THE UNIVERSITY of Warwick is to present notable figures with honorary doctorates again this summer – from journalists, to paralympians, to scientists.
The prestigious degrees will be awarded at the university’s summer graduation ceremonies from July 17-25.
Among the most high-profile recipients is Stephen Sackur, a renowned and award-winning journalist.
He is best known for presenting BBC’s HARDTalk and BBC World News but he has regularly appeared on Panorama and writes for newspapers and magazines.
He made a name for himself as the BBC’s foreign correspondent during the 90s covering the Gulf War and Iraqi conflicts.
He will be awarded an honourary doctorate of letters.
Dr Douglas Terrier, a NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) scientist, will also receive the honour after many years as its chief technologist.
The university says he has helped plot the strategic direction of the agency’s space technology programme.
He has worked at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, Houston and as NASA’s associate director of engineering where he led teams responsible for designing a human space exploration programme.
Pamela Jones, a member of the GB Paralympic rowing team, will receive a doctorate in science.
She has suffered from a condition called psoriatic arthritis from the age of seven resulting in severe and permanent damage to some of her joints.
Pamela went on to win gold at London 2012 and defended her crown four years later in Rio.
Winning gold at the 2016 Paralympic games put her in the record books as being the only Paralympic rower in history who has won two paralympic rowing gold medals.
Peter Harris, one of the university’s graduates, has played a key role in helping South Africa on its way to democracy.
In the early 1990s he was seconded to work on the South African National Peace Accord and was responsible for brokering a number of the agreements between the political parties in order to assist peace and stability.
He was also responsible for ensuring the freeness and fairness of South Africa’s first democratic election in April 1994.
Among others to receive doctorates are Philippa Foster Back CBE who has been the director of the Institute of Business Ethics since 2001; Professor Chunli Bai a leading research chemist and an expert in nanoscience; and Professor Alan Barrett who has made major research contributions to the World Health Organization’s approach to vaccines.
Princeton mathematician Charles Fefferman; Smita Jamdar, leader of the education team at the legal firm Shakespeare Martineau; Physics professor Dame Parveen Kumar and doctor Julie Maxton, the executive director of the Royal Society- the first woman in 350 years to hold the post – will also receive awards.
Others to be honoured are Deirdre McCloskey, professor of economics, history, English, and communication at the University of Illinois at Chicago; and Heidi Meyer who has recently been made master at the Lord Leycester Hospital in Warwick and is the first woman in its 450 year history to fulfill this role.
