The following is a list of notable people associated with Somerville College, Oxford , including alumni and fellows of the college. This list consists almost entirely of women, due to the fact that Somerville College was one of the first two women's colleges of the University of Oxford , admitting men for the first time in 1994.[1] The college and its alumni have played a very important role in feminism .
Somervillians include prime ministers Margaret Thatcher and Indira Gandhi , Nobel-Prize-winning scientist Dorothy Hodgkin , television personalities Esther Rantzen and Susie Dent , reformer Cornelia Sorabji , writers Marjorie Boulton , Vera Brittain , A. S. Byatt , Susan Cooper , Penelope Fitzgerald , Alan Hollinghurst , Winifred Holtby , Nicole Krauss , Iris Murdoch and Dorothy L. Sayers , politicians Shirley Williams , Margaret Jay and Sam Gyimah , socialite Lady Ottoline Morrell , Princess Bamba Sutherland and her sister , philosophers G. E. M. Anscombe , Patricia Churchland , Philippa Foot and Mary Midgley , psychologist Anne Treisman , archaeologist Kathleen Kenyon , actress Moon Moon Sen , soprano Emma Kirkby and numerous women's rights activists. It has educated at least 29 dames, 17 heads of Oxford colleges , 11 life peers , 10 MP's, 4 Olympic rowers,[2] 3 of The 50 greatest British writers since 1945 ,[3] 2 prime ministers, 2 princesses, a queen consort and a Nobel laureate .
Firsts Somervillians have achieved a good number of "firsts", internationally, nationally and at Oxford University. The most distinguished are the first woman Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Margaret Thatcher , the first and only British woman to win a Nobel Prize in science Dorothy Hodgkin , and the first woman to lead the world's largest democracy Indira Gandhi , Prime Minister of India for much of the 1970s. Others include Cornelia Sorabji , first female lawyer in India and first Indian national to study at any British university; Anne Warburton , first female British ambassador; Constance Coltman , Britain's first woman to be an ordained Anglican minister; Shriti Vadera, Baroness Vadera , first woman to head a major British bank and chair the Royal Shakespeare Company ; Evelyn Sharp, Baroness Sharp , first female permanent secretary , and Carys Bannister , first female neurosurgeon in the UK.
Alumni
Activists and feminists Lettice Fisher Margaret Hills Gurmehar Kaur Margaret Mackworth, 2nd Viscountess Rhondda Catherine Hilda Duleep Singh Ruth Adler [5] (1944–1994), feminist , human rights campaigner and child welfare advocate; founder of Amnesty International 's Scotland and of Scottish Women's Aid and helped to establish the Scottish Child Law CentreDame Hester Adrian, Baroness Adrian DBE BEM (1899-1966), mental health worker; president of the Howard League for Penal Reform Rachel Armitage [6] (1873–1955), New Zealand welfare worker and community leader; first New Zealand woman BA to complete a degree at OxfordAlison Assiter FRSA FAcSS (1949), Professor of Feminist Theory Jasodhara Bagchi (1937–2015), leading Indian feminist critic and activistJane Esdon Brailsford (1874–1937), Scottish suffragette Margaret Bramall (1916-2007), social worker and charity director; led the Gingerbread from 1963 to 1979Vera Brittain [7] [10] (1893–1970), Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD) nurse, writer, feminist, and pacifist ; author of Testament of Youth Stella Browne (1880–1955), Canadian-born feminist, socialist, sex radical , and birth control campaigner; one of the first women to speak out in somewhat offensive ways about her beliefs with a "Forward, Charge!" approachCicely Corbett Fisher [11] (1885–1959), suffragist and workers' rights activistAnn Dummett (1930–2012), activist, campaigner for racial justice and published authorHonora Enfield (1882–1935), co-operative activist and founder of the International Women's Co-operative GuildLilian Faithfull CBE (1865–1952), teacher, headmistress, women's rights advocate, magistrate , social worker and humanitarian; one of the "Steamboat ladies " who were part of the struggle for women to gain university educationLettice Fisher (1875–1956), founder of the National Council for the Unmarried Mother and her Child, now known as Gingerbread ; wife of H. A. L. Fisher Dame Evelyn Fox [12] DBE (1874–1955), noted health worker and driving force for the creation of the British Epilepsy Association (BEA) and National Association for Mental Health (now Mind) Julia Gasper , independent academic specialising in historical literature, and a right-wing political activist affiliated with the English Democrats Katie Ghose (1970), campaigner and lawyer; Chief Executive of the Women's Aid Federation of England and former Chief Executive of the Electoral Reform Society Margaret Hills (1882–1967), teacher, suffragist organiser, feminist and socialist; first female councillor on Stroud District Council Clare Hodges (1957–2011), activist who advanced the medical understanding of cannabis and campaigned for its widespread benefit as a therapeutic medicine Winifred Holtby [10] (1898–1935), novelist, journalist and suffragist, now best known for her novel South Riding and editor of the feminist magazine Time and Tide . The rights to the book were given to Somerville by Holtby on her death. The Winifred Holtby Memorial Prize was named after her.Svava Jakobsdóttir (1930–2004), one of Iceland 's foremost 20th-century authors and feminist politiciansFreshta Karim (1992), Afghan children's rights activist and television presenter; featured in the Forbes 30 Under 30 selection and in the BBC 100 Women in 2021Gurmehar Kaur (1996), Indian student activist and author of Small Acts of Freedom ; included by Time Magazine in their "10 Next Generation Leaders" list for 2017Judith Kazantzis (1940–2018), poet and political and social activistGenevieve Lloyd (1941), Australian philosopher and feminist ; first female Professor of Philosophy in Australia; author of The Man of Reason Sheila MacDonald Lochhead , British prison reform activist, daughter of Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald Florence MacAulay (1862–1945), suffragist; wrote the lyrics to The Women's Marseillaise Margaret Mackworth, 2nd Viscountess Rhondda (1883–1958), Welsh peeress , businesswoman , significant suffragette, RMS Lusitania survivor, first female director of the Institute of Directors , founder of Time and Tide and the Six Point Group Jenny Manson (1948), British Jewish activist, author, former civil servant, Labour Party councillor and Chair of Jewish Voice for Labour Christabel Marshall (1871–1960), campaigner for women's suffrage; playwright and authorJean Medawar (1913–2005), author; former chairman of the Family Planning Association ; wife of Nobelist Sir Peter Brian Medawar Eddie Ndopu (1990), Namibian human rights and disability advocate; recognized by Pacific Standard as one of their "top 30 thinkers under 30", by Shaw Trust and Powerful Media as one of the 50 most influential people with disabilities in the world, and by South Africa's Mail & Guardian as one of their "top 200 young South Africans "[15] Ann Oakley (1944), sociologist , feminist, and writer; author of The Men's Room Adelaide Plumptre (1874–1948), Canadian activist, diplomat, and municipal politician in Toronto ; first woman elected chair of the Canadian Red Cross , Toronto Board of Education ; first woman to sit in the Toronto Board of Control Margaret Pyke (1893–1937), family planning activist and pioneer; founding member of the British National Birth Control Committee (NBCC), later known as the Family Planning Association (FPA)Eleanor Rathbone [16] MP (1872–1946), independent MP; long-term campaigner for family allowance and for women's rights; member of the Rathbone family ; Somerville's first MPElizabeth Anne Reid AO FASSA (1942), Australian development practitioner, feminist and academic; world's first advisor on women's affairs to a head of governmentPhoebe Sheavyn (1865-1968), literary scholar and feminist; a professor at Victoria University of Manchester and founding member of the British Federation of University Women Lucy Sichone [17] [18] (1954–1998), Zambian civil rights activist; first Zambian woman to receive a Rhodes Scholarship ; first woman to have her portrait displayed on the walls of the prestigious Rhodes House Angela Sinclair-Loutit [19] (1921–2016), social justice activist, pacifist and nurse; first female member of the Friends' Ambulance Unit .Princess Catherine Hilda Duleep Singh [20] (1871–1942), daughter of Maharaja Duleep Singh and suffragist Cornelia Sorabji (1866–1954), first woman to practice law in India and Britain ; first Indian national to study at any British universityHannah Stanton (1913-1993), social worker and anti-apartheid activistRadhabai Subbarayan [16] (1891–1960), first female member of the Indian Council of States (Rajya Sabha)Farhana Yamin (1965), lawyer, public speaker and climate activist
Architects
Archivists
Artists
Authors Marjorie Boulton Vera Brittain A. S. Byatt Elizabeth Young, Lady Kennet Nicole Krauss Janet Adam Smith OBE (1905–1999), writer, editor, literary journalist and champion of Scottish literature ; assistant editor of The Listener Caroline Alexander (1956), American author and classicist; first woman to publish a full-length English translation of Homer 's Iliad Jo Baker (1973), writer; author of Longbourn Elspeth Barker (1940), Scottish novelist and journalistReem Bassiouney (1973), Egyptian author and professor of sociolinguistics ; Sawiris Cultural Award winnerNina Bawden [10] CBE FRSL JP (1925–2012), novelist and children's writer ; shortlisted for the Booker Prize and Lost Man Booker Prize ; one of very few who have both served as a Booker judge and made a Booker shortlist as an author; winner of the Guardian Prize and Phoenix Award Lucy M. Boston [10] (1892–1990), novelist who wrote for children and adults; best known for her "Green Knowe " series; winner of the Carnegie Medal Marjorie Boulton [24] [25] (1924–2017), author and poet writing in both English and Esperanto Vera Brittain [7] [10] (1893–1970), Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD) nurse, writer, feminist, and pacifist ; author of Testament of Youth Christine Brooke-Rose (1923–2012), writer and literary critic, known principally for her later, experimental novelsDame A. S. Byatt [10] DBE HonFBA (1936-2023), novelist, poet and Booker Prize and Erasmus Prize winner; one of The 50 greatest British writers since 1945 ; author of Possession: A Romance Lady Susan Chitty (1929-2021), novelist and a writer of biographies Anne Crone (1915–1972), Irish novelist and teacherRosemary Dinnage [27] (1928–2015), author and critic; listed by The Observer as one of Britain's top 300 intellectuals in 2011Gertrude Minnie Faulding (1875–1961), novelist and children's writer[28] Geraldine Penrose Fitzgerald (1846–1939), Irish novelist and catholic convert; arguably the first Catholic Oxford woman studentPenelope Fitzgerald [10] (1916–2000), writer, Booker Prize winner, one of The 50 greatest British writers since 1945 ; her final novel, The Blue Flower is seen as one of "the ten best historical novels" and won the National Book Critics Circle Award Margaret Forster [10] (1938–2016), novelist, biographer, memoirist, historian and literary critic ; author of Georgy Girl and Diary of an Ordinary Woman Charis Frankenburg (1892–1985), author; one of the first women eligible for a degree from the University of Oxford; founder of one of the first birth control clinics in England outside LondonCelia Fremlin (1914–2009), writer of mystery fiction; winner of the Edgar Award Maggie Gee OBE FRSL (1948), novelist, one of six women among the 20 writers on the Granta Best of Young British Novelists list in 1983; first female Chair of the Royal Society of Literature (RSL)Victoria Glendinning CBE (1937), biographer, critic, broadcaster and novelist; honorary vice-president of English PEN ; winner of the James Tait Black Memorial Prize ; Vice-president of the Royal Society of LiteratureJudith Grossman ,[32] American writerAlix Hawley (1975), Canadian novelistEmma Henderson (1958), author; shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction Joanna Hines (1949), writerJane Aiken Hodge [10] (1917–2009), American-born writer, daughter of Conrad Aiken Winifred Holtby [10] (1898–1935), novelist, journalist and suffragist, now best known for her novel South Riding and editor of the feminist magazine Time and Tide . The rights to the book were given to Somerville by Holtby on her death. The Winifred Holtby Memorial Prize was named after her.Muriel Jaeger [33] (1892–1969), author who wrote early novels of science fiction as well as plays and non-fictionSvava Jakobsdóttir (1930–2004), one of Iceland 's foremost 20th Century authors and feminist politiciansLiz Jensen [34] FRSL (1959), novelistDaisy Johnson [35] (1990), writer; youngest author to be shortlisted for the Booker Prize ; winner of the Edge Hill Short Story Prize Margaret Kennedy [10] (1896–1967), novelist and playwright; author of The Constant Nymph Nicole Krauss [36] (1974), American author best known for her four novels Man Walks Into a Room , The History of Love , Great House and Forest Dark (which won an award from the Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards ); selected as one of The New Yorker 's "20 Under 40" writers to watch.Marghanita Laski [37] (1915–1988), journalist, radio panellist and novelistMargaret Leigh (1894–1973), writer who lived extensively in Scotland and wrote about life in crofting communitiesGillian Linscott (1944), author and winner of the CWA Historical Dagger Dame Rose Macaulay [10] DBE (1881–1958), writer, most noted for her novel The Towers of Trebizond ; James Tait Black Memorial Prize winner Sheila MacLeod (1939), Scottish author and feministElizabeth Macneal (1988), author known for her book The Doll Factorý Amphilis Throckmorton Middlemore (1891–1931), British writer and teacherDame Iris Murdoch [7] [10] DBE (1919–1999), novelist and philosopher born in Ireland; twelfth on a list of The 50 greatest British writers since 1945 and winner of the Booker Prize ; author of Under the Net , listed in the Modern Library 100 Best Novels Kathleen Nott FRSL (1905–1999), poet, novelist, critic, philosopher and editorChristine Orr (1899–1963), Scottish novelist, playwright, poet, actor, theatre director and broadcaster; one of the "uninvited eight" instrumental in the founding of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe ; one of only three women making a salary over £500 at the BBC before WWIIInez Pearn [37] (1913–1976), novelistHilda Stewart Reid (1898–1982), novelist and historianMichèle Roberts [10] [39] (1949), novelist and poet; shortlisted for the Booker Prize and Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres Constance Savery [10] [41] (1897–1999), author of novels and children's booksDorothy L. Sayers [7] [10] (1893–1957), crime writer, poet and playwright; creator of Lord Peter Wimsey ; translated Dante 's Divine Comedy Neil Spring [43] (1981), Welsh novelist of supernatural horror, known for his bestselling book The Ghost Hunters (2013)Hilary Spurling CBE FRSL (1940), writer, journalist and biographer; winner of the Whitbread Prize Alexander Starritt [44] (1985), Scottish-German novelist, journalist and entrepreneurSylvia Thompson (1902–1968), novelist, writer and public speakerDoreen Wallace [45] (1897–1989), novelist, grammar school teacher and social campaignerLaura Wilson (1964), crime-writer; winner of the Prix du Polar Européen and CWA Historical Dagger and shortlisted for the Gold Dagger Elizabeth Young, Lady Kennet (1923–2014), writer, researcher, poet, artist, campaigner, analyst and questioning commentator
Children's writersSusan Cooper Nina Bawden [10] CBE FRSL JP (1925–2012), novelist and children's writer ; shortlisted for the Booker Prize and Lost Man Booker Prize ; one of very few to serve both as a Booker judge and make a Booker shortlist as an author; winner of the Guardian Prize and Phoenix Award Lucy M. Boston [10] (1892–1990), novelist who wrote for children and adults; best known for her "Green Knowe " series; winner of the Carnegie Medal Pauline Clarke (1921–2013), author who wrote for younger children; best known for her The Twelve and the Genii ; winner of the Carnegie Medal , Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis and Lewis Carroll Shelf Award Olivia Coolidge (1908–2006), British-born American children's writer and educator; runner-up for the Newbery Medal Susan Cooper [10] (1935), author of children's books including The Dark Is Rising ; winner of the Newbery Medal and Margaret A. Edwards Award ; first woman to edit the Oxford undergraduate newspaper Cherwell Gillian Cross [10] (1945), author of children's books; winner of the Carnegie Medal and Costa Book Award ; author of The Demon Headmaster Gertrude Minnie Faulding [28] (1875–1961), novelist and children's writerFrances Hardinge [10] (1973), children's writer; author of Fly by Night and The Lie Tree ; winner of the Branford Boase Award and Costa Book Award Clare Mallory (1913–1991), children's writer from New Zealand Constance Savery (1897–1999), author of novels and children's booksAnn Schlee FRSL (1934), novelist and children's writer; winner of the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize , shortlisted for the Booker Prize and runner up for the Carnegie Medal Matthew Skelton [10] (1971), English Canadian writer; author of Endymion Spring Jenifer Wayne (1917–1982), author of children's literature
Playwrights Margaret Kennedy Marcy Kahan , Canadian-American playwright and radio dramatist ; winner of the Edinburgh Comedy Award and a Silver Radio Academy Award Margaret Kennedy [10] (1896–1967), novelist and playwright; author of The Constant Nymph Nemone Lethbridge (1932), barrister and playwright; one of Britain's first female barristers and the first woman at Hare Court Christine Longford, Countess of Longford (1900–1980), playwright; wife of Edward Pakenham, 6th Earl of Longford Christabel Marshall (1871–1960), LGBT campaigner for women's suffrage; playwright and authorPeter Morris (1973), American playwright; writer of Guardians Ella Road (1991), screenwriter, playwright and actor, best known for her stage-play The Phlebotomist
Poets Audrey Beecham (1915–1989), poet, teacher and historian, niece of the composer ; Maurice Bowra , Warden of Wadham and Vice-Chancellor of Oxford was engaged to herCatherine Byron (1947), Irish poet who often collaborates with visual and sound artistsViola Garvin (1898–1969), poet and literary editor at The Observer ; Robert E. Howard used lines from her "The House of Cæsar" for his suicide noteJudith Kazantzis (1940–2018), poet and political and social activist; daughter of Lord and Lady Longford May Kendall (1861–1943), poet, novelist, and satiristAaron Maniam (1979), award-winning poet and civil servantElma Mitchell [10] (1919–2000), poet; winner of the Cholmondeley Award Denise Riley [48] (1948), poet and philosopher; winner of the Forward Poetry Prize Nesca Robb [49] FRSL (1905–1976), Irish poet, writer and historian scholar; member of the Maatschappij der Nederlandse Letterkunde E. J. Scovell (1907–1999), poetMargaret Stanley-Wrench (1916–1974), poet and novelistKim Taplin (1943), poet and non-fiction writerHelen Waddell (1889–1965), Irish poet, translator and playwright; winner of the Benson Medal Val Warner (1946-2020), poet, editor and translator who was best known for helping to increase the salience of poet Charlotte Mew 's work, received the Eric Gregory Award
Shriti Vadera, Baroness Vadera Marjorie Abbatt (1899–1991), toy maker and businesswoman; President of the International Council for Children's Play[50] Goga Ashkenazi (1980), Kazakh businesswoman and socialite; head of Vionnet Margaret Casely-Hayford (1959), lawyer and businesswoman; chairs the board of Shakespeare's Globe ; former chair of ActionAid ; first female Chancellor of Coventry University ; first black woman to be Partner in a City law firmAngela Dean , banker and trustee; one of the '100 women to watch' in the Female FTSE Board Report in 2013 and 2014; managing director of Morgan Stanley ; Chair of the International House London Cindy Gallop (1960), advertising consultant, founder and former chair of the US branch of advertising firm Bartle Bogle Hegarty ; founder of the IfWeRanTheWorld and MakeLoveNotPorn companiesSuzanne Heywood (1969), executive and former civil servant; chair of CNH Industrial Afua Kyei , British financial executive and the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the Bank of England ; included as one of the most influential black people in the UK on the 2024 Powerlist ; in 2023 listed among the 100 most reputable AfricansCatherine Powell (1967), businesswoman, President of the Disney Parks, Western Region, where she oversees Disneyland , Walt Disney World , and Disneyland Paris Shriti Vadera, Baroness Vadera [51] PC (1962), investment banker and politician; government minister and Chairwoman of Santander UK ; first woman to head a major British bank; first woman and first person of colour to chair the Royal Shakespeare Company
Civil servants and diplomats Alyson Bailes Emma Sky Manel Abeysekera (1933), Sri Lanka 's first woman career diplomat and ambassadorAlyson Bailes CMG (1949–2016), diplomat, political scientist , academic and polyglot Gill Bennett , Chief Historian of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office between 1995 and 2005Dame Gillian Brown DCVO CMG (1923–1999), diplomat; second woman to be a British ambassadorDame Mary Keegan DBE (1953), accountant and civil servant; chair of the Financial Reporting Council ; first female audit partner at PwC Dame Alix Kilroy DBE (1903–1999), one of the first two women to have entered the administrative grade of the civil service by examination (in 1925); founding member of the SDP Emily Maltman, British Ambassador to the Democratic Republic of Congo Aaron Maniam (1979), award-winning poet and civil servantDame Rosalind Marsden DCMG (1950), diplomat and public servant; Ambassador and EUSR of Sudan Dame Anne Mueller DCB (1930–2000), civil servant and academic; first woman to become a Permanent Secretary at HM Treasury ; Chancellor of De Montfort University Nozipho Mxakato-Diseko [52] (1956), South African diplomat, currently the United Nations Ambassador for South Africa; for the Paris Agreement she was the leader of the G77 bloc during negotiationsAdelaide Plumptre (1874–1948), Canadian activist, diplomat, and municipal politician in Toronto First woman elected chair of the Canadian Red Cross , Toronto Board of Education ; first woman to sit in the Toronto Board of Control Jill Rutter , civil servantDame Evelyn Sharp, Baroness Sharp GBE (1903–1985), civil servant; first woman to hold the position of Permanent Secretary Emma Sky OBE (1968), expert on the Middle East; political advisor to General Ray Odierno Ruth Thompson (1953–2016), civil servant; director of finance of Higher Education at the DESDame Anne Warburton [7] DCVO CMG (1927–2015), diplomat; first female British ambassador; President of Lucy Cavendish College, Cambridge Carrie Yau (1955), Hong Kong government official; executive director of the Vocational Training Council
Education Averil Cameron Margery Fry Kathleen Kenyon Onora O'Neill, Baroness O'Neill of Bengarve Jane Aaron (1951), Welsh educator, literary researcher and writerMarian Gertrude Beard (1885–1958), Irish-born educator and translator; headmistress of Putney High School Lalage Bown (1927), educator; first organizing secretary of the International Congress of Africanists; first woman to receive the William Pearson Tolley Award from Syracuse University Alice Bruce (1867–1951), educator and school administrator; long serving staff member of Somerville Hall and President of Aberdare Hall in Cardiff Hilda Cashmore (1876-1943), a Quaker who founded the Bristol University Settlement and was its first wardenDame Elan Closs Stephens DBE (1948), Welsh educator and the Wales representative on the BBC Board Agnes de Selincourt [53] (1872–1917), Christian missionary in India , responsible for the founding of missions; first Principal of Lady Muir Memorial College, Allahabad , India; Principal of Westfield College , LondonDonalda Dickie (1883–1972), Canadian normal school teacher; winner of the Governor General's Award for English-language children's literature Flora Forster (1896–1981), Welsh educator and authorEthel Hurlbatt (1866–1934), Principal of Bedford College , London; first President of Aberdare Hall in Cardiff ; later Warden of Royal Victoria College , the women's college of McGill University , in Montreal , CanadaJulia Huxley (1862–1908), founded Prior's Field School for girls; the game word ladder was devised for herDame Tamsyn Imison DBE (1937–2017), educator and "educational strategist"; headteacher of the Hampstead School Sonia Jackson OBE (1934), Emeritus Professor at the UCL Institute of Education ; specialised in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC)Lettice Jowitt (1878–1962), educationist and refugee worker; pioneer in the settlement movement Jane Kirkaldy (1869–1932), science educator at various schools in Oxford for 36 years; one of the first women to obtain first-class honors in the natural sciences; contributed greatly to the education of the generation of English women scientistsEdith Marvin (1872–1958), inspector of schoolsWinifred Mercier OBE (1878-1934), principal of Whitelands College and advocate of co-educational classesMichele Moody-Adams , philosopher; first female and first African-American dean of Columbia University Dame Anne Mueller DCB (1930–2000), civil servant and academic; first woman to become a Permanent Secretary at HM Treasury ; Chancellor of De Montfort University Elisabeth Murray [54] FRHistS FSA (1909–1998), English biographer and educationistHilda D. Oakeley (1867–1950), philosopher, educationalist and author; first Warden of the new Royal Victoria College ; first woman to deliver McGill 's annual university lectureMay Staveley (1863–1934), first warden of Bristol's women's university settlement (Clifton Hill House ); head of the women's hall of residence at Liverpool University ; president of the Bristol branch of the International Federation of University Women Jean Wilks (1917–2014), headmistress at The Hertfordshire and Essex High School and King Edward VI High School for Girls ; first female Pro-Chancellor of Birmingham University Olive Willis (1877–1964), educationist and headmistress; founded Downe House School and was its head
Oxbridge heads of houses Mary Bennett (1913–2005), academic and Principal of St Hilda's College, Oxford ; daughter of H. A. L. Fisher and Lettice Fisher Dame Averil Cameron DBE FSA FBA FRHistS (1940), professor emerita of Late Antique and Byzantine History ; former Warden of Keble College, Oxford ; second woman to receive the Kenyon Medal Elizabeth Millicent Chilver (1914–2014), Principal of Bedford College , London and Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford Barbara Craig (1915–2005), archaeologist , classicist ; Principal of Somerville CollegeHelen Darbishire CBE FBA (1881–1961), literary scholar and Principal of Somerville CollegeMargery Fry (1874–1958), prison reformer; one of the first women to become a magistrate; Secretary of the Howard League for Penal Reform ; Principal of Somerville CollegeGrace Eleanor Hadow OBE (1875–1940), author, principal of what would become St Anne's College, Oxford , and vice-chairman of the Women's Institute Dame Kathleen Kenyon DBE (1906–1978), leading archaeologist of Neolithic culture in the Fertile Crescent , best known for her excavations of Jericho ; has been called one of the most influential archaeologists of the 20th century; refined the Wheeler-Kenyon method ; Principal of St Hugh's College, Oxford Julia de Lacy Mann (1891–1985), economic historian and Principal of St Hilda's College, Oxford Onora O'Neill, Baroness O'Neill of Bengarve CH CBE FRS FBA FMedSci (1941), philosopher; first female winner of the Berggruen Prize ; crossbench member of the House of Lords ; Principal of Newnham College, Cambridge Daphne Park, Baroness Park of Monmouth CMG OBE FRSA (1921–2010), spy, clandestine senior controller in MI6; Principal of Somerville CollegeDame Emily Penrose DBE (1858–1942), Principal of Royal Holloway College , Bedford College and Somerville College; first woman to gain a First in Greats (Classics) at Oxford Alice Prochaska FRHistS (1947), former archivist and librarian; Principal of Somerville CollegeEvelyn Procter FRHistS (1897–1980), historian and academic; Principal of St Hugh's College, Oxford ; first female scholar to be admitted to the National Historical Archive of Spain and the Biblioteca Nacional de España Dame Lucy Sutherland DBE FBA FRSA (1903–1980), Australian-born historian and head of Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford Dame Janet Vaughan DBE FRS (1899–1993), physiologist , academic and Principal of Somerville College; one of the first doctors to enter Bergen-Belsen concentration camp after the liberation Dame Anne Warburton [7] DCVO CMG (1927–2015), diplomat; first female British ambassador; President of Lucy Cavendish College, Cambridge
Fictional
Film and theatre Moon Moon Sen Daphne Alexander , Cypriot/British actress best known for playing Nadia Talianos in the BBC Drama series Casualty and Modesty Blaise in three BBC radio adaptations Lucinda Coxon (1962), playwright and screenwriterLucienne Hill (1923–2012), French-English translator and actor; winner of the Evening Standard Theatre Award and Tony Award Penelope Houston (1927–2015), film critic and journal editor; edited Sight & Sound for almost 35 yearsCalam Lynch (1994), actor of Irish descent, his films include the Disney adaptation of Black Beauty (2020) and Terence Davies ' Benediction (2021); on television, he appeared in the BBC One drama Mrs Wilson (2018) and the second season of the Netflix series Bridgerton (2022)Adrian Politowski (1978), a BAFTA-nominated Swedish film producer, fund manager, and entrepreneurMartin Desmond Roe , British-American film and television director, writer and producer, best known for Buzkashi Boys (nominated for an Oscar); nominee for the Oscar for Best Live Action Short Film for Two Distant Strangers (2020) at the 93rd Academy Awards Tessa Ross CBE (1961), film producer and executive; received the BAFTA Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema Award and was named as one of the 100 most powerful women in the United Kingdom by Woman's Hour in 2013; executive producer of 12 Years a Slave , 127 Hours , Billy Elliot and Ex Machina Moon Moon Sen [66] (1954), Indian Bollywood film actress; winner of the Nandi Award for Best Supporting Actress and Kalakar Award for Best Actress
Health professionals Helen Muir Heather Ashton FRCP (1929–2019), psychopharmacologist and physician best known for her clinical and research work on benzodiazepene dependence Carys Bannister OBE (1935–2010), first female neurosurgeon in the United KingdomFarah Bhatti OBE, cardiac surgeon and professor; Chair of the Royal College of Surgeons of England Women in Surgery Forum; first British woman of Pakistani origins to be made a cardiac surgeon in the United KingdomLady Eileen Crofton MBE (1919–2010), physician and author; best known for her anti-smoking campaigns Jean Ginsburg (1926–2004), physician and physiologist ; first woman to graduate from St Mary's Hospital Medical School Christine Lee , medical researcher; first female scholar of the Oxford University Medical School Leah Lowenstein (1930–1984), American nephrologist and academic administrator; first woman dean of a co-education medical school in the United StatesDorothea Maude (1879–1959), physician and surgeon; first woman general practitioner in OxfordHelen Muir CBE FRS (1920–2005), rheumatologist ; best known for pioneering work into the causes of osteoarthritis June Raine CBE FRCP (1952), Chief Executive of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), at the time when the MHRA was the first regulator to approve an mRNA vaccine for use in humans, and the first Western regulator to approve a COVID-19 vaccine Dame Janet Vaughan DBE FRS (1899–1993), physiologist , academic and Principal of Somerville College; one of the first doctors to enter Bergen-Belsen concentration camp after the liberation Wisia Wedzicha FMedSci, physician and Professor of Respiratory Medicine, winner of the Helmholtz International Fellow Award Marcia Wilkinson FRCP (1919–2013), neurologist ; made a significant contribution to the understanding and surgical treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome ; established a rehabilitation unit for disabled young people; first recipient of the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Award Cicely Williams OM Jamaica, CMG, FRCP (1893–1992), Jamaican physician, most notable for her discovery and research into kwashiorkor
Mental health professionals
Journalism Rose George , journalist and author of The Big Necessity Evelyn Irons (1900–2000), Scottish journalist, first female war correspondent to be decorated with the French Croix de Guerre ; first journalist to reach certain WWII war zones; first female Stanhope Medal recipientMarghanita Laski [37] (1915–1988), journalist, radio panellist and novelistTy McCormick , American author, editor, and foreign correspondentDilys Powell CBE (1901–1995), journalist who wrote for The Sunday Times Anne Scott-James, Lady Lancaster (1913–2009), journalist and author; one of Britain's first women career journalists, editors and columnistsAlexander Starritt [44] (1985), Scottish-German novelist, journalist and entrepreneurAuriol Stevens (1940), journalist, and former editor of the Times Higher Education Supplement Rachel Sylvester (1969), political journalist who writes for The Times ; 2015's Political Journalist of the Year at the British Press Awards and 2016 Journalist of the Year by the Political Studies Association Daniel Tudor , author, journalist and entrepreneur[[Duncan Weldon (journalist)]|Duncan Weldon]] (1982), journalist, former political advisor, researcher, and market strategist Kati Whitaker , BBC and independent radio and TV journalistAudrey Withers OBE (1905–2001), journalist; edited Vogue
Historians Emma Rothschild Kate Williams Bolanle Awe (1933), Nigerian and Yoruba history professor; became the Pro-Chancellor of the University of Nigeria and has been called a Nigerian "intellectual hero"; first female academic staff in a Nigerian university and first chairperson of the National Commission for Women (Nigeria) Irena Backus , Polish historianJane Caplan (1945), historian specialising in Nazi Germany and the history of the documentation of individual identity; helped establish one of Britain's first courses in Women's Studies Muriel St. Clare Byrne (1895–1983), historical researcher, specializing in the Tudor period and the reign of Henry VIII Catherine Glyn Davies (1926–2007), Welsh historian of philosophy and linguistics ; translatorClaire Donovan FSA RA FRHistS (1948–2019), historian and academicBonnie Effros FRHistS, Chaddock Chair of Economic and Social History at the University of Liverpool Dorothea Ewart (1870-1956), historian and author of books on Italian historyKathleen Fitzpatrick [68] AO (1905–1990), Australian academic and historian; first associate professor in Australia outside the natural sciences Rose Graham (1875–1963), religious historian and first female President of the British Archaeological Association ; her early work on ecclesiastical history is seen as a great foundation for later scholarship on women's history Alice Greenwood (1862–1935), historian, teacher and writer; second headteacher of Withington Girls' School Narayani Gupta (1942), Indian historian, author, and professor on urban history and cultural heritageAgnes Headlam-Morley (1902–1986), historian and academic; first woman to be appointed to a chair at OxfordCarole Hillenbrand CBE FBA FRAS FRSE FRHistSoc (1943), Emerita Professor in Islamic History ; first non-Muslim to be awarded the King Faisal International Prize for Islamic StudiesPhilippa Mary Hoskin , historian of the English Middle Ages, who specializes in the religious, legal and administrative history of the English Church; first Professor of Medieval Studies at the University of Lincoln M. D. R. Leys (1890–1967), historian and academicDoris Ketelbey FRHistS (1896–1990), historian and academic; sister to composer Albert Ketelbey Julia de Lacy Mann (1891–1985), economic historian and Principal of St Hilda's College, Oxford Margaret Mann Phillips (1906–1987), academic who specialized in Renaissance literature and historyPhoebe Pool (1913–1971), art historian and spy for the Soviet Union Edna Purdie (1894-1968), Emeritus Professor of German studies at the University of London Mary Caroline Moorman (1905–1994), historian and biographer; daughter of G. M. Trevelyan ; winner of the James Tait Black Memorial Prize Jane Robinson (1959), social historian specialising in the study of women pioneers in various fieldsEmma Georgina Rothschild CMG (1948), economic historian and professor of history at Harvard University ; wife of Nobel laureate Amartya Sen ; member of the Rothschild family Zuzanna Shonfield (1919–2000), Polish-born British historian and writerKate Williams [10] (1978), author, historian and television presenterClair Wills FBA HonMRIA, academic specialising in 20th-century British and Irish cultural history and literature; recipient of the Hessell-Tiltman Prize Mary Woodall (1901–1988), art historian, museum director , and Thomas Gainsborough scholar
Classicists and archaeologists Miriam T. Griffin Joyce Reynolds Maria Wyke Caroline Alexander (1956), American author and classicist; first woman to publish a full-length English translation of Homer 's Iliad Polymnia Athanassiadi , Greek Professor Emerita in Late Antique HistoryDame Averil Cameron DBE FSA FBA FRHistS (1940), professor emerita of Late Antique and Byzantine History ; former Warden of Keble College, Oxford ; second woman to receive the Kenyon Medal Dorothy Charlesworth [69] [70] FSA (1927–1981), Roman archaeologist and glass specialist; served as Inspector of Ancient Monuments Gillian Clark FBA, Emeritus Professor of Classics and Ancient History Barbara Craig (1915–2005), archaeologist , classicist ; Principal of Somerville CollegeA. M. Dale [71] FBA (1901–1967), classicist and academicClaudine Dauphin FSA (1950), French archaeologist specialising in the Byzantine periodElaine Fantham (1933–2016), British-Canadian classicist; President of the American Philological Association Miriam T. Griffin (1935–2018), American classical scholar; held the first Women in Classics dinner (at Somerville College)Jill Harries ,[72] Emeritus Professor in Ancient History, known for her work on late antiquity Isobel Henderson (1906–1967), ancient historian; one of the first woman tutors to be allowed to join Oxford's 'Ancient History Dinners'Margaret Hubbard (1924–2011), Australian-born British classical scholar specialising in philology; described as "one of the most distinguished classical scholars of the modern age"; one of St Anne's College's 15 founding fellowsHelen Hughes-Brock (1938), Minoan and Mycenaean archaeologistSarah C. Humphreys , classical scholarDame Kathleen Kenyon DBE (1906–1978), leading archaeologist of Neolithic culture in the Fertile Crescent , best known for her excavations of Jericho ; has been called one of the most influential archaeologists of the 20th century; refined the Wheeler-Kenyon method ; Principal of St Hugh's College, Oxford Donna Carol Kurtz (1943), American classicist specializing in Greek art; first Beazley Archivist at the Ashmolean Museum Maria Millington Lathbury (1856-1944), classical scholar, archaeologist and numismatist ; mother-in-law of Arthur Evans Irene Lemos FSA, classical archaeologist specialising in the Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age of Greece Tessa Rajak (1946), ancient historian, primarily focused on Judaism in the Hellenistic and Roman periods; expert on the writings of Josephus Joyce Reynolds [73] FBA (1918–2022), classicist and academic, specialising in Roman historical epigraphy ; first woman awarded the Kenyon Medal Christina Riggs ,[74] American historian, museum curator , and academic; specialises in the history of archaeology , photography, and ancient Egyptian art Katherine Routledge (1866–1935), archaeologist and anthropologist who initiated the first true survey of Easter Island (leader of the Mana Expedition )Susan Sherratt (1949), archaeologist of Bronze Age Greece , Cyprus , and the eastern MediterraneanMaria Stamatopoulou , Greek classical archaeologist specialising in Central Greece , and Thessaly in particularMargerie Venables Taylor [75] (1881–1963), archaeologist and editor of the Journal of Roman Studies ; held posts including Secretary for the Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies Vivian Wade-Gery (1897–1988), classical archaeologistAudrey Williams FSA (1902–1978), Welsh archaeologist; first woman president of the Royal Institution of South Wales Katharine Woolley (1888–1945), archaeologist who worked principally at the Mesopotamian site of Ur; married to archaeologist Sir Leonard Woolley ; inspiration for the murder victim in the novel Murder in Mesopotamia by Agatha Christie Maria Wyke [76] (1957), professor of Latin at UCL
Medievalists Caroline Barron OBE (1940), medieval historian ; granddaughter of David George Hogarth Margaret Clunies Ross (1942), medievalist; main research areas are Old Norse -Icelandic studiesUrsula Dronke [77] (1920–2012), medievalist and former Vigfússon Reader in Old Norse in OxfordAntonia Gransden (1928/29–2020), historian and medievalistJudith Green (1961), medieval historian, specialising in Anglo-Norman England Elspeth Kennedy [78] FSA (1921–2006), academic, prominent medievalistClare Kirchberger , Anglican nun and medievalist who edited and translated several works of Christian mysticism May McKisack (1900–1981), medieval historianMildred Pope (1872–1956), scholar of Anglo-Norman England ; first woman to hold a readership at Oxford University; the character Miss Lydgate in Sayers ' Gaudy Night (1935) is based on PopeEvelyn Procter FRHistS (1897–1980), historian and academic; served as principal of St Hugh's College, Oxford ; first female scholar to be admitted to the National Historical Archive of Spain and the Biblioteca Nacional de España Margaret Twycross FSA, historian specialising in medieval theatre and iconographyTeresa Webber FSA FRHistS FBA, palaeographer and medievalist
Law Cornelia Sorabji Margaret Casely-Hayford (1959), lawyer and businesswoman; chair of the board of Shakespeare's Globe ; former chair of ActionAid Elisabeth Jones , Welsh lawyer who served as the Counsel General-designate for Wales Laeticia Kikonyogo (1940–2017), Ugandan lawyer and judge; rated the 6th most powerful person in Ugandan public life; first woman magistrate Grade I; first woman Chief Magistrate; first woman to be appointed High Court judge; first woman Deputy Chief Justice of Uganda; one of the first ever women papal knights in the history of the Catholic Church in AfricaAkua Kuenyehia (1947), Ghanaian lawyer; one of the only three female African judges at the International Criminal Court ; first First Vice-president of that courtNemone Lethbridge (1932), barrister and playwright; one of Britain's first female barristers and the first woman at Hare Court Anne M. Lofaso (1965), law professorElizabeth Monk QC (1898-1980), Canadian lawyer and Montreal city councillor; one of the first two women admitted to the Quebec Bar and first Quebec woman to receive a Queen's Counsel designation; recipient of the Governor General's Award in Commemoration of the Persons Case and Governor General's Academic Medal Ann Olivarius [17] [79] (1955), American-British lawyer and Rhodes Scholar Dame Judith Parker DBE QC (1950), judge and barrister; Queen's Counsel and Justice of the High Court of England and Wales Anna Poole, Lady Poole QC, Senator of the College of Justice in ScotlandCornelia Sorabji (1866–1954), first woman to practice law in India and Britain ; first Indian national to study at any British universityAmy Wax (1953), American lawyer and academic; winner of the Lindback Award Farhana Yamin (1965), lawyer, public speaker and climate activist
Linguistics and literature Susie Dent Reem Bassiouney (1973), Egyptian author and professor of sociolinguistics ; Sawiris Cultural Award winnerJanet Bately CBE FBA, academic and Professor Emeritus of English Language and Medieval LiteratureCatherine Belsey (1940–2021), literary critic and academicSonia Bićanić OBE (1920–2017), literary academic, author and translatorSarah Bilston ,[80] author and professor of English literatureCarmen Blacker [81] FBA OST OBE (1924–2009), scholar of Japanese language Margaret Crum (1921-1986), scholar of English poetry and music, winner of the British Academy's Rose Mary Crawshay Prize Lady Norma Dalrymple-Champneys (1902–1997), scholar of English literature; winner of the Rose Mary Crawshay Prize Patricia Davies (1923), codebreaker who served as a special duties linguist in the Women’s Royal Naval Service during World War II; she was key in developing programmes such as University Challenge , The Sky at Night , and Ask the Family ; recipient of the Victory Medal and the Legion of Honour Susie Dent (1964), lexicographer and etymologist ; has appeared in "Dictionary Corner" on the Channel 4 game show Countdown since 1992Una Ellis-Fermor (1894–1958), literary critic, author; described as "a major contributor to the study of the English Renaissance "; Rose Mary Crawshay Prize winnerMargery Fisher (1913–1992), literary critic and academicJulia Gasper , independent academic specialising in historical literature; right-wing political activist affiliated with the English Democrats Lorna Hutson FBA (1958), ninth Merton Professor of English Literature Agnes Latham (1905–1996), academic, Professor of English at Bedford College Dominica Legge [82] FBA (1905–1986), scholar of the Anglo-Norman language and founding member of the Anglo-Norman Text Society Anna Laura Lepschy (1933), Italian linguist; recipient of the Serena Medal Joycelynne Loncke , Guyanese academic and musicologist ; areas of interest include French literature and the history of music Margaret Mann Phillips (1906–1987), academic who specialized in Renaissance literature and historyVivien Noakes FRSL (1937–2011), biographer, editor and criticPamela Neville-Sington (1959-2017), American literary biographer and authority on the life and works of Fanny Trollope , Anthony Trollope , and Robert Browning Helen Peters (1942), Canadian scholar of English literature and a specialist in the theatre of Newfoundland; winner of the British Academy's Rose Mary Crawshay Prize Rebecca Posner (1929–2018), philologist , linguist and academic; specialized in Romance languages ; President of the Philological Society Phoebe Sheavyn (1865-1968), literary scholar and feminist; a professor at Victoria University of Manchester and founding member of the British Federation of University Women Dorjana Širola (1972), Croatian quizzer , linguist and anglicist ; highest placed woman at the World Quizzing Championship in seven years; winner of University Challenge for SomervilleEmma Smith , Professor of Shakespeare StudiesEnid Starkie CBE (1897–1970), Irish literary critic known for her biographical works on French poets; Officer of the Legion of Honour Kathleen Mary Tillotson (1906–2001), academic and literary critic, professor of English and distinguished Victorian scholarJoan Turville-Petre (1911–2006), noted academic in the field of Anglo-Saxon , Icelandic and Scandinavian language studiesRosemond Tuve (1903–1964), American scholar of English literature , specializing in Renaissance literature , in particular Edmund Spenser
Music Emma Kirkby
Other Marion Wilberforce Sunethra Bandaranaike Sunethra Bandaranaike (1943), Sri Lankan philanthropist and socialite; daughter of Prime Minister S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike Sheila Cassidy (1937), doctor and torture survivor who brought to the attention of the UK public the widespread human rights abuses that were occurring in Chile in the 1970sEleanor Flexner (1908–1995), distinguished independent scholar and pioneer in what was to become the field of women's studies Flora Grierson (1899–1966), publisher and co-owner of Samson Press Amanda Harlech, Baroness Harlech (1959), fashion consultant; named to the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame; wife of Francis Ormsby-Gore, 6th Baron Harlech Emily Georgiana Kemp (1860–1939), adventurer; donated the Somerville College Chapel Frances Lincoln (1945–2001), independent publisher of illustrated books; won a Woman of the Year award in 1995Sheila Lochhead (1910-1994), hostess, prison visitor and writer; daughter of UK Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald ; chair of the National Association of Official Prison Visitors Henrietta Phipps (1931–2016), landscape gardenerJoan Shelmerdine (1899–1994), publisher and co-owner of Samson Press Edith Standen (1905–1998), American museum curator and military officer ; one of the "Monuments Men "; Women's Caucus for Art Lifetime Achievement Award winnerPamela Vandyke-Price (1923–2014), wine taster and writer; first British woman to write about wine and spirits; receiver of the Order of Agricultural Merit Joan Wicken (1925-2004), personal assistant and speechwriter to Tanzanian president Julius Nyerere Marion Wilberforce (1902–1995), Scottish aviator; one of the first eight members of the Air Transport Auxiliary ; one of only two women pool commanders in the whole ATABeryl de Zoete [85] (1879–1962), ballet dancer, orientalist, dance critic and dance researcher; also known as a translator of Italo Svevo and Alberto Moravia
Philosophers Patricia Churchland Mary Midgley Anita Avramides (1952), philosopher whose work focuses on the philosophy of language and the philosophy of the mind Annette Baier (1929–2012), New Zealand philosopher and Hume scholar; well known also for her contributions to feminist philosophy and to the philosophy of mindSusanne Bobzien FBA, German-born philosopher whose work focuses on logic & language, determinism & freedom, and ancient philosophy ; first woman appointed a tutorial fellow at The Queen's College, Oxford Sarah Broadie [86] OBE FBA FRSE, professor at the University of St Andrews ; specialises in ancient philosophy , with a particular emphasis on Aristotle and Plato Patricia Churchland (1943), Canadian-American analytic philosopher, noted for her contributions to neurophilosophy and the philosophy of mind ; winner of a MacArthur Fellowship Philippa Foot FBA (1920–2010), philosopher and ethicist , creator of the trolley problem Celia Green (1935), writer on philosophical skepticism and psychology Joanna Hodge PPE 1972- 1975 D.Phil 1982 Professor of Philosophy Emerita Manchester Metropolitan University : work on feminist materiality, phenomenology, deconstruction, embodiments Rosalind Hursthouse FRSNZ (1943), New Zealand moral philosopher noted for her work on virtue ethicsHidé Ishiguro (c. 1935), Japanese analytic philosopher; expert on the philosopher Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Martha Kneale (1909–2001), philosopher; President of the Aristotelian Society Genevieve Lloyd (1941), Australian philosopher and feminist ; first female Professor of Philosophy in Australia; author of The Man of Reason Penelope Mackie , philosopher, Professor of Philosophy University of Nottingham work on modality and necessityMary Midgley (1919–2018), moral philosopher Michele Moody-Adams , African-American philosopher; first female and first African-American dean of Columbia University Dame Iris Murdoch [7] [10] DBE (1919–1999), novelist and philosopher born in Ireland; twelfth on a list of The 50 greatest British writers since 1945 ; winner of the Booker Prize ; author of Under the Net , listed in the Modern Library 100 Best Novels Kathleen Nott FRSL (1905–1999), poet, novelist, critic, philosopher and editorHilda D. Oakeley (1867–1950), philosopher, educationalist and author; first Warden of the new Royal Victoria College ; first woman to deliver McGill 's annual university lectureSusan Moller Okin (1946–2004), New Zealand liberal feminist political philosopher and authorOnora O'Neill, Baroness O'Neill of Bengarve CH CBE FRS FBA FMedSci (1941), philosopher; first female winner of the Berggruen Prize ; crossbench member of the House of Lords ; Principal of Newnham College, Cambridge Eva Picardi (1948–2017), Italian philosopherSybil Wolfram (1931-1993), philosopher and writer of German Jewish origin, mother of Stephen Wolfram
Politicians Thérèse Coffey Sam Gyimah Shirley Williams, Baroness Williams of Crosby
Conservatives Nicola Blackwood, Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford (1979), Conservative Party politician, former MPThérèse Coffey [87] MP (1971), Conservative Party politician; Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Sam Gyimah [7] [87] MP (1976), Conservative Party politician; former Minister for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation Dame Lucy Neville-Rolfe, Baroness Neville-Rolfe [87] DBE CMG (1953), Conservative politician; Chairman of Assured Food Standards Dame Kathleen Ollerenshaw DBE (1912–2014), mathematician and politician; Lord Mayor of Manchester Margaret Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher [7] LG OM DStJ PC FRS HonFRSC (1925–2013), Iron Lady , Conservative politician and first female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Lena Townsend CBE (1911–2004), Conservative politician
Labour Helen Goodman MP (1958), Labour Party politicianNia Griffith MP (1956), Welsh Labour Party politicianMary Honeyball MEP (1952), Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the Labour Party representing LondonMargaret Jay, Baroness Jay of Paddington PC (1939), politician for the Labour Party ; former BBC television producer and presenter; daughter of James Callaghan Peggy Jay (1913–2008), Labour councillor Dame Penelope Jessel DBE (1920–1996), Liberal Party politician Leah L'Estrange Malone (1886–1951), politician; first female chair of Poale Zion in the UK Jenny Manson (1948), British Jewish activist, author, former civil servant, Labour Party councillor and Chair of Jewish Voice for Labour Mary O'Brien Harris (1865–1938), member of the London County Council and Fabian Society Lucy Powell MP (1974), Labour and Co-operative politician; Manchester 's first female Labour member of parliament; Shadow Secretary of State for Housing Jake Richards , MP for Rother Valley Anne Sofer (1937), Labour and later Social Democrat politician; also served as a director of Channel 4 Theresa Stewart (1930-2020), Labour politician; first female leader of Birmingham City Council and Lord Mayor of Birmingham Shirley Summerskill MP (1931), Labour Party politician and former government ministerShriti Vadera, Baroness Vadera [51] PC (1962), investment banker and politician; government minister and Chairwoman of Santander UK ; first woman to head a major British bank; first woman and first person of colour to chair the Royal Shakespeare Company Eirene White, Baroness White [90] MP (1909–1999), Labour politician and journalist
International Margaret Ballinger Margaret Ballinger (1894–1980), South African politician, first President of the Liberal Party of South Africa , "Queen of the Blacks"; held considerable power in the government of South AfricaKalpana Bista (1905-2001), first female Minister of Education, Science and Technology of Nepal Indira Gandhi [7] (1917–1984), Prime Minister of India , named "Woman of the Millennium" in an online poll organised by the BBCSvava Jakobsdóttir (1930–2004), one of Iceland 's foremost 20th-century authors and feminist politiciansDiana Josephson (1936-2006), first woman to lead the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and first female Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere under Bill Clinton ; Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Installations and Environments and director of the National Center for Atmospheric Research ; winner of the Department of Commerce Gold Medal and Navy Distinguished Public Service Award Adelaide Plumptre (1874–1948), Canadian activist, diplomat, and municipal politician in Toronto ; first woman elected chair of the Canadian Red Cross , Toronto Board of Education ; first woman to sit in the Toronto Board of Control Radhabai Subbarayan [16] (1891–1960), first female member of the Indian Council of States (Rajya Sabha)
Radio and television Esther Rantzen Fasi Zaka Margaret Jay, Baroness Jay of Paddington PC (1939), politician for the Labour Party ; former BBC television producer and presenterKara Miller , Jamaican creator of The Lifestylista ; health & wellness expert; television host; writer & director working in film and televisionSarah Mulvey (1974–2010), commissioning editor and television producerNesta Pain (1905-1995), broadcaster and writerDame Esther Rantzen DBE (1940), journalist and television presenter, best known for presenting the hit BBC television series That's Life! ; first woman to receive a Dimbleby Award from BAFTA Mary Somerville (1897–1963), first director of BBC School Radio Joanna Spicer CBE (1906–1992), television executive employed by the BBC; involved with discussions that lead to Civilisation and Doctor Who ; "ran BBC Television single handed"Anne Symonds (1917–2017), broadcaster for the BBC World Service ; grandmother-in-law of Boris Johnson Xand van Tulleken [92] (1978), TV presenter with his identical twin brother Chris (Van Tulleken brothers )Rebecca Wilcox (1980), television presenter, mainly for the BBCKate Williams [10] (1978), author, historian and television presenterGrace Wyndham Goldie (1900–1986), producer and executive in British televisionFasi Zaka (1974), Pakistani political commentator, columnist, radio talk show host, and television anchor; declared a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum
Religion
Missionaries
Royalty and nobility Lady Ottoline Morrell Raja Zarith Sofiah Jane, Lady Abdy [95] (1934–2015), English socialite and art dealer, described as one of the most original and respected art dealers of her generationDame Hester Adrian, Baroness Adrian DBE BEM (1899-1966), mental health worker; president of the Howard League for Penal Reform Lady Anne Brewis MBE (1911–2002), botanist ; daughter of Roundell Palmer, 3rd Earl of Selborne Lady Susan Chitty (1929-2021), novelist and a writer of biographies; wife of Sir Thomas Willes Chitty, 3rd Baronet Lady Norma Dalrymple-Champneys (1902–1997), scholar of English literature; winner of the Rose Mary Crawshay Prize ; wife of Sir Weldon Dalrymple-Champneys, 2nd Baronet Amanda Harlech, Baroness Harlech (1959), fashion consultant; named to the International Best Dressed List Hall of FameChristine Longford, Countess of Longford (1900–1980), playwright; wife of Edward Pakenham, 6th Earl of Longford Margaret Mackworth, 2nd Viscountess Rhondda (1883–1958), Welsh peeress , businesswoman , significant suffragette, RMS Lusitania survivor, first female director of the Institute of Directors , founder of Time and Tide and the Six Point Group The Hon. Mary Anna Marten OBE (1929–2010), aristocrat and landowner who made legal history in the Crichel Down affair; goddaughter of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother ; High Sheriff of Dorset ; archaeologist Lady Ottoline Morrell [96] (1873–1938), aristocrat and society hostess; cousin of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother ; her patronage was influential in artistic and intellectual circles; associated with the Bloomsbury Group ; inspiration for several literary characters by Aldous Huxley , D. H. Lawrence , Graham Greene , Alan Bennett and Constance Malleson Princess Catherine Hilda Duleep Singh [20] (1871–1942), suffragist; daughter of Maharaja Duleep Singh Queen Raja Zarith Sofiah [7] (1959), Queen of Johor and member of the Perak Royal Family Princess Bamba Sutherland [20] (1869–1957), daughter of Maharaja Duleep Singh , last surviving member of the family that had ruled the Sikh Empire Lady Juliet Townsend DCVO (1941–2014), writer, first female Lord Lieutenant of Northamptonshire Jonkheer Xand Van Tulleken[97] (1978), TV presenter with his identical twin brother Chris (Van Tulleken brothers ) Elizabeth Young, Lady Kennet (1923–2014), writer, researcher, poet, artist, campaigner, analyst and questioning commentator
Scientists Kay Davies Marian Dawkins Joanna Haigh Angela McLean Kathleen Ollerenshaw Caroline Series Julia Yeomans Jane Kirkaldy (1869–1932), one of the first women to obtain first-class honours in the natural sciences; contributed greatly to the education of the generation of English women scientistsMargaret Seward MBE (1864–1939), first Oxford female student to be entered for the honour school of Mathematics; one of the first two female chemistry students at Oxford; earliest chemist on staff at the Royal Holloway (of which she was a founding lecturer); pioneer woman to obtain a first class in the honour school of Natural SciencePremala Sivaprakasapillai Sivasegaram (1942), Sri Lankan engineer , regarded as the country's first female engineer; acknowledged as one of twelve female change-makers in Sri Lanka by the parliament
Biologists Dawn R. Bazely (1960), ecology and evolutionary biology professorVictoria Braithwaite FLS FRIN (1967–2019), scientist who was the first person to demonstrate that fish feel pain; winner of the FSBI Medal Dame Kay Davies DBE FRS FMedSci (1951), geneticist ; Director of the MRC and Oxford Centre for Gene Function ; governor of the Wellcome Trust Valerie Todd Davies (1920), New Zealand arachnologist Marian Dawkins [98] CBE FRS (1945), biologist ; professor of ethology ; wife of Richard Dawkins Marianne Fillenz (1924–2012), neuroscientist Lilian Jane Gould FLS (1861–1936), biologist ; one of the first women admitted to the Linnaean Society ; one of the first European breeders of Siamese cats Loeske Kruuk FRS, evolutionary ecologist; winner of the Philip Leverhulme Prize Rosalind Maskell FRCP (1928–2016), microbiologist known for her work on urinary tract infections Dame Angela McLean DBE FRS (1961), professor of mathematical biology Jane Mellanby (1938-2021), neuroscientist and academicChristine Nicol , Professor of Animal Welfare at the Royal Veterinary College ; winner of the Prince Laurent Foundation prize; her work has contributed to EU ban on conventional battery cages for laying hens in 2012Shirley Hodgson DM D(Obst) RCOG DCH FRCP FRSB (1945), geneticistElsie Maud Wakefield OBE (1886–1972), mycologist and plant pathologist
Botanists
Chemists Jean Baum , American chemist, distinguished professor of chemistry and chemical biology at Rutgers University Jenny Pickworth Glusker (1931), biochemist and crystallographer ; winner of the Garvan–Olin Medal , John Scott Medal and William Procter Prize for Scientific Achievement Rita Harradence (1915–2012), Australian biochemist who synthesised penicillamine ; 1851 Exhibition Scholar Pauline Harrison [101] CBE (1926–2024), protein crystallographerDame Julia Higgins DBE FRS FREng (1942), polymer scientist , winner of the Holweck Medal and Legion of Honour , President of the British Science Association , Institution of Chemical Engineers and Institute of Physics Dorothy Hodgkin [7] OM FRS HonFRSC (1910–1994), Nobel Prize winner for her discovery of the structure of Vitamin B12 and development of protein crystallography ; first, and only, British woman to win a Nobel Prize in science; first woman to receive maternity pay at Oxford University and first female Chancellor of the University of Bristol Judith Howard CBE FRS (1945), distinguished chemist and crystallographerMargaret Jope (1913–2004), Scottish biochemist Cecily Littleton (1926-2022), X-ray crystallographer and horticulturalist; great-granddaughter of Charles Darwin ; developed the statistical analysis techniques to model crystal structuresBarbara Low (1920–2019), biochemist and biophysicist involved in discovering the structure of penicillin and the characteristics of other antibioticsMary Watson (1856–1933), one of the first two female chemistry students at Oxford
Earth scientists
Mathematicians Kathryn Chaloner [104] (1954–2014), statisticianAnne Cobbe [105] (1920–1971), mathematicianJane Kister (1944–2019), mathematical logician and executive editor of Mathematical Reviews Pamela Liebeck (1930–2012), mathematician and mathematics educatorHilary Ockendon , applied mathematician and an expert on problems in fluid dynamics Dame Kathleen Ollerenshaw DBE (1912–2014), mathematician, politician, Lord Mayor of Manchester Robyn Owens , Australian applied mathematician and computer scientist known for her research in computer vision and face recognitionCaroline Series [106] FRS (1951), mathematician; President of the London Mathematical Society ; Whitehead Prize winnerMary Wynne Warner (1932–1998), mathematician, specializing in fuzzy mathematics
Physicists
Social scientists Reem Bassiouney
Anthropologists Katherine Routledge
Economists Alison Wolf, Baroness Wolf of Dulwich Julia Aglionby FRGS FRSA (1969), economist, land agent, and politicianAudrey Donnithorne (1922–2020), British-Chinese political economist and missionary, prominent in her efforts to rebuild the Catholic Church in China after the Cultural Revolution for which she was awarded the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice Rachel Glennerster CMG (1965), Chief Economist at the Department for International Development Ursula Kathleen Hicks (1896–1985), Irish-born economist and academicDame Barbara Ward, Baroness Jackson of Lodsworth DBE (1914–1981), economist and writer interested in the problems of developing countries; winner of the Jawaharlal Nehru Award Mary Kaldor CBE (1946), academic; current Professor of Global Governance at the LSE; daughter of Nicholas Kaldor Utsa Patnaik ,[108] Indian Marxist economistFrances Stewart (1940), professor emeritus of development economics ; daughter of Nicholas Kaldor Doreen Warriner (1904–1972), development economist, known chiefly for her role in rescuing refugees just before World War IIAlison Wolf, Baroness Wolf of Dulwich CBE (1949), economist and professor at KCL
Sport Sophie Le Marchand Smit Singh Rosamund Dashwood (1924–2007), one of the top female masters (i.e. over 35) runners in Canadian historySheila Hill MBE (1928-2022), cricketer , umpire, scorer and administrator; helped with the development of the Association of Cricket Umpires and Scorers and was the first woman to be elected to its general council; one of the first ten women granted honorary MCC membershipSophie Le Marchand (1988), cricketerJamie Powe (1995), cricketerMary Russell Vick [109] (1922–2012), field hockey playerSmit Singh [110] (1991), present National Record holder of India in skeet shooting Dorjana Širola (1972), Croatian quizzer , linguist and anglicist ; highest placed woman at the World Quizzing Championship in seven years; winner of University Challenge for SomervilleClaire Tomlinson (1944), highest-rated female polo player; first woman to win the County Cup and the Queen's Cup; first woman in the world to rise to five goals; first female player in The Varsity Polo Match ; first female captain of the OUPC
Rowers
Spies
Translators Anthea Bell Anthea Bell OBE (1936–2018), translator of numerous literary works, especially children's literature, including Austerlitz and the French Asterix comicsCatherine Glyn Davies (1926–2007), Welsh historian of philosophy and linguistics ; translatorLucienne Hill (1923–2012), French-English translator and actor; winner of the Evening Standard Theatre Award and Tony Award Emily Lorimer OBE (1881–1949), Anglo-Irish journalist, linguist, political analyst, and writerJanet Seymour-Smith (1930-1998), worked as a translator of Greek texts for Robert Graves and she became a life-long muse and collaborator with her husband Martin Seymour-Smith Helen Waddell (1889–1965), Irish poet, translator and playwright; winner of the Benson Medal Eithne Wilkins (1914-1975), New Zealand Germanic Studies scholar, translator and poetBeryl de Zoete [85] (1879–1962), ballet dancer, orientalist, dance critic and dance researcher; also known as a translator of Italo Svevo and Alberto Moravia
Tony Bell Alan Hollinghurst Chris Lintott Bertha Phillpotts Rajesh Thakker Kevin Warwick Dorothy Maud Wrinch G. E. M. Anscombe FBA (1919–2001), analytic philosopherDavid Barford FRS FMedSci, medical researcherAnnie Barnes (1903–2003), reader in French literature Elise Jenny Baumgartel (1892–1975), German Egyptologist and prehistorian who pioneered the study of the archaeology of predynastic Egypt Amita Baviskar , sociologist studying the cultural politics of environment and development in rural and urban India; awarded the Infosys Prize Tony Bell [112] FRS, physicist; winner of the Hoyle Medal and Prize , Eddington Medal and Hannes Alfvén Prize Margarete Bieber (1879–1978), Jewish German-American art historian , classical archaeologist and professor, second woman university professor in GermanyKäthe Bosse-Griffiths (1910–1998), German-born Egyptologist and writer in the Welsh language Sarah Broom [113] (1972–2013), New Zealand poet; the Sarah Broom Poetry Prize is named after herGráinne de Búrca FBA (1966), Irish legal scholar, specialising in European Union law Nina Byers (1930–2014), theoretical physicistMuriel St. Clare Byrne (1895–1983), historical researcherHerman Cappelen (1967), Norwegian philosopherApril Carter (1937), peace activist; active in the anti-nuclear movement in the United Kingdom Maude Clarke (1892–1935), Irish historian; first female to join Queen's University Belfast ’s academic staffAnne Cobbe [105] [106] (1920–1971), mathematicianAmalia Coldea , Romanian quantum physicistHelen De Cruz (1978), Belgian philosopherHenriette Dahan Kalev (1947), Israeli feminist theorist and political scientist; one of the founders of the Mizrahi feminist movement, and one of the leading theorists of Mizrahi feminism Stephanie Dalley FSA (1943), scholar of the Ancient Near East Lady Norma Dalrymple-Champneys (1902–1997, librarian), scholar of English literature; winner of the Rose Mary Crawshay Prize Marian Dawkins [98] CBE FRS (1945), biologist ; professor of ethology ; wife of Richard Dawkins Helen DeWitt (1957), novelist; writer of The Last Samurai and Lightning Rods Ursula Dronke (1920–2012), medievalistNan Dunbar (1928–2005), classicist.Katherine Duncan-Jones [98] FRSL (1941), literature and Shakespeare scholarJennifer Durrant RA (1942), artist-in-residenceDorothy Emmet (1904–2000), philosopher; a founder member of the Epiphany Philosophers Karin Erdmann [98] (1948), German mathematicianColin Espie [114] FRSM FBPsS (1957), Scottish neuroscientist and Professor of Sleep MedicineBarbara Everett , academic and literary criticMarc Feldmann [115] AC FAA FRS FRCP FRCPath FMedSci (1944), Australian immunologist ; winner of the Crafoord Prize , Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award , Cameron Prize for Therapeutics of the University of Edinburgh , Dr. Paul Janssen Award for Biomedical Research , Ernst Schering Prize and Canada Gairdner International Award .Philippa Foot FBA (1920–2010), philosopher and creator of the trolley problem Barbara Freire-Marreco (1879–1967), anthropologist and folklorist; one of the first two women to gain a Diploma in Anthropology at OxfordMargery Fry (1874–1958), prison reformer; one of the first women to become a magistrateElspeth Garman (1954), professor of molecular biophysics ; President of the British Crystallographic Association ; the "Garman limit " is named after her ; winner of the Suffrage Science award Pelagia Goulimari (1964), Greek-British author, editor, and academic specialising in literary criticism, feminist theory, continental philosophy, and writing in English from 1740 to the present; co-founded Angelaki Hilary Greaves (1978), philosopherCharlotte Byron Green (1842–1929, Vice-President), promoter of women's educationMiriam T. Griffin [98] (1935–2018), American classical scholar; held the first Women in Classics dinner (at Somerville College)Grace Eleanor Hadow OBE (1875–1940), author, principal of St Anne's College, Oxford , and vice-chairman of the Women's Institute Edith Hall [116] (1959), scholar of classics , specialising in ancient Greek literature and cultural history Helena Hamerow FSA (1961), Professor of Early Medieval Archaeology; former Head of the School of Archaeology at OxfordJenny Harrison (1949), American mathematicianBarbara Harvey [98] (1928), medieval historianMargaret Hayes-Robinson (1876-1930), historian and the head of Royal Holloway 's History DepartmentIsobel Henderson (1906–1967), ancient historian; one of the first woman tutors to be allowed to join Oxford's 'Ancient History Dinners'Gertrud Herzog-Hauser (1894–1953), Austrian classical philologist ; first Austrian woman to gain a habilitation at university and Vienna ’s first university lecturer in classical language.James Higginbotham FBA (1941–2014), Vera Brittain Visiting Fellow, professor of Linguistics and philosophyDorothy Hodgkin [7] OM FRS HonFRSC (1910–1994), Nobel Prize winner for her discovery of the structure of Vitamin B12 and development of protein crystallography ; first, and only, British woman to win a Nobel Prize in science; first woman to receive maternity pay at Oxford University; first female Chancellor of the University of Bristol Alan Hollinghurst FRSL (1954), English novelist, poet, short story writer and translator, winner of the James Tait Black Memorial Prize and Booker Prize Margaret Hubbard (1924–2011), Australian-born British classical scholar specialising in philology; described as "one of the most distinguished classical scholars of the modern age"; one of St Anne's College's 15 founding fellowsDavid Hutchinson FInstP (1969), quantum physicistEvelyn Jamison (1877–1972), medievalistLouise Johnson DBE FRS (1940–2012), biochemist and protein crystallographer; winner of the Suffrage Science award ; part of the team that discovered the structure of the enzyme lysozyme Dame Carole Jordan [98] DBE FRS FRAS FInstP (1941), physicist, astrophysicist, astronomer and academic Patricia Kingori , British Kenyan sociologist interested in misinformation and pseudoscience; included in the 2015 Powerlist ; youngest black Oxbridge professor and the youngest woman to ever be awarded a full professorship at the University of OxfordJane Kister (1944–2019), mathematical logician and executive editor of Mathematical Reviews Lotte Labowsky [117] (1905–1991), exiled Jewish German classicistAditi Lahiri (1952), India born German linguistClaire Lamont (1942), specialist in the works of Jane Austen and Sir Walter Scott ; winner of the Rose Mary Crawshay Prize Mary Lascelles FBA (1900–1995), literary scholarIrene Lemos FSA, classical archaeologist specialising in the Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age of Greece Chris Lintott FRAS (1980), astronomerMary Lobel (1900–1993, librarian), historian who edited several volumes of the Victoria County History Michael Lodge , Secretary-General of the International Seabed Authority Emily Lorimer OBE (1881–1949), Anglo-Irish journalist, linguist, political analyst, and writerHilda Lorimer (1873–1954), classical scholar; one of the first three women to participate in an excavation conducted by the British School at Athens Jonathan Marchini (1973), Bayesian statistician and professor of statistical genomicsFaith Martin (secretary), pen name of English author Jacquie Walton best known for her detective seriesAnita Mehta , Indian physicistDame Anna Morpurgo Davies DBE FSA FBA (1937–2014), Italian philologist Hilary Ockendon , applied mathematician and an expert on problems in fluid dynamics Daphne Osborne [118] (1930–2006), botanistPatricia Owens (1975), British-Irish academic, author and professor in International RelationsClara Pater (1841–1910), language and literature scholar; pioneer and early reformer of women's education ; tutor of Virginia Woolf Valerie Pearl (1926–1916), historian, President of New Hall, Cambridge Dame Emily Penrose DBE (1858–1942), Principal of Royal Holloway College , Bedford College and Somerville College; first woman to gain a First in Greats (Classics) at Oxford Colin Phillips , psycholinguistBertha Phillpotts (1877–1932), scholar in Scandinavian languages , literature, history, archaeology and anthropologyAntoinette Pirie (1905–1991), biochemist , ophthalmologist , and educatorMildred Pope (1872–1956), scholar of Anglo-Norman England ; first woman to hold a readership at Oxford University; the character Miss Lydgate in Sayers ' Gaudy Night (1935) is based on PopeMary Winearls Porter (1886–1980), crystallographer and geologist, known for her publications about ancient Roman architecture Mason Porter , American mathematician and physicist; winner of the Erdős–Rényi Prize and Whitehead Prize Tessa Rajak (1946), ancient historian, primarily focused on Judaism in the Hellenistic and Roman periods; expert on the writings of Josephus Tobias Reinhardt (1971), German classical scholar, specialising in Latin literature and ancient philosophy Stephen Roberts FREng, professor of machine learningAlex Rogers , professor of conservation biologyBridget Rosewell OBE FAcSS (1951), economistPeter Rutledge , New Zealand chemistSusan M. Scott FAA, Australian physicist whose work concerns general relativity, gravitational singularities, and black holes; first female physicist to win the Prime Minister's Prize for Science Rose Sidgwick (1877–1918), one of the founders of the International Federation of University Women Steven H. Simon (1967), American theoretical physicist; LeRoy Apker Award and Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award winnerMary Snow [119] (1902–1978), botanist who contributed to the study of geotropism and phyllotaxis Iyiola Solanke , Professor of European Union Law; founded the Black Female Professors ForumCharles Spence (1969), experimental psychologistFiona Stafford FBA, Professor of English Language and LiteraturePhyllis Starkey (1947), Labour party politicianEnid Starkie CBE (1897–1970), Irish literary critic known for her biographical works on French poets; officer of the Legion of Honour Frances Stewart [98] (1940), professor emeritus of development economics ; daughter of Nicholas Kaldor Mary Stocks, Baroness Stocks (1891–1975), writer who was deeply involved in women's suffrage , the welfare state , and other aspects of social workMartin Suckling (1981), composer and violinistDame Lucy Sutherland DBE FBA FRSA (1903–1980), Australian-born historian and head of Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford Rachel Tanner , immunologist; winner of the 'Women of the Future' Award for Science in 2019Jenny Teichman (1930–2018), Australian/British philosopher, writing mostly on ethicsRajesh Thakker (1954), Professor of MedicineAngela Vincent [98] FRS FMedSci (1942), neuroscientistTimothy Walker (1958), botanist, Horti Praefectus (Director) of the University of Oxford Botanic Garden and Harcourt Arboretum Doreen Warriner (1904–1972), development economist, known chiefly for her role in rescuing refugees just before World War IIKevin Warwick FIET FCGI (1954), engineer and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) at Coventry University ; known for his studies on direct interfaces between computer systems and the human nervous system; winner of the IET Mountbatten Medal , Ellison–Cliffe Medal and Golden Eurydice Award Stephen Weatherill (1961), professor of European lawDame Veronica Wedgwood OM DBE FBA FRHistS (1910–1997), historian specializing in the history of 17th-century England and Continental Europe; winner of the James Tait Black Memorial Prize and the Goethe Medal ; President of the English Association Jennifer Welsh (1965), Canadian researcher, writer and consultant; United Nations Secretary-General ’s Special Adviser on the Responsibility to ProtectStephanie West FBA, classical scholarHilary Davan Wetton (1943), Senior Music Associate, conductorDeirdre Wilson FBA (1941), linguist and cognitive scientistRosemary Woolf (1925–1978), scholar of medieval literatureDorothy Maud Wrinch (1894–1976), mathematician and biochemical theorist; first female Lecturer in Mathematics at Oxford and first woman to receive an Oxford DScLeonie Zuntz (1908–1942), German Hittitologist , included in The Black Book Max Baker-Hytch, analytic philosopher and theologian
Honorary fellows Notable honorary fellows (excluding alumni) are Simon Russell Beale , Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit , Venkatraman Ramakrishnan , Nancy Rothwell , and Kiri Te Kanawa . Notable foundation fellows are Charles Powell, Baron Powell of Bayswater , and Wafic Saïd .
Principals Janet Royall, Baroness Royall of Blaisdon The first principal of Somerville Hall was Madeleine Shaw-Lefèvre (1879–1889). The first principal of Somerville College was Agnes Catherine Maitland (1889–1906) when in 1894 it became the first of the five women's halls of residence to adopt the title of 'college', the first of them to appoint its own teaching staff, the first to set an entrance examination, and the first to build a library . She was succeeded by classical scholar Emily Penrose (1906–1926), who established the Mary Somerville Research Fellowship in 1903 which was the first to offer women in Oxford opportunities for research. Alumnae Margery Fry (1926–1930), Helen Darbishire (1930–1945), Janet Vaughan (1945–1967), Barbara Craig (1967–1980) and Daphne Park, Baroness Park of Monmouth (1980–1989) also served as Principal of Somerville College.
The current principal is Janet Royall, Baroness Royall of Blaisdon .[120] She succeeded Alice Prochaska at the end of August 2017.[120]
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Bibliography