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Murray Edwards College
University of Cambridge

Notable alumnae

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    Photo of Alumna Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell (left)
    Alumna Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell (left) with Fellows

    Academia

    Baroness Haleh Afshar (NH 1967) – founding member of the Muslims Women’s Network. Former Professor of Politics and Women's Studies, University of York.

    Bina Agarwal (NH 1970) – Professor of Development Economics and Environment, University of Manchester

    Rosemary Ashby (NH 1961) – Former President, Pine Manor College, USA

    Katherine Blundell (NH 1987) - Professor of Astrophysics, University of Oxford

    Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell (NH 1965) – Astrophysicist who discovered pulsars and was also the first female president of the Institute of Physics

    Sheila Brown (NH 1966) – President Emerita, Mount Saint Vincent University, Canada

    Mina Fazel (NH 1990) – Professor of Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Oxford

    Angie Hobbs (NH 1980) – Professor of the Public Understanding of Philosophy, University of Sheffield

    Alison Holmes (NH 1979) - Professor of Infectious Diseases, Imperial College London. World-leading expert in infectious diseases and antimicrobial resistance 

    Serena Nik-Zainal (NH 1995) – Professor of Clinical Genetics and Cancer Research UK Advanced Clinician Scientist at the University of Cambridge

    Kate Pretty CBE (NH 1965) – Former Principal, Homerton College, Cambridge and former Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Cambridge University

    Dame Jessica Rawson (NH 1962) – English art historian, curator and sinologist

    Navkiran Shokar (NH 1986) - Chair of the Department of Population Health, Professor of Population Health and Associate Dean for Community Affairs at Dell Medical School at The University of Texas

    Sonya Stephens (NH 1982) – President Emerita, Mount Holyoke College, USA

    Dame Barbara Stocking (NH 1969) – President Emerita Murray Edwards College; former chief executive of Oxfam

     

    Writers, journalists and broadcasters

    Gina Barreca (NH 1979) – Women's humourist, writer, speaker, and Professor of Feminist Theory

    Hannah Begbie (NH 1996) –  Author of Mother and Blurred Lines

    Ursula Buchan (NH 1971) – Award-winning garden author and lecturer. Books include Beyond the Thirty-Nine Steps – The Life of John Buchan

    Helena Coggan (MEC 2017) - Author whose novels include The Catalyst and The Witchling's Girl

    Frances Edmonds (NH 1970) – Best-selling author, broadcaster, and speaker

    Gillian Gill (NH 1961) – writer and academic who specializes in biography. Author of Agatha Christie: The Woman and Her Mysteries (1990)

    Mishal Husain (NH 1992)newsreader and journalist for BBC Television and BBC Radio. Main Sunday presenter of the BBC News at Ten and BBC Weekend News and one of the main presenters of BBC Radio 4's Today

    Helen MacDonald (NH 1989) – writer, naturalist, and an Affiliated Research Scholar at the University of Cambridge Department of History and Philosophy of Science. Author H is for Hawk

    Maggie O'Farrell (NH 1990) – Novelist. Titles include After You’d Gone and The Hand That First Held Mine

    Joanna Rossiter (NH 2004) – Freelance Journalist and author. Writes for The Telegraph and The Spectator

    Sonia Ruseler (NH 1981) – Argentine news anchor who has worked for BBC, ITN, CNN

    Hilary Wilce (NH 1967) – Education journalist and writer

    Vicki Young (NH 1988) – Deputy Political Editor, BBC News

     

    Corporate leaders

    Margaret Cole (NH 1979) – Global regulatory policy and engagement leader, PwC

    Jane Frost CBE (NH 1975) – Chief Executive, Market Research Society (MRS)

    Liv Garfield (NH 1993) – Chief Executive of Severn Trent and former chief Executive of Openreach

     

    Healthcare and science

    Natasha Crowcroft (NH 1981) – Public Health Expert, WHO Senior Technical Advisor Measles and Rubella Control

    Professor Siân Griffiths OBE (NH 1970) – Public Health Expert, Non-Executive Director of Public Health, Wales and Emeritus Professor of Chinese University of Hong Kong

    Dame Julia King DBE (NH 1972) – Engineer, Cross-bencher in the House of Lords and Vice-Chancellor of Aston University (2006-2016)

    Helen Rees (NH 1971) – Medical researcher and the founder and Executive Director of the Wits Reproductive Health and HIV Institute (Wits RHI) of the University of Witwatersrand

    Kirstin-Anne Rutter (NH 1995) – Executive Director, Cambridge Health Partners

    Guddi Singh (NH 2001) - Paediatrician and TV broadcaster

    Carina Tyrrell (MEC 2009) – Public health physician, investor, and philanthropist who is a former Miss England and Miss United Kingdom

    Lady Fiona Watt (NH 1973) – Professor, Cell biologist and founding director of the Centre for Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine (CSCRM) at King’s. Director of EMBO

     

    Law

    Alison Cole (NH 1999) – International Lawyer and War Crimes Investigator

    Wendy Joseph KC (NH 1971) – Former Senior Circuit Judge, the Old Bailey

     

    Performing arts and entertainment

    Joanna MacGregor OBE (NH 1978) – British concert pianist, conductor, composer, and festival curator

    Hattie Morahan (NH 1997) – Actress. Roles include Sister Clara in The Golden Compass, Gale Benson in The Bank Job and Alice in The Bletchley Circle (2012–2014)

    Sue Perkins (NH 1988) – English actress, broadcaster, comedian, presenter and writer

    Josie Rourke (NH 1995) – English theatre and film director. She is a Vice-President of the London Library and was the artistic director of the Donmar Warehouse theatre (2012 – 2019)

    Roxana Silbert (NH 1983) – Theatre Director known for Table 12, The Fast Show Live and Shakespeare: The King's Man

    Sarah Solemani (NH 2002) – English actress, writer and activist. Appearances include Bridget Jones’s Baby and Bad Education

    Deborah Swallow (NH 1966) – British educator, museum curator and academic. First female Director, The Courtauld Institute of Art

    Tilda Swinton (NH 1980) – Actress. Films include Michael Clayton, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Avengers: Endgame

    Nicola Walker (NH 1989) – Actress. Appearances include Spooks and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

    Claudia Winkleman (NH 1990) – Television presenter, radio personality, film critic and journalist. Presenter of Strictly Come Dancing, The Traitors and former presenter of The Great British Sewing Bee

    Sports

    Lizzy Hawker (NH 1995) - British Endurance Athlete

     

    Third sector and government

    Manel Abeysekera (NH 1958) – Sri Lanka’s first women career diplomat

    Dr Amina Al-Yassin (NH 2005) - Director of Training and Development, Al-Ayn International, Iraq’s largest orphan care charity

    Baroness Natalie Evans (NH 1995) - British politician and Leader of the House of Lords (2016-22)

    Amika George (MEC 2018) - British activist who campaigns against period poverty in the UK

    Robin Raphael (NH 1969) – American former diplomat, ambassador, CIA analyst, lobbyist, and an expert on Pakistan affairs

    Camilla Toulmin (NH 1972) – British economist and former Director of the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED)

    Christine Wallich (NH 1970) – Trustee in Residence, American Academy in Berlin. Former Director, Independent Evaluation Group at World Bank

    Alice Walpole (NH 1982) Deputy Special Representative for Political Affairs and Electoral Assistance of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq

    Clare Winterton (NH 1990) Senior Advisor to UN Women on its milestone Generation Equality initiative, previously VP of Programs and then COO of Global Fund for Women