Thomas Brooks

Thomas Brooks was made an Honorary Doctor of Science.  He is Chief Scientist at the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), based in Gland, Switzerland. His responsibilities include scientific support to the delivery of knowledge products under IUCN standards (such as the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species) and strengthening the Union’s culture of science. 

Newcastle University academics, students and researchers have collaborated with Thomas in a number of ways including nine co-authored publications, various science-policy engagements and funded projects focusing on the biodiversity framework and species conservation.

He said: “I’m deeply grateful to have been awarded this honorary degree from Newcastle University.

"At IUCN, we’re greatly appreciative of the outstanding and collaborative conservation science emerging from the University – this has been instrumental, for example, in establishing robust targets and metrics for reducing species extinction risk in the Convention on Biological Diversity’s Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. This is also an intergenerational homecoming for me, in that my grandfather Alan Johnson was born in South Shields.”

Carolyn Forché

The poet, teacher, and human rights advocate Carolyn Forché,  has been made an Honorary Doctor of Letters.

She is recognised internationally as one of the most important poets writing today.  As an award-winning poet, teacher and activist she has witnessed, thought about, and put into poetry some of the most significant events of twentieth-century world history.  She has been recognised for her ability to wed the political with the personal and has earned comparisons with poets such as Pablo Neruda and Denise Levertov. Her collections include Gathering the Tribes, The Country Between Us and In the Lateness of the World.

She was a Visiting Professor in Newcastle University’s School of English Literature, Language and Linguistics, and gained her PhD in creative writing there. She chaired transformative debates about human rights and poetry at Newcastle, introducing important American poets including Patricia Smith, Jericho Brown and Ilya Kaminsky to students and audiences.

She said: "It's one of the greatest honours of my life. It was such a moving ceremony and I am so happy to be back in Newcastle, my alma mater, and to be among my colleagues and watch this class of 25 receive their degrees.

"I was so impressed by people from all over the world receiving degrees here and by the young and old receiving degrees here. It is an astonishing thing. I am really happy to be permanently associated with Newcastle University."

Nick Forbes

The Labour politician was made an Honorary Doctor of Civil Law. He was the second longest serving Leader of Newcastle City Council holding the post from 2011 to 2022.  He made economic growth a key feature of the Council, securing new financial powers by negotiating one of the first round of City Deals with government, creating an Accelerated Development Zone, and was instrumental in securing a devolution deal for the North of Tyne.

Nick is a long-serving member of the University’s Court and has been a proactive advocate and supporter of the University regionally, nationally and internationally. He was made an Honorary Doctor of Civil Law.

Nick Forbes said: “I’m deeply honoured to receive this public recognition from Newcastle University, an institution that has long championed inclusive growth and civic leadership.

“This award is a testament to the power of collaboration across sectors to drive meaningful progress, especially in life sciences, net zero and the energy transition, and I’m proud to have played a part in shaping a more equitable future for our region. It’s especially moving to be acknowledged by a university at the heart of the city I’ve always called home.”

Professor Chris Day, Vice Chancellor and President of Newcastle University said: “Our honorary degrees recognise the talents and notable achievements of these distinguished individuals in politics, poetry and science. We are proud to confer them with these honours and to welcome them to our University community.”