Hazel Cosgrove, Lady Cosgrove, who was the first woman judge in Scotland's top court, the Court of Session.
- James Dalrymple, 1st Viscount of Stair, an important Scottish legal expert from the 1600s.
- Lord Irvine of Lairg, who was a former Lord Chancellor, a very senior legal role in the UK.
- John Wheatley, Baron Wheatley, who helped create Scotland's Legal Aid system, which helps people get legal advice.
Media and Entertainment
From actors to journalists, many have gone into media.
.jpg)
- Gerard Butler, a well-known actor.
- Susan Calman, a popular comedian.
- John Grierson, often called the "father of the documentary film."
- Greg Hemphill and Ford Kiernan, who are comedians and actors known for "Still Game."
- Armando Iannucci, a writer and director known for his funny political shows like The Thick of It and Veep.
- Stephen Moffat, a television writer and producer for shows like Doctor Who and Sherlock.
- Andrew Neil, a famous journalist and broadcaster.
- Fraser Nelson, the editor of The Spectator magazine.
- Neil Oliver, an archaeologist, historian, and broadcaster.
Military Figures
These individuals served in the armed forces, often reaching high ranks.
- Lieutenant Robert Blair, who received the Victoria Cross for bravery.
- Lieutenant General Sir David Henderson, who helped create the Royal Air Force.
- Colonel James Lennox Dawson VC, another recipient of the Victoria Cross.
- Donald MacKintosh (VC), who also received the Victoria Cross.
Political Leaders
Many people from the university have become important politicians, shaping laws and leading countries.
- William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne, who was Queen Victoria's first Prime Minister.
- Archibald Campbell, 3rd Duke of Argyll, a very powerful political leader in Scotland in the 1700s.
Conservative Party
- Bonar Law, who became a Conservative Prime Minister.
- Sir Liam Fox, a Member of Parliament (MP).
Labour Party
- Donald Dewar, who was the first First Minister of Scotland.
- John Smith, a former leader of the Labour Party.
- Des Browne, who was the Secretary of State for Defence.
Liberal Party/Liberal Democrats
- Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman, who was a Liberal Prime Minister.
- Sir Vince Cable, a former leader of the Liberal Democrats.
- Charles Kennedy, another former leader of the Liberal Democrats.
Scottish National Party
- Nicola Sturgeon, who was the former First Minister of Scotland and leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP).
- Humza Yousaf, the current First Minister of Scotland and SNP Leader.
- Winnie Ewing, a very important figure in the SNP, serving as an MP, MSP, and MEP.
Science and Discovery
Glasgow University has produced many brilliant minds in science, from doctors to engineers.
Medical Pioneers
These individuals made significant contributions to health and medicine.
- Sir Harry Burns, who was the Chief Medical Officer for Scotland.
- Murdoch Cameron, who performed the first modern Caesarian section in 1888.
- Ian Donald, a pioneer in using ultrasound for medical diagnosis, especially in pregnancy.
- John Hunter and William Hunter, famous surgeons and anatomists.
- Bryan J. Jennett and Sir Graham Teasdale, who together invented the Glasgow Coma Scale, used to assess brain injury.
- Joseph Lister, a surgeon who revolutionized surgery by introducing antiseptic methods.
- David Livingstone, a medical missionary and explorer in Africa.
- William Macewen, a pioneer in brain surgery.
- Elizabeth Janet MacGregor, a medical doctor and cancer researcher.
- Dame Louise McIlroy, the first woman to get an M.D. degree from the University.
- James McCune Smith, the first university-trained African-American physician.
- Merbai Ardesir Vakil, the first Asian woman to graduate from a Scottish university.
Biology and Nature
Biologists study living things, from tiny microbes to giant plants.
- David Douglas, a famous botanist who discovered many plants.
- Sheina Marshall, a marine biologist who studied sea creatures.
- Muriel Robertson, a protozoologist and bacteriologist.
- Sir William Jackson Hooker, who was the Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
- Guido Pontecorvo, the university's first Professor of Genetics.
Chemistry Discoveries
Chemists study what things are made of and how they react.
- Thomas Andrews, a chemist and physicist.
- Joseph Black, a famous physicist and chemist.
- Thomas Graham, a chemist.
- George William Gray, a chemist who helped develop stable liquid crystals, used in many screens today.
- Thomas Thomson, who gave the element silicon its name.
Math, Physics, and Engineering
These brilliant minds explored the laws of the universe and designed amazing machines.
- John Logie Baird, the inventor of television.
- Jocelyn Bell Burnell, an astrophysicist who co-discovered pulsars.
- John Kerr, a physicist.
- Colin Maclaurin, a famous mathematician.
- Lord Kelvin, a mathematical physicist who made many discoveries about heat and electricity. The Kelvin temperature scale is named after him.
- James Watt, a mathematician and engineer who greatly improved the steam engine.
- Dorothy Rowntree, the first woman to graduate in engineering from the University and the first woman in the UK to graduate in naval architecture.
Computing Innovators
These individuals have shaped the world of computers and programming.
- Simon Peyton Jones, known for his research in functional programming languages.
- Philip Wadler, also known for his research in functional programming languages.
Social Sciences
Social scientists study human society and how people interact.
- Sir James Frazer, a social anthropologist.
- Donald Kaberuka, who was the President of the African Development Bank.
- Adam Smith, a very important economist and philosopher.
Sports Stars
Many athletes who studied at Glasgow University have gone on to achieve great things in sports.
- John Beattie, a rugby union international player.
- Jim Craig, a Celtic F.C. player and part of the famous "Lisbon Lions" team.
- Katherine Grainger, a rower and Great Britain's most decorated female Olympian.
- Laura Muir, a British record holder in running and an Olympic silver medalist.
- Emma Richards, who became the first British woman and youngest person to sail solo around the world with stops.
- Andrew Watson, an early Scotland international footballer and the first black international player in the history of the game.
All content from Kiddle encyclopedia articles (including the article images and facts) can be freely used under Attribution-ShareAlike license, unless stated otherwise. Cite this article:
List of University of Glasgow people Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.