Newcastle University alumni and academics recognised in King’s Birthday Honours
14 Newcastle University graduates and colleagues have been named in King Charles III’s 2025 Birthday Honours list, acknowledging their dedication and success in their respective fields. Congratulations all!
19 June 2025
Meet the inspirational alumni and academics from Newcastle University celebrated in King Charles III's Birthday Honours 2025.
Paul Anticoni OBE (BSc Agriculture, 1987)
Agriculture graduate Paul Anticoni has 30 years of experience working with international humanitarian and development agencies and has led World Jewish Relief for the past two decades.
Following his graduation from Newcastle University, Paul headed to Oxford to study Forestry and then worked as a forester in Sudan. Caught up in Sudan’s civil war, Paul’s focus turned to the displaced people fleeing the conflict in the south. In the mid-1990s, Paul joined the British Red Cross and spent 12 years leading their disaster response operations worldwide. He joined World Jewish Relief in June 2006 as their Chief Executive.
World Jewish Relief is a leading provider of refugee language and employment services, supporting refugees and their families to build new lives in the UK. Now working in 21 countries and supporting more than 140,000 people in the last year alone, World Jewish Relief – under Paul’s leadership – leads global humanitarian efforts on behalf of the Jewish community.
In the King’s Birthday Honours 2025, Paul was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to Vulnerable People.
Dame Susan Jocelyn Bell Burnell CH DBE FRS FRSE (Hon DSc, 1995)
Northern Irish physicist Jocelyn Bell Burnell is best known for her discovery of the first radio pulsars in 1967, a discovery that was awarded a Nobel Prize (albeit controversially to her PhD supervisor, Antony Hewish, and not Bell).
She was made an Honorary Doctor of Science by Newcastle University in 1995, and this year has become a Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour (CH) in the King’s Birthday Honours for services to Astronomy, Physics and Diversity. This is the highest accolade in the Honours List, with only 65 Companions of Honour at any one time.
Throughout her impressive career, Jocelyn has been President of the Royal Astronomical Society (2002-2004) and the Institute of Physics (2008-2010) and was Chancellor of the University of Dundee from 2018-2023. Jocelyn’s impact on the science community has been celebrated in Ulster Bank’s new science-themed polymer £50 banknote and she was awarded the Special Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics, from which she used the £2.3 million prize money to establish a fund to help female, minority and refugee students to become research physicists, including here at Newcastle.
Dr Peter Cooper MBE (MSc Agriculture, 1968)
Retired soil scientist Dr Peter Cooper has been appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to Science and Scientific Research, particularly Soil Health, in King Charles III’s Birthday Honours List.
Peter has lived and worked across Africa and West Asia for the past four decades, with his research spanning soil nutrient dynamics, soil and water managements, crop and systems agronomy and agroforestry. In 2004, he joined the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) as a Principal Scientist based in Nairobi, Kenya. Here, he was charged with leading the institute’s strategic plan and research activities in climate risk management and adaptation to climate change in the Semi-arid Tropics of Africa and Asia.
Alongside his research, Peter has also been a Visiting Professor at Reading University, where he gained his doctorate in 1971, and a consultant to the CGIAR Programme on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) and the International Food Policy Institute, to name a few.
Sir Antony Gormley CH OBE (Hon DLitt, 2004)
Celebrated artist and honorary graduate of Newcastle University, Antony Gormley, has joined fellow honorary graduate Jocelyn Bell Burnell as a Companion of Honours (CH) in this year’s Honours List, for his services to Art.
Antony is perhaps best known for his public artwork the Angel of the North in Gateshead, which many alumni may remember visiting or passing on their journey to Newcastle. Erected in 1998, today the Angel is one of the most recognised and talked about pieces of art ever produced.
This is not the only Gormley artwork that may be remembered by Newcastle graduates. In 2015, the University’s Hatton Gallery showcased some of his drawings in the ‘Space Stations’ exhibition, and since 2018, King’s Walk on campus (between the Students’ Union and Northern Stage) has been home to the artwork Clasp. The 4.5-metre-high cast iron sculpture is a translation of two bodies holding each other and is part of the artist’s ‘Blockwork series’.
Elanor Hillier BEM (BA Hons Archaeology, 1998)
Archaeology graduate Elanor Hillier has protected and championed the heritage of the North East throughout her career, most recently with Northumberland Coast National Landscape. This year, she was awarded a Medal of the Order of the British Empire (BEM) for services to Heritage and the community in the North East.
Elanor’s career has traversed heritage learning, engagement and conservation and regeneration of historic buildings in the region. This includes supporting the development of the Old Low Light on North Shields Fish Quay, through her role with North of England Civic Trust, and managing the learning and engagement aspect of the £4.5m conservation project at Hylton Castle in Sunderland.
Keith Ludeman OBE (BA Hons Geography, 1971)
After completing his undergraduate Geography degree at Newcastle University, Keith Ludeman joined Tynemouth and District Transport as a conductor for a summer job. He remained there for 15 months before undertaking an MSc in Transport Engineering and Planning at the University of Salford.
Since then, Keith has had an extensive career in the UK transport sector, from leading London General and North East-based Go Ahead, to Luton Airport and High Speed 1 (HS1). This year, he has been made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to Transport.
Eric Parry CBE (BA Hons Architectural Studies, 1973)
Eric Parry is one of the UK’s leading architects and the creative mind behind the restoration and renewal of St Martin-in-the-Fields, the London Stock Exchange and the rebuild of St George’s Hall at Windsor Castle following the fire in 1992.
After graduating from Newcastle University in the early 1970s, Eric went on to study at the Royal College of Arts and the Architectural Association School of Architecture, before turning his attention to teaching. His former teaching roles include at Cambridge University, the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University and the Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan.
Eric founded Eric Parry Architects in London in 1983 and has since won countless awards for his projects. This year, he was appointed as a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for services to Architecture, in the King’s Birthday Honours List.
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Dame Lesley Powell DBE CBE (MEd 2013)
North East native Lesley Powell has almost four decades of teaching experience, working her way up as a newly qualified chemistry teacher in Gateshead to become Executive Principal of the Academy at Shotton Hall and CEO of North East Learning Trust.
Lesley, who gained her Master’s in Education from Newcastle University in 2013, was awarded a CBE by Queen Elizabeth II in 2017 and this year was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in King Charles III’s Birthday Honours List.
As a national leader of education, practising Ofsted inspector, member of the regional headteacher board and member of the national secondary headteachers reference group, Lesley is dedicated to improving the education and the life chances of young people.
Mike trained as a GP in the North East and was a partner in a large practice in Gateshead for 15 years before moving into full-time medical management. He has a wide range of experience including in public health; as director of a GP co-operative; a governor of a Foundation Trust and has held a range of NHS board level positions since 1999.
Mike helped lead the NHS through the COVID-19 pandemic as National Strategic Incident Director of NHS England and has recently contributed to the UK government’s inquiry into the pandemic and the response.
Alongside his main role with the NHS, he has chaired the Partnership Board of the NHS North East Leadership Academy, providing leadership development to senior leaders and managers in the North East, and has been an Independent Chair of the Scottish NHS Pension Board.
Dr Steven Quilliam BEM (MBBS, 1981)
Newcastle Medical School graduate and local GP Steven Quilliam has been awarded a Medal of the Order of the British Empire (BEM) for services to the community in Prudhoe, Northumberland.
Having served the community in Prudhoe since 1986 as a doctor, Steven’s award recognises his significant contribution to the village, including deferring his retirement amidst the COVID-19 pandemic to continue protecting his patients and supporting colleagues to offer the best possible care.
Outside the GP practice, Steven has been a member of the Prudhoe Community Band, a group that encourages people of all ages and stages of their musical journey, for whom he has facilitated overseas tours, concerts and residentials for hundreds of people. Steven has also been on the Board of local Ovingham Middle School, and a Trustee for Prudhoe Arts Centre and the Prudhoe Community Partnership.
Professor Judith Rankin OBE
Judith Rankin is professor of Maternal and Child Health in the Population Health Sciences Institute at Newcastle University. Her research aims to reduce disparities in outcomes for women, babies and families, with a particular focus on those from underserved and vulnerable groups. This June, Judith has been awarded an OBE for services to Maternal and Child Health and Research Inclusion.
Recently announced by the NIHR as a Senior Investigator in public health, Judith has long advocated for maternal and child health research, from her early days of advocating for the need for population level, high quality data on children with congenital anomalies to inform clinical practice and research to leading research on how to facilitate engagement with maternity services for those from vulnerable groups.
Judith also has a track record of championing research inclusion both within Newcastle University and nationally and has supported researchers from different backgrounds, disciplines and career trajectories to pursue their ambitions as well as worked with organisations to make their practices more inclusive.
Claire Render MBE (BA Social Studies, 1992; PGCE, 1993; Further PGCE, 1996)
Having completed her undergraduate studies on campus, Claire Render remained at Newcastle University to qualify as a primary school teacher. Today, she is Chief Executive Officer of The Good Shepherd Multi Academy Trust in Cumbria and has been made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to Education.
In 2019, with over 25 years of teaching experience under her belt – including as a headteacher – Claire joined The Good Shepherd Multi Academy Trust as their CEO, leading the Trust’s family of schools across Cumbria and Northumberland. Under her leadership, the Trust has seen transformative progress in school improvement, the expansion and strengthening of central hub services, and the growth of future education leaders across their network.
Peter Swan BEM (MEd 1993)
Retired teacher Peter Swan has been made a Medallist of the Order of the British Empire (BEM) in the King’s 2025 Birthday Honours for services to Young People and Communities in Tanzania and the United Kingdom.
Peter is a former Deputy Head Teacher from Acklam Grange School in Teesside, who enjoyed a 36-year career in education before retiring in 2012. He gained a Master’s in Education from Newcastle University in 1993.
Alongside his teaching career, Peter is the Co-Founder and Chairman of The Meserani Project in Tanzania, a ‘home-grown’ charity with a primary focus on providing primary, secondary, further and higher education for young people in an area of East Africa where such education opportunities are not accessible to them due to poverty, family circumstances and lack of educational provision.
Since the project was established in 2009, it has supported hundreds of pupils through all stages of education, built classrooms, provided water tanks and solar power, planted trees and gifted laptops and projectors to ensure young people in Tanzania can reach their potential.
Richard Titchener MBE (BA Hons English Language and Literature, 1978)
Class of 1978 graduate Richard is the Chief Executive Officer of the Sea-Change Sailing Trust in Essex. He has recently been awarded an MBE for services to Disadvantaged Young People and to the community in Essex.
Based in Maldon, the Trust supports young people who are experiencing disruption and disadvantage in their lives; those not in employment, education or training; young offenders or those at risk of offending; people experiencing social exclusion; and those with special needs or challenged by traditional educational settings. Beneficiaries of the Trust embark on a week-long sea voyage to develop transferrable skills like communication, reliance, teamwork and confidence to help in their lives back on dry land.
Richard has been with the Trust since 2007, and commissioned Blue Mermaid, the first modern sailing barge built for trade.
Congratulations all!
Is someone missing?
We’re thrilled to celebrate the achievements of our alumni community, but often rely on the information we have available on our alumni database. If you or someone you know was recently recognised in the King’s Birthday Honours and isn’t mentioned above, please let us know so we can shout about you from the rooftops!