Cambridge confers honorary degrees

The University of Cambridge today conferred honorary degrees on eight distinguished individuals in recognition of their outstanding contributions to their respective fields.

The honorary graduands recognised today are:

• Sir Simon Russell Beale received an honorary Doctorate in Letters.
  Renowned for his stage, film and television roles, Sir Simon is an Honorary Fellow of Gonville and Caius College, where he studied for his undergraduate degree. He is the recipient of two BAFTA awards, three Laurence Olivier Awards and a Tony. He was knighted in 2019.

• Michael Ebenazer Kwadjo Omari Owuo Jr, known professionally as Stormzy received a Doctorate in Law.
  A multi-award-winning artist and social advocate, he established the 'Stormzy Scholarship for Black UK Students' at Cambridge in 2018, providing financial support to black pupils from under-represented backgrounds.

• Professor Angela Davis, the political activist, philosopher and author, received a Doctorate in Letters.
  A Distinguished Professor Emerita from the University of California, Santa Cruz, Professor Davis is a radical feminist thinker and prominent civil rights campaigner who was an active member of the Communist Party and champion of the prison abolition movement. She is a vocal advocate for LGBTQ+ rights.

• Lady Arden of Heswall, former Justice of the UK’s Supreme Court, and an Honorary Fellow of Girton College, received a Doctorate in Law.
  She was previously a Judge in the Court of Appeal and before that, at the High Court of Justice, where she was the first female judge assigned to the Chancery Division. She is a former Chair of the Law Commission and a member of the Committee on Standards in Public Life. She was made a Privy Counsellor in 2000.

• Dame Katherine Grainger, Britain's most decorated female Olympian and Chair of the British Olympic Association, honoured with a Doctorate in Law. She is currently Chancellor of the University of Glasgow. It was recently announced that she will be created a Life Peer.

• The Nobel Prize-winning economist, Sir Oliver Hart, has received a Doctorate in Science.
  He is currently the Lewis P and Linda L Geyser University Professor at Harvard University. Hart’s work focuses on the theory of contracts, how parties can write better contracts, and on the social responsibility of business. He was knighted in the 2023 King’s Birthday Honours.

• Professor Maria Leptin, President of the European Research Council, has been conferred with a Doctorate in Medical Science.
  Formerly a Staff Scientist at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, she is a developmental biologist and immunologist. She is best known for her work on the mechanisms that allow a developing body to take on its correct shape. She was formerly Director of the European Molecular Biology Organization in Heidelberg.

• Sir John Rutter, an Honorary Fellow at Clare College and Director of Music at the College from 1975 to 1979, received a Doctorate in Music.
  A composer, arranger and conductor of choral music, his work has been performed all over the world. Founder and Director of the Cambridge Singers, Sir John was also knighted in 2024.

This year’s honorary graduands were received by the Vice-Chancellor and greeted by members of the University community, including students who have benefited from the Stormzy Scholarship.