List of University of Essex people

Vice-Chancellors

• Sir Albert Sloman (1963–1987)
• Sir Martin Harris (1987–1993)
• Ron J. Johnston (1993–1995)
• Sir Ivor Crewe (1995–2007)
• Colin Riordan (2007–2012)^[1]
• Anthony Forster (2012–2024)^[2]

• Frances Bowen (2025 - )

Economics

• George Christopher Archibald - Professor (1964–1971)
• Anthony Barnes Atkinson - Professor of Economics (1971 to 1976)
• Rex Bergstrom - Professor of Economics (1970–1992)
• Graciela Chichilnisky - Chair in Economics (1980 to 1981)
• Sanjeev Goyal - Professor of Economics (2003-2006)
• Oliver Hart - Lecturer in Economics (1974 to 1975)
• Ravi Kanbur - Professor in economics (1983–87)^[3]
• David Laidler - Lecturer (1966–1969)
• Richard Lipsey - Head Professor of Economics (1963–1969)
• Michio Morishima - Visiting Professor of Economics (1968 to 1970)
• Abhinay Muthoo - Head of Department of Economics (2000 to 2007); Professor of Economics (1998 to 2008); Reader (1995 to 1998); Lecturer (1992 to 1995).
• Motty Perry - Professor of Economics
• Peter C.B. Phillips - Lecturer in Economics (1972 to 1976)
• Anthony Shorrocks - Professor of Economics ^[4]
• Anthony Venables - Lecturer in Economics (1978 to 1979)

Sciences

• George Alfred Barnard - Professor of Mathematics (1966 to 1975)
• Richard Bartle - Senior Lecturer and Honorary Professor of Computer Science
• Charles George Broyden - Senior Lecturer and Professor of Mathematics (1967 to 1986)
• Mohammed Ghanbari - Professor, Department of Electronic Systems Engineering (1996 - )
• Martin Henson - Professor of Computer Science
• Owen Holland - Professor of Computer Science
• Rodney Loudon - Professor of Theoretical Physics
• Edward Tsang - Director of Centre for Computational Finance and Economic Agents; Professor of Computer Science
• Yorick Wilks - Professor of Computer Science and Linguistics

Humanities

• Robert D. Borsley - Professor of Linguistics (2000 - )
• Peter Carruthers - Lecturer, Philosophy Department (1985–1991)
• Donald Davie - Professor of Literature (1964–1968)
• Peter Kenneth Dews - Professor of Philosophy (1988 - )
• Elaine Feinstein - Assistant Lecturer, English Literature (1967–1970)
• Matt Lodder - Senior Lecturer, Art History and Interdisciplinary Studies (2013 - )
• David Musselwhite - Senior Lecturer, English Literature (1974–2010)
• Lucy Noakes - Professor of History (2017 - )
• José Emilio Pacheco - Visiting Professor of Literature
• Michael Podro - Professor of Art History (1973 to 1997)
• Mark Sacks - Professor of Philosophy (1993–2008)
• Derek Walcott - Nobel Laureate 1992, Professor of Poetry (2010 - 2015)
• Dawn Adès - Professor of Art History

Law

• Steve Peers, Professor of European laws^[5]
• Paulo Gonet Branco, Attorney General of Brazil.

Social sciences

• Brian Barry - Professor of Politics
• Robin Blackburn - Professor of Sociology
• Jean Blondel - Professor of Politics (1964 to 1984)
• Kevin Boyle - former director, Human Rights Centre (3 terms)
• Hugh Brogan - Professor of History, (1974 to 1998)
• Ian Craib - Professor of Sociology (1973–2003)
• Vic Gatrell - Professor of British History (2003 - )
• Paul Hunt - former director, Human Rights Centre (2001 to 2003)
• Bob Jessop - Professor, Department of Government (1975 to 1989)
• Anthony King - Professor, Department of Government
• Alan Knight - Lecturer, History Department (1973 to 1985)
• Ernesto Laclau - Visiting Professor, Department of Government
• Michael Mann
• Geoffrey Martin - Professor, Department of History
• Harvey Molotch - Professor of Sociology
• Sir Nigel S. Rodley - current Head of Human Rights Centre (also a graduate: see below)
• John Scott - Professor of Sociology (1994-2008) and Honorary Doctorate
• Fatos Tarifa - guest lecturer
• Peter Townsend - founding professor of Sociology ^{[citation needed]}

Academia in economics

• Erkin Bairam - Professor of Economics, University of Otago (1991–2001)^[6]
• Panicos O. Demetriades - Professor of Financial Economics, University of Leicester
• Jean Drèze - Professor of Economics, Delhi School of Economics^[7]
• Colm Kearney - Professor of International Business, University College Dublin
• Graham Loomes - Professor of Economics, University of Warwick^[8]
• Christopher A. Pissarides - Nobel Laureate 2010 British-Cypriot Economists, Professor of Economics at the London School of Economics^[9]
• Michael Riordan - Professor of Economics, Columbia University
• Norman Schofield - Professor of Political Economy, Washington University in St. Louis
• Richard J. Smith - Professor of Econometric Theory and Economic Statistics, University of Cambridge^[10]
• Yanis Varoufakis - Professor of Economics, University of Athens; Finance Minister of Greece (2015 onward)^[11][12]
• John Whalley - Professor of International Trade at University of Western Ontario^[13]

Academia in other areas

• Martin J. Ball - Emeritus Professor of Linguistics, Bangor University, Cymru/Wales
• Stephen J. Ball - Karl Mannheim Professor of Sociology of Education at the Institute of Education of University College London
• Richard Barbrook - Senior Lecturer in Humanities and Social Science, University of Westminster
• Manuel Barcia, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Global Engagement, University of Bath
• John Barrell - Professor of English, University of York
• David M. Barrett - Professor of Political Science, Villanova University
• Eva Collins - Professor of Management, University of Waikato
• John Fauvel - historian of mathematics, Open University
• James Gomez - Associate Professor at the School of International Studies, Universiti Utara Malaysia
• Stephen F. Jones - academic in the field of Eastern European affairs
• Kusuma Karunaratne - Sri Lankan academic; university administrator; professor and scholar in the fields of Sinhalese language, comparative literature, and sociology, University of Colombo
• Ernesto Laclau - Post-Marxist political theorist at Northwestern University; Visiting Professor at Essex's Department of Government
• Jill Marsden - scholar of the work of philosopher Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche; lecturer at the University of Bolton
• Maxine Molyneux - Professor of Sociology, Institute of Latin American Studies, University of London
• John Warwick Montgomery - American lawyer, theologian and academic known for his work in the field of Christian apologetics; Distinguished Research Professor of Philosophy and Christian Thought at Patrick Henry College^[14]
• Farish Ahmad Noor - Senior Fellow, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
• Alberto Pérez-Gómez - Professor of Architectural History, McGill University
• David Robertson - Professor of Politics, Oxford University
• Nigel S. Rodley - international human rights lawyer and academic, University of Essex
• Deborah Sugg Ryan - Professor of Design History and Theory, University of Portsmouth
• Michael Tappin - academic associated with Keele University
• Michael Taylor - Professor of Politics, University of Washington
• Nathan Widder - Professor of Political Theory, Royal Holloway, University of London
• Jonathan Wilson - Fletcher Professor of Rhetoric and Debate; Director of the Center for Humanities, Tufts University
• Wong Chin Huat - Malaysian political scientist, activist and columnist

Politics and government

• Martin Docherty-Hughes - Scottish National Party politician
• Óscar Arias - President of Costa Rica and 1987 Nobel Peace Prize Winner
• Ian Austin - Former MP for Dudley North^[15]
• Sima Sami Bahous - Jordanian Executive Director of UN Women
• John Bercow - Speaker of the House of Commons ^[16]
• John Biehl - Chilean lawyer, political scientist and diplomat
• Thozamile Botha - South African politician
• Virginia Bottomley - Conservative Party politician ^[17]
• Dragiša Burzan - Serbian Ambassador to the United Kingdom, former Foreign Minister of Montenegro
• Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury - Speaker of the Bangladesh National Assembly
• Fátima Choi - Director of Audit, Macau SAR, China
• James Duddridge - Conservative Party politician, MP for Rochford and Southend East
• Sean Farren - former Northern Irish politician
• Anne Gibson, Baroness Gibson of Market Rasen - British trade unionist
• Reshef Hen - former member of the Knesset
• Peter Housden - Permanent Secretary, Department for Communities and Local Government
• John Howarth - Labour Party Politician, MEP for South East England
• Ibrahim Jazi - Jordanian Minister of State for Prime Ministry Affairs
• Omar Asghar Khan - Pakistani social activist, economist and politician
• Leung Yiu-chung - member of the Hong Kong SAR Legislative Council
• Siobhain McDonagh - Labour Party politician
• Priti Patel - Conservative Party politician
• Donald C. Pogue - Chief Judge, United States Court of International Trade
• Dimitrij Rupel - first Foreign Minister of Republic of Slovenia
• Mark Shields - Deputy Commissioner of the Jamaica Constabulary Force from 2005 to 2009^[18]
• Duncan Shipley-Dalton - former Northern Irish politician
• David Triesman, Baron Triesman - Labour Party Member in the House of Lords; Chairman of the English Football Association
• Yanis Varoufakis - Professor of Economics, University of Athens; Finance Minister of Greece (2015 onward)^[11][12]
• Hoshyar Zebari - Iraqi Minister of Foreign Affairs

Business and economics

• Richard Douthwaite - economist, co-founder of Feasta
• Már Guðmundsson - Former Governor of the Central Bank of Iceland
• Hanif Lalani - ex-CEO of BT Global Services^[19]
• Charles Mbire - Ugandan businessman, entrepreneur and industrialist
• Thorarinn G. Petursson - Chief Economist of the Central Bank of Iceland
• George Provopoulos - Governor of the Bank of Greece and European Central Bank Governing Council Member.
• Nasrat Khalid - Social entrepreneur, founder at Aseel

Actors and directors

• Nick Broomfield - documentary filmmaker
• Stephen Daldry - film and theatre director (East 15 Acting School), BAFTA award-winner
• Rhys Frake-Waterfield - producer, writer and director of horror films
• Blake Harrison - actor (Neil from The Inbetweeners) (East 15 Acting School)
• Vera Kolodzig - actress in theatre productions and several Portuguese soap operas (East 15 Acting School)
• Mike Leigh - film and theatre director (East 15 Acting School)
• Alison Steadman - actress (East 15 Acting School), twice nominated for BAFTA award
• David Yates - multi-BAFTA winning English film and television director

Law and order

• Mariela Belski – lawyer; Executive Director, Amnesty International Argentina
• Peter Joslin - Chief Constable of Warwickshire
• Michael J. Todd - Chief Constable of Greater Manchester from 2002 until 2008
• Mark Watson-Gandy – barrister

Media and journalism

• Dotun Adebayo - radio presenter on BBC FiveLive^[20]
• Chris Boucher - television screenwriter, script editor and novelist^[21]
• Brian Hanrahan - BBC foreign correspondent^[22]
• Nick Margerrison - radio presenter on Kerrang! Radio

Musicians

• Gilad Atzmon - Israeli-born British jazz saxophonist
• Clint Boon - keyboardist and lead singer of the Inspiral Carpets
• John Etheridge - British jazz/fusion guitarist associated with the Canterbury Scene
• Steve Chandra Savale - Asian Dub Foundation guitarist

Architecture and urban planning

• Daniel Libeskind - architect of the Freedom Tower and Memory Foundations on the site of the World Trade Center in New York City

Philosophy

• Simon Critchley - British philosopher, academic at the New School for Social Research
• William McNeill - British philosopher, academic at DePaul University

Literary figures and artists

• Kee Thuan Chye - Malaysian dramatist, poet and journalist
• Charlie Connelly - author and broadcaster
• Nick Dear - writer for stage, screen and radio
• Mark Felton - author and historian
• Fraser Harrison - English writer
• Nigel Jenkins - Welsh poet and writer
• John Lawton – novelist
• Marianne Majerus - photographer
• Okello Oculi - Ugandan novelist and poet
• Ben Okri - Booker Prize winner
• Douglas Oliver - English contemporary poet and novelist
• Soledad Reyes - Filipino literary scholar and critic
• Kate Rhodes - British poet
• Mike Ripley – novelist
• Michelene Wandor - English playwright and poet
• Nathan Zach - Israeli poet
• The Kipper Kids - Performance Artists (at East 15 Acting School)

Science and technology

• Richard Bartle - co-creator of MUD1, the first ever MUD (Multi-User Dungeon)^[23]
• Phil O'Donovan - Bluetooth engineer & CSR plc co-founder
• Nigel Roberts - Internet naming pioneer, Board Director at ICANN
• Roy Trubshaw - co-creator of MUD1, the first ever MUD (Multi-User Dungeon)^[24]
• Rodolfo Neri Vela - Mexico's first astronaut ^[25]

Human rights

• Akram H. Chowdhury - founder of the Bangladesh Rehabilitation Centre for Trauma Victims
• Alex Neve - Secretary General of Amnesty International Canada
• Carry Somers - Founder and Global Operations Director of Fashion Revolution UK