Honorary Graduates | Students | The University of Aberdeen

Honorary Graduates

Each year we award honorary degrees to distinguished individuals who merit special recognition for genuine achievement and distinction in a field or activity, not only to acknowledge and celebrate their success but also to provide our students with inspiration role models, prompting further determination to succeed and achieve.

In 2022 the University refreshed its process for awarding honorary degrees to reflect the ambitions of Aberdeen 2040.

Nominations for honorary degrees can be made by any serving member of University staff. More information on the nomination process can be found here.

Wellbeing Support

Recent awardees

2025

Summer 2025

John Charles Otto (Co-founder and Advocate)

Degree: MUniv

John Otto is a businessman who co-founded the JJR Macleod Memorial Statue Society with Kimberlie Hamilton to raise funding for a permanent memorial in Aberdeen to honour the Scottish co-discoverer of insulin, John James Rickard Macleod. A graduate of the University, and later Regius Professor of Physiology at his alma mater, Macleod was awarded the 1923 Nobel Prize for Medicine or Physiology, although his significant role in the discovery of insulin was for many years not widely recognised.

John, who has lived over 50 years with Type 1 diabetes, has worked tirelessly to ensure that the discovery is more clearly associated with Macleod, Scotland and the University of Aberdeen. In 2023, a bronze and granite memorial was unveiled in Aberdeen’s Duthie Park and now serves as an enduring reminder of Macleod’s lifesaving legacy.

John continues to build upon his relationships with medical and historical communities in Toronto, Canada, where insulin was discovered in 1922, by raising awareness of Macleod at special events and fostering international links that benefit Aberdeen and the University’s cutting-edge diabetes-related research.

Anne Minto OBE, LLB, FRSA, FCGI, FCIPD, FCIM (Businesswoman, Company Director and Philanthropist)

Degree: LLD

Anne Minto is an international businesswoman and philanthropist who has used her leadership roles to champion workplace diversity, equal pay and female board room representation. A lawyer by profession, Anne holds an LLB from the University of Aberdeen and has had a long and distinguished career in business in Shell, Smiths Group plc and latterly as Group Human Resources Director at Centrica plc.

Since 2010 Anne has had a successful portfolio career as a Non-Executive Director serving on the Boards of Shire plc, Tate and Lyle plc and EXL Inc. She is a former Chair of the Institute of Employment Studies and the Engineering Development Trust and served on the National Employers Committee for the Reserve Forces. Currently she is the Chair of the International Women Forum UK and a member of the Leadership Council for Women in Prison.

Anne was an Independent Governor of the University Court for 9 years and chaired the Finance and Resources Committee. She also served as the Chair of the University Development Trust for 9 years until September 2021. She has been a generous donor and supporter of the University over many years and funds four annual scholarships for students studying law.

Anne was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to the engineering industry. She is also an ambassador and sponsor of the Om Foundation School in Delhi.

Angus Pelham Burn Esq, JP, DL, LLD, CStJ, MBE (Businessman, Company Director and Philanthropist)

Degree: MUniv

Angus Pelham Burn is a retired businessman, company director and philanthropist with a long and distinguished record of public service in Scotland. After an early career with the Hudson's Bay Company in Northern Canada for a period of over seven years, Angus returned to Scotland and went into farming. Angus later went on to have a successful business career in a variety of senior company and board roles, including as Chair of Aberdeen Asset Management, Scottish Provident and the Aberdeen Airport Consultative Committee. His other directorships have included the Bank of Scotland and Dana Petroleum.

Angus also served on Grampian Regional Council as the Councillor for Banchory in Aberdeenshire for 27 years and is a former Justice of Peace and Member of The Queen's Body Guard for Scotland, The Royal Company of Archers. He also served as the Vice Lord Lieutenant of Kincardineshire for over 20 years. Angus was the first Chair of Global Philanthropic and is a Patron of the World Monuments Fund, which supports important and vulnerable heritage sites across the world as well as the Knockando Woolmill Trust, a Scottish charity which preserves a working woollen mill in Moray.

Angus has made a meaningful contribution to the work of the University, including donations to our library, Cruikshank Botanical Gardens and the Angus Pelham Burn Award. These scholarships have supported PhD students studying anthropology in carrying out important field work, with a particular focus on research in Greenland and the Arctic region. In 2019, Angus was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to the community in the north-east of Scotland.

Roy Dennis OBE (Field ornithologist, Ecologist and Author)

Degree: DSc

Roy Dennis is a leading field ornithologist and wildlife consultant, who has dedicated his professional life to the conservation of rare birds and the reintroduction of lost species in Scotland and in other countries. Roy’s early career included a period running the Fair Isle Bird Observatory in the Shetland Islands, leaving in 1970 to work as the RSPB’s senior officer in Northern Scotland where he remained for 20 years until 1990. Roy later returned to support the work of the Fair Isle Bird Observatory Trust as Chair for 16 years until 2010 and is now Honorary President. The Highland Foundation for Wildlife, which was founded by Roy in 1995, was renamed as the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation in 2017 to reflect the increasingly international scope of their work as well as Roy’s contribution to conservation. He continues to work on projects as Honorary Director.

As an independent wildlife specialist, Roy has authored or contributed to numerous books, articles and TV documentaries and is a specialist in raptor conservation and bird and mammal reintroductions, having carried out Osprey, Red Kite, Golden Eagle, White-tailed Eagle, Beaver and Red Squirrel reintroduction projects. In 2004, Roy was voted the RSPB Golden Eagle Award winner for the person who had done most for nature conservation in Scotland in the last 100 years. In 1992 Roy was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to nature conservation in Scotland. Almost 30 years later, he received further recognition when he was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2023 for services to wildlife.

Winter 2025

Fiona Drouet MBE (Charity Founder and CEO, Campaigner)

Degree: DHC

Fiona Drouet is a nationally recognised campaigner and charity leader, who has dedicated her life to transforming how educational institutions respond to gender-based violence (GBV).

Following the tragic loss of her 18-year-old daughter Emily in 2016 - a law student at the University who took her own life after a sustained campaign of abuse by a fellow student - Fiona founded EmilyTest. EmilyTest is a pioneering Scottish charity that works to improve safety and support for students affected by GBV across colleges and universities. Under her leadership, EmilyTest developed the GBV Charter for Colleges and Universities, the first of its kind globally, now adopted by institutions across Scotland. The University of Aberdeen was awarded the EmilyTest Charter in 2024 for its own outstanding commitment to gender-based violence (GBV) prevention, intervention, and support.

Fiona continues to work closely with the Scottish Government, Police Scotland, trade unions and education leaders to embed systemic change and raise awareness of abuse, coercion, and mental health impacts in academic settings. Her advocacy efforts have earned her widespread recognition, including honorary doctorates from the University of Strathclyde and the Open University in Scotland. Fiona was also made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2020 Queen’s Birthday Honours for her services to education and gender-based violence prevention.

Her Excellency Ambassador Rena Lee (International Lawyer and Diplomat)

Degree: LLD

Ambassador Rena Lee is a distinguished international lawyer, diplomat, and public servant with over three decades of experience in global legal affairs.

Rena is Singapore’s Ambassador for International Law. As Ambassador for Oceans and Law of the Sea Issues and Special Envoy of the Minister for Foreign Affairs, she was elected President of the United Nations Intergovernmental Conference for an agreement under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea on marine biodiversity (BBNJ Agreement). She successfully guided complex negotiations involving 193 nations toward this landmark international agreement which will enter into force in January 2026.

Her expertise spans a wide range of public international law, including environmental and climate change law, humanitarian and human rights law, and law of the sea. She has represented Singapore in various international forums and is a member of the Permanent Court of Arbitration.

A graduate of the National University of Singapore, Rena was named one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in 2024 in recognition of her diplomatic achievements and global impact.

Jim Glennie (One of Scotland's last surviving D-Day veterans)

Degree: MUniv

Jim Glennie, who turned 100 in 2025, was presented with a Master of the University (MUniv) at a special ceremony on 14 October 2025 at King’s College Chapel.

Born in Turriff, Mr Glennie was just 18 years old when he became one of the first Gordon Highlanders to land on Normandy’s beaches in 1944. After being called up, he enlisted in the army and began his military service at the Bridge of Don Barracks in Aberdeen, before being sent to the front line to take part in Operation Overlord, the largest seaborne invasion in history.

Previous awardees

2024

May 2024

The Most Reverend Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury - Awarded DD
Find out more about May 2024 Graduates.

July 2024

Sir Peter Bruce - Awarded DSc
Jonathan Wilks - Awarded DUniv
Professor Jeremy Begbie - Awarded DD
Phil Astley - Awarded MUniv
Find out more about July 2024 Graduates.

November 2024

Jake Molloy – Awarded MUniv
Colin Shepherd - Awarded MUniv
Find out more about November 2024 Graduates.

2023

June 2023

Kathryn McPhail - Awarded DUniv
Dr Grahame Davies - Awarded DLitt
Professor Andrew Morrisson - Awarded DMus
Jeanette Forbes - Awarded MUniv

Find out more about July 2023 Graduates.

November 2023

Dorothy Bain KC - Awarded LLD
Hugh Dan MacLennan - Awarded DUniv
Sonita Alleyne - Awarded DUniv

Find out more about November 2023 Graduates.

2022

July 2022

Professor David Croisdale-Appleby - Awarded LLD
Lord Berkeley of Knighton - Awarded DMus
Professor Katherine Sonderegger - Awarded DD

Find out more about our July 2022 honorary graduates.

2020

HRH The Princess Royal
Professor Janet Darbyshire, CBE

Find out more about our 2020 honorary graduates.

2019

June 2019

Professor Sally Mapstone BA, DPhil, FRSE - Awarded DLitt
Sir Tony Robinson - Awarded DLitt
Professor Dame Ottoline Leyser DBE, FRS - Awarded DSc
Professor Dame Susan Black DBE - Awarded DSc
HE Sheikha Aisha bint Faleh Al-Thani BEd, BA, MBA, PhD - Awarded LLD
Ronald Watt OB - Awarded MUniv
John McLeod CBE FRAM - Awarded DMus
Dame Carolyn Fairbairn DBE, BA, MA, MBA - Awarded DHC
Professor Fiona Alison Steele OBE FBA - Awarded DSc
Professor Sir John Stewart Savill, FRSE FMedSci FRS - Awarded DSc
Professor Michael Greaves MBChB, MD, FRCPath, FRCP - Awarded DSc

Find out more about our June 2019 honorary graduates.

January 2019 (Principal's Installation)

Eddie Stevenson MBE - Awarded MUniv

2018

November 2018

The Rt Hon. the Lord Darling of Roulanish PC, LLB - Awarded LLD
The Most Rev and Rt Hon Justin Welby MA -Awarded DD
Gladys Sangster - Awarded MUniv
Micheal O'Siadhail BA, MLitt, DLitt -Awarded DLitt

Find out more about our November 2018 honorary graduates.

June 2018

Sheena Booth Blackhall Dip Ed, BSc (Hons Psychology), MLitt (Distinction) - Awarded MUniv
Professor Gordon Marshall CBE, FBA, BA, DPhil - Awarded DSc
Stanley Jack -Awarded MUniv
Robert Gordon Lovie - Awarded DHC
Michael Zaugg BM, MM - Awarded DMus
Professor Ruth Khasaya Oniang'o DSM SS - Awarded DSc
Professor Dame Anna Dominiczak DBE, MD, FRCP, FAHA, FRSE, FMedSci - Awarded DSc

Find out more about our June 2018 honorary graduates .

2017

November 2017

Anita Margaret Frew BA, MRes - Awarded DHC
Professor Deborah Terry AO, BA, PhD, FAPS - Awarded LLD
Professor Mihai G. Netea MD PhD - Awarded DSc
Professor Simon Halsey CBE, BA, MA, MA, DUniv, DMus, DMus - Awarded DMus
Professor John Michael Kosterlitz BA, MA, DPhil - Awarded DSc
Judith Bingham BMus - Awarded DMus
The Revd Canon Stephen John Evans BA, MA, MPhil, Cert Theol - Awarded DHC
Francis Rolleston Gardner OBE, BA, LLD, FRGS - Awarded DLitt

Find out more about our November 2017 honorary graduates.

June 2017

Donald Alexander Lamont MA - Awarded LLD
David Strachan BD, Diploma in Pastoral Studies - Awarded DHC
Ms Margaret Carlaw BSc - Awarded MUniv
Kim Alison Little BSc - Awarded MUniv
Dame Katherine Grainger DBE - Awarded DHC
Sir Moir Lockhead Kt, OBE, DBA, DHC - Awarded LLD
Professor Stanley Hauerwas - Awarded DD
Brian Sidney Pack OBE, SDA, Dip.FBOM, MSc, FRAgS - Awarded DHC
David Andrew Steyn LLB - Awarded DHC
Jennifer Ann Brown MA, DUniv - Awarded DLitt
Isobel Yule MA - Awarded MUniv
George Adam DA - Awarded LLD

Find out more about our June 2017 honorary graduates.

2016

November 2016

Professor Nyovani J Madise BSc, MSc, PhD - Awarded DSc
Nicholas Andrew Argyll Campbell MA, DLitt - Awarded DHC
Sara Lamb Parkin OBE, LLD, DSc - Awarded DHC
Judith Murray BA, DHC - Awarded DHC
Elly Barnes MBE, BMus(Hons), MA - Awarded DHC
Lesley Scott Dent Glasser MBE, BA, PhD, DSc, FRSE, FInstP - Awarded DSc
Professor Fredrik P Glasser, BA, PhD, DSc, IOM3, FRSE - Awarded DSc
Very Rev John Chalmers BD QHC - Awarded DSc

Find out more about our November 2016 honorary graduates.

June 2016

Nicola Dandridge - Awarded DHC
Professor David Ford - Awarded DD
Professor Frances Cairncross - Awarded LLD
Suzy Digby - Awarded DMus
Samuel Jackson - Awarded DMus
Nanette Milne OBE - Awarded DHC
George Yule - Awarded MUniv
Professor Alice Brown CBE - Awarded LLD
Professor Lesley Yellowlees - Awarded DSc
Anne Harper - Awarded MUniv
Professor Teresa Rees - Awarded DSc
Dame Anne Begg DBE - Awarded DHC
Professor Pamela Gillies - Awarded DSc
Alison Skene MBE - Awarded MUniv
Rt Hon Baroness Tessa Jowell - Awarded LLD
Lady Joan Catto - Awarded MUniv

Find out more about our June 2016 honorary graduates.

March 2016 (Special Ceremony)

President John Dramani Mahama - Awarded LLD

2015

November 2015

Zainab Hawa Bangura - Awarded LLD
Christopher Philip Bell - Awarded DMus
Very Rev Dr Graham John Thomson Forbes CBE - Awarded DD
Malcolm Webb LLB DBA - Awarded DHC
Marc Floyd Ellington - Awarded DHC

Find out more about our November 2015 honorary graduates.

June 2015

Iain James Mackay MA, CA - Awarded DHC
The Hon Lady Wise LLB (Hons), DLP, LLM - Awarded LLD
Air Commodore R W Joseph CBE BSc RAF (Retd) - Awarded MUniv
Yasmin Rahman Seyal MA MS CPA - Awarded DHC
Professor Richard William Rylance BA PhD FRSA - Awarded LLD
Professor David William Rhind CBE, FRS, Hon FBA - Awarded DSc
Frances Guy MA - Awarded LLD
Frederick George Scott Dalgarno LLB, CA - Awarded MUniv
Professor Douglas Bruce Kell CBE, MA, DPhil, DSc, FIBiol, FLSW, FAAS - Awarded DSc
Graham John Siddall BSc, MSc, PhD - Awarded DSc
David Walker MA - Awarded DHC
Professor Louise Richardson BA, MA, PhD, FRSE - Awarded LLD
Alistair Gerould Macdonald MA - Awarded MUniv
Professor Stephen D Logan BSc PhD - Awarded LLD

Find out more about our June 2015 honorary graduates.

2014

November 2014

Professor James Jordan MMus PhD - Awarded DMus
John Edward Kitson Smith CBE BA LLD CPFA FCA FRSA - Awarded LLD
Sir Leszek Krzysztof Borysiewicz Kt PhD FRCP FRCPath FMedSci FRS - Awarded DSc
Professor Albert Alexander Rodger FREng BSc (Eng) PhD CEng FICE FGS - Awarded DSc
Professor Frances Mary Ashcroft BA PhD ScD DSc DUniv FMedSci FRS - Awarded DSc

Find out more about our November 2014 honorary graduates.

July 2014

Dr Adam Watson, FSocBiol, FArcticINorthAmer, FRSE, FCEH, FRMetSoc, BSc, PhD, DSc, DUniv - Awarded DSc
Robert Grant Macfarlane BA, MPhil, PhD - Awarded DLitt
Christopher Rush MA - Awarded DLitt
Dr Alice Marjorie Sheila Prochaska D Phil, FRHist.S - Awarded LLD
Professor Hayman Russel Botman BA, BTh, MTh, DTh - Awarded LLD
Michael David Loggie BA MA - Awarded DHC
Professor Witold Zatoński MD DSc - Awarded DSc
Professor David Alexander Syme Fergusson DPhil, FBA, FRSE - Awarded DD
Professor Anna Frances Glasier OBE, BSc, MBChB, MD, DSc, LLD, FFSRH, FRCOG, FRSE - Awarded DSc
Reverend Professor Clifford James Green - Awarded DD

Find out more about our July 2014 honorary graduates.

2013

November 2013

Archbishop John Sentamu - Awarded DD
Juliette Paton - Awarded MUniv
Karen Darke - Awarded DHC

Find out more about our November 2013 honorary graduates.

July 2013

Professor Terence Charles Daintith - Awarded LLD
Professor David Noel Livingstone OBE - Awarded DLitt
Professor Dame (Susan) Jocelyn Bell Burnell FRS, FRSE - Awarded DSc
Steven John Cannon - Awarded LLD
Ralph Allwood MBE - Awarded DMus
Justice Albert Louis Sachs - Awarded LLD
James Anthony O'Donnell KCSG - Awarded DMus
Professor Emmanuel Adow Obeng - Awarded DHC
Professor Dominic Frances Joseph Houlihan OBE - Awarded DSc

Find out more about our July 2013 honorary graduates.

June 2013 - Chancellor's Installation

HRH The Duchess of Rothesay
Sir Eric Anderson
Sir Ronald Harwood
Professor Philip James
Dr Audrey Dawson
Frank Mulholland
Neil Fachie

Find out more about our Chancellor's appointment

2012

November 2012

Peter James Stephen OStJ - Awarded DHC
The Hon Lord Bracadale - Awarded LLD
Rev Dr Alan David Falconer- Awarded DD
Sir John Rex Beddington CMG- Awarded DSc
Sir (William) Roland Cedric Jackson Bt - Awarded DHC
Jane (Jean) Mitchell Hamilton - Awarded MUniv

Find out more about our November 2012 honorary graduates.

July 2012

Professor Christopher Bones FRSA - Awarded DHC
Dr Jonathan M Daube- Awarded DHC
The Hon Lady Dorrian- Awarded LLD
Professor Lisa Jardine CBE- Awarded DSc
Dame Emma Kirkby- Awarded DMus
Duncan Macniven TD- Awarded LLD
Sir Adam Roberts KCMG, FBA- Awarded LLD
David Sweeney- Awarded DHC
The Hon Lord Woolman- Awarded LLD
Colin W McKerracher CBE QPM- Awarded LLD
Ian A Suttie- Awarded DHC

Find out more about our July 2012 honorary graduates.

2011

November 2011

Jennifer Shirreffs - Awarded MUniv
Lord Jonathan Sacks, Chief Rabbi - Awarded LLD
Dr Michael Wyllie - Awarded DHC
Jeremy Huw Williams - Awarded DMus
Dame Hazel Genn - Awarded LLD

Find out more about our November 2011 honorary graduates.

July 2011

Professor C Duncan Rice - Awarded LLD
Alan Amoore - Awarded DHC
Richard Thomson OBE - Awarded DHC
Professor William Saunders - Awarded DSc
Dame Carol Black - Awarded DSc
Professor Michael Gazzaniga - Awarded DSc
Professor K Srinath Reddy - Awarded DSc
John Manzoni - Awarded DSc
Dr Roger Williiams - Awarded DMus
Sir Paul Nurse - Awarded DSc

Find out more about our July 2011 honorary graduates.

2010

November 2010

Sir Mark Walport - Awarded DSc
Lord Carter of Barnes - Awarded LLD
Diane Morgan - Awarded MUniv
Clare Russell - Awarded MUniv
Christopher Cusiter - Awarded DHC

Find out more about our November 2010 honorary graduates.

July 2010

Daniel Wegner BS, MA, PhD - Awarded DSc
Lord Robert Winston - Awarded DSc
James Douglas Craig OBE MA CA - Awarded DHC
Lord John Krebs Kt, FRS, FMedSci, BA, MA, DPhil - Awarded DSc
Professor John Hughes FRS, BSc, MA, PhD - Awarded DSc
Erwin Neher - Awarded DSc
Anthony Victor Hilton MA - Awarded DHC
Andrew Douglas Fyfe Lewis MBA FInstD - Awarded DHC
Neal Ascherson MA - Awarded DLitt
Michael Lewis Shattock OBE, BA(Oxon), MA(Oxon) - Awarded LLD
James Loy MacMillan CBE, BMus, PhD, FRSAMD - Awarded DMus
John Edward Tooke MA, MSc, BM, BCh, DM, DSc(Oxon) - Awarded DSc

Find out more about our July 2010 honorary graduates.

2009

November 2009

Professor Richard Dawkins FRS - Awarded DSc
William Edgar CBE - Awarded DSc
Professor Zygmunt Bauman - Awarded DLitt
Dr John Purser - Awarded DHC
Laurie Taylor - Awarded DHC

Find out more about our November 2009 honorary graduates.

July 2009

Geoffrey Dennis MacCormack BA, LLB, MA, DPhil - Awarded LLD
William James Maclean MBE, RSA, DLitt - Awarded DLitt
Sir Moir Lockhead OBE - Awarded DHC
Edi Stark MA Hons ALA - Awarded MUniv
Martin James Gilbert MA, LLB, LLD, CA - Awarded LLD
John Stewart Spence - Awarded DHC
Professor William Horbury FBA, MA, PhD, DD - Awarded DD
Peter W Mills QHC, BD, CPS RAF - Awarded DD
Victoria Elizabeth Crowe MA (RCA), RSA, RSW, OBE - Awarded DHC
Morten Johannes Lauridsen - Awarded DMus

Find out more about our July 2009 honorary graduates.

2008

November 2008

William Stanley Robertson (deceased) - Awarded MUniv
Susan Rice CBE, FRSE, BA, MLitt, DHC, DB - Awarded LLD
Sir Roy Anderson FRS, FMedSci - Awarded DSc
William J L Buyers FRSC, FInstPhys - Awarded DSc

July 2008

Ferran Adrià - Awarded DHC
Kenneth Hunter BA - Awarded DHC
Sir David Frederick Attenborough OM CH CVO FRS - Awarded DSC
Medbh McGuckian - Awarded DLitt
Semir Zeki BSc PhD FMedSci FRS - Awarded DSc
John Sievwright MA CA - Awarded DHC
Ian Trevor Russell MSc PhD FSS MIMgt FRCP - Awarded DSc
John Anthony Pickett CBE DSc FRS - Awarded DSc
James Matheson Smith BSc - Awarded DSc
Bridget McConnell MA Med PgDip FRSA - Awarded DHC
Alexander McLeish - Awarded DHC
John Buttifant The Lord Sewel CBE BA MScEcon PhD - Awarded LLD
Matthew M MacIver CBE MA Med FEIS FRSA - Awarded DHC
Ernest McAlpine Armstrong CB BSc MB ChB FRCSEd FRCP(Glas, Ed) FRCGP FFPH - Awarded LLD
James Smith Milne DL CBE DBA (Hon) - Awarded DHC

2007