Alumni
Honorary degrees
The University of Newcastle honours the leaders, creators and innovators that strengthen their communities. Through Honorary Degrees, we acknowledge these exceptional individuals' commitment to the University's values of engagement, innovation, integrity, sustainability, and equity and social justice.
Nominations for Honorary Doctorates may be made by a member of Council, staff, the Alumni Advisory Committee, or by a University of Newcastle student. If you would like to nominate an exceptional individual please read more here.
The Hon. Julia Gillard AC
The Honourable Julia Gillard, AC, was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Letters honoris causa by the University of Newcastle, in acknowledgement of her exceptionally distinguished service to Australian society.
Professor Dato’ Ir Dr A. Bakar Jaafar
Meet Professor Dato’ Ir Dr A. Bakar Jaafar (Honorary Doctor of Science, 2022; Bachelor of Engineering 1973). A mechanical engineer by profession and an environmental scientist by specialisation, Dato Jaafar has had a long and influential career in the Malaysian Public Service.
Noni Purnomo
Meet Noni Purnomo (Honorary Doctor of Letters, 2019; Bachelor of Engineering 1995) a well-known philanthropist and business leader in Indonesia. As President and CEO of Blue Bird Group Holding, she leads the largest taxi company in her home country.
| Year | Name | Honorary Degree |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Dr Alan Finkel AC | Doctor of Science |
| 2025 | Mr Philip Cox AO | Doctor of Architecture |
| 2025 | Mr Robert Kennedy AM | Doctor of Business |
| 2025 | Professor Patricia Davidson | Doctor of Education |
| 2025 | William Thomas Emmanuel AM CGP | Doctor of Music |
| 2024 | Emeritus Professor Stephen Leeder AO | Doctor of Medicine |
| 2024 | Dr Karl Kruszelnicki AM | Doctor of Science |
| 2024 | Robyn Williams AO FAA | Doctor of Science |
| 2024 | Dr Robert Cameron AO | Doctor of Business |
| 2024 | The Hon Graham Robert Mullane AM | Doctor of Laws |
| 2024 | Emeritus Professor Mary O’Kane AC | Doctor of Education |
| 2024 | Professor Ngiare Brown | Doctor of Medicine |
| 2024 | Dr Paul Jeans | Doctor of the University |
| 2023 | Mrs Deirdre Heitmeyer | Doctor of Education |
| 2023 | Professor Vaughan Carr | Doctor of Medicine |
| 2023 | Mr Neville Sawyer AM | Doctor of Engineering |
| 2022 | The Honourable Julia Gillard AC | Doctor of Letters |
| 2022 | Dr Daphne Daniels | Doctor of Social Science |
| 2022 | Professor Dato’ Ir Dr Abu Bakar Jaafar | Doctor of Science |
| 2022 | Dr Marjorie Biggins | Doctor of Letters |
| 2022 | Mr Nick Mitzevich | Doctor of Fine Arts |
| 2021 | Dr Kelvin Kong | Doctor of Medicine |
| 2021 | Prof. Robert (Uncle Bob) Morgan | Doctor of Education |
| 2021 | The Honorable John Howard | Doctor of Letters |
| 2021 | Dr Donna Odegaard AM | Doctor of Letters |
| 2021 | Mr Djon Mundine OAM | Doctor of Letters |
| 2020 | Dr Vera Deacon OAM | Doctor of Letters |
| 2019 | The Honourable Arthur Sinodinos AO | Doctor of Letters |
| 2019 | Dr Frances Gentle AO | Doctor of Letters |
| 2019 | The Honourable Greg Combet AM | Doctor of Letters |
| 2019 | Prof. John Germov | Doctor of Letters |
| 2019 | Noni Sri Ayati Purnomo | Doctor of Letters |
| 2019 | Ross Gittins AM | Doctor of Letters |
| 2018 | Prof. Geoffrey Whitty CBE | Doctor of Education |
| 2017 | Prof. ER Meng Hwa | Doctor of Engineering |
| 2015 | Dr John Blakemore | Doctor of the University |
| 2015 | Tan Sri Datuk Mohd Razali Abdul Rahman | Doctor of Letters |
| 2015 | Dr Joanne McCarthy | Doctor of Letters |
| 2015 | Dr Peter Tay | Doctor of Engineering |
| 2015 | Geraldine Doogue | Doctor of the University |
| 2015 | His Excellency Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete | Doctor of Laws |
| 2014 | The Honourable Dr John Price AM | Doctor of Letters |
| 2014 | The Honourable Rodney Harrison | Doctor of Business |
| 2014 | Prof. George Klinzing | Doctor of Engineering |
| 2013 | Prof. Barry Marshall AC | Doctor of Medicine |
| 2012 | Prof. Balakrishnan Nair AM | Doctor of Medicine |
| 2012 | C/Prof. Gillian Turner | Doctor of Medicine |
| 2012 | Dr John Dai | Doctor of Business |
| 2011 | C/Prof. Trevor Waring AM | Doctor of the University |
| 2011 | Sister Maureen McGuirk AM | Doctor of Education |
| 2011 | Dr Michael Johns | Doctor of the University |
| 2011 | Dr Victor Levi | Doctor of the University |
| 2011 | Prof. Patrick McGorry AO | Doctor of Medicine |
| 2011 | Prof. Christopher CHEN | Doctor of Medicine |
| 2011 | Dr Michael Gray | Doctor of Business |
| 2011 | Dr Toshiyuki Yamada | Doctor of Engineering |
| 2011 | Dr John Olsen AO OBE | Doctor of Letters |
| 2011 | Dr David Marr | Doctor of Letters |
| Year | Name | Honorary Degree |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Dr CHEONG Koon Hean | Doctor of Architecture |
| 2010 | Prof. David Hill AO | Doctor of Medicine |
| 2009 | Dr Jeff McMullen AM | Doctor of Letters |
| 2009 | Dr W.E.J. Paradice AM | Doctor of Letters |
| 2009 | Prof. Arie Feuer | Doctor of Engineering |
| 2009 | Dr Zhang Shi Jie | Doctor of the University |
| 2009 | Dr Indra Abidin | Doctor of Letters |
| 2008 | The Honourable Mahla Pearlman AO | Doctor of Law |
| 2008 | Prof. Osamu Mizutani | Doctor of Letters |
| 2007 | Dr John Drinan | Doctor of Education |
| 2007 | Dr Gary Quinlan AO | Doctor of Letters |
| 2007 | Dr Susan Lim | Doctor of the University |
| 2006 | Dr Leon Burwell OAM | Doctor of Education |
| 2006 | Dr Margaret Olley AC | Doctor of Fine Art |
| 2006 | Dr Jeanette Dixon AM | Doctor of Education |
| 2006 | Y.Bhg. Dato Dr Pahamin Rajab | Doctor of Law |
| 2006 | Dr Roy Chung | Doctor of the University |
| 2006 | Prof. Lloyd Sansom AO | Doctor of Health |
| 2006 | Dr Raymond Kelly | Doctor of Letters |
| 2005 | Bryce Courtenay AM | Doctor of Letters |
| 2005 | Sr Margaret Mort | Doctor of Health |
| 2005 | Tan Sri Esa Mohamed | Doctor of Architecture |
| 2005 | Dr Elizabeth Shing | Doctor of Business |
| 2005 | Dr Roger Riordan AM | Doctor of the University |
| 2005 | Emeritus Professor Brian Anderson AC | Doctor of Engineering |
| 2004 | Nancy Borlase | Doctor of Fine Art |
| 2004 | Emeritus Professor Kenneth Eltis AM | Doctor of Education |
| 2004 | Dr Brian Gilligan | Doctor of Science |
| 2004 | Dr John Peschar | Doctor of the University |
| 2004 | Dr Eric Willmot AM | Doctor of Letters |
| 2004 | Dr Robin Klein | Doctor of Letters |
| 2004 | Dr Mark Richards | Doctor of Letters |
| 2004 | Dr. S Chandra Das | Doctor of Business |
| 2003 | Dr Peter Kleeman | Doctor of Engineering |
| 2003 | Dr William Bowmore AO OBE | Doctor of Music |
| 2003 | Prof. Ralph Slayter | Doctor of Science |
| 2003 | Patricia Davis-Hurst AO AM | Doctor of Letters |
| 2003 | Dr Micahel Elfick | Doctor of Surveying |
| 2003 | Dr CHEW Heng Ching David | Doctor of Engineering |
| 2003 | Dr Helen Garner | Doctor of Engineering |
| 2003 | Most Rev Philip Wilson DD JCL | Doctor of Letters |
| 2002 | Dr Anne von Bertouch | Doctor of Letters |
| 2002 | Sammy Poone JP SBS | Doctor of the University |
| 2002 | Dr Geoffrey Leonard AM | Doctor of Business |
| 2002 | Minister KHAW Boon Wan | Doctor of Engineering |
| 2002 | Dr June Heinrich AM | Doctor of Education |
| 2002 | Prof. Beverley Raphael | Doctor of Medicine |
| 2002 | Dr Ruth Dircks OAM | Doctor of Education |
| 2002 | John Hart | Doctor of Engineering |
| 2002 | Dr David Williams | Doctor of Science |
| 2001 | E/Prof. Kenneth Dutton AM | Doctor of Letters |
| 2001 | Dr John Doyle AM | Doctor of Letters |
| 2001 | Gillian Gale AM | Doctor of Education |
| 2001 | E/Prof. John Hamilton AM OBE | Doctor of Medicine |
| 2001 | Cindy Lüken | Master of Science |
| 2001 | Dr George Lewin | Doctor of Engineering |
| 2001 | Eric Richardson | Master of Arts |
| 2000 | Valerie Bryant-Carroll | Doctor of Education |
| 2000 | Dr Brian Suters AM | Doctor of Architecture |
| 2000 | Dr Patricia Harrison | Doctor of the University |
| 2000 | Bishop Peter Carnley AC | Doctor of Letters |
| 2000 | Dr Helen Caldicott | Doctor of Education |
| 2000 | Tan Sri Dato KR Somasundram | Doctor of Education |
| 2000 | Dr Belinda Clark AO | Doctor of Education |
| Year | Name | Honorary Degree |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | E/Prof. Lois Bryson | Doctor of the University |
| 1999 | Dr Gaye Hart AM | Doctor of Education |
| 1999 | Prof. Janice Morse | Doctor of Nursing |
| 1999 | William Evans | Master of Science |
| 1999 | Dr John Race | Doctor of Education |
| 1998 | Dr Peter Hendry AO | Doctor of the University |
| 1998 | Dr William Jonas AM | Doctor of the University |
| 1998 | Robyn Wamsley | Master of Nursing |
| 1998 | Dr TAN Chin Nam | Doctor of Engineering |
| 1998 | The Honourable Bruce Baird AM | Doctor of the University |
| 1998 | Prof. John Harding | Doctor of Music |
| 1998 | Dr Marinus van Gendt | Doctor of the University |
| 1998 | The Honourable Michael McHugh AC QC | Doctor of Law |
| 1997 | John Smyth | Doctor of Medicine |
| 1997 | E/Prof. Geoffrey Kellerman AO | Doctor of Medicine |
| 1997 | E/Prof. Raoul Mortley AO | Doctor of the University |
| 1997 | The Honourable Kevin Edmund Lindgren AM QC | Doctor of Law |
| 1997 | Dr David Karpin AM | Doctor of Law |
| 1997 | Dr John Marshall Burgess | Doctor of Engineering |
| 1997 | Prof NG Tung Sang | Doctor of Engineering |
| 1997 | Dr Edward Manners | Doctor of the University |
| 1997 | Reginald Parker | Master of Construction Management |
| 1997 | Dr Roberta Carter-Brown OAM | Doctor of Education |
| 1997 | Dr Zhang Simin | Doctor of the University |
| 1996 | Prof. Howard Worner | Doctor of Science |
| 1996 | E/Prof. Michael Carter | Doctor of the University |
| 1996 | William John Edwards | Doctor of Engineering |
| 1996 | Donald McNair | Doctor of Science |
| 1996 | Davis Hughes | Doctor of Education |
| 1996 | Dr John Risby | Doctor of Engineering |
| 1996 | Dr John McNaughton AM Emeritus Lord Mayor | Doctor of Engineering |
| 1996 | Dr Greg Pead | Doctor of Letters |
| 1996 | Prof. Nigel Butterley | Doctor of Music |
| 1996 | James Cox | Master of Occupational Health and Safety |
| 1996 | Dr Niched Suntornpithug | Doctor of Science |
| 1995 | Maxwell Maddock | Doctor of Science |
| 1995 | E/Prof. Alan Roberts AM | Doctor of the University |
| 1995 | Dr Max Roberts | Doctor of the University |
| 1994 | Patricia Tynan | Doctor of Letters |
| 1994 | E/Prof. Godfrey Tanner | Doctor of the University |
| 1994 | Dr John Sligar | Doctor of Engineering |
| 1994 | John Bell AO OBE | Doctor of Letters |
| 1994 | Prof Heng Chee CHAN | Doctor of Letters |
| 1993 | Douglas Rex Huxley | Doctor of the University |
| 1993 | Colin McFarlane Glass | Doctor of Science |
| 1993 | E/Prof. Keith Morgan | Doctor of Science |
| 1993 | E/Prof. Clifton Ellyett | Doctor of the University |
| 1993 | Dr Alan Beard OAM | Doctor of Education |
| 1993 | Dr Michael Wilford | Doctor of Science |
| 1993 | Nancy Perkins | Master of Letters |
| 1992 | Donald Morris | Doctor of the University |
| 1992 | Lenny De Silva | Doctor of Letters |
| 1992 | Larry Beeston | Master of Arts |
| 1992 | Mary Beeston | Master of Arts |
| 1992 | Betty Andersen AM | Doctor of Science |
| 1992 | Dr Marilyn Jones | Doctor of Music |
| 1992 | Dr Harold Tulloch | Doctor of Science |
| 1992 | Dr John Wilcox | Doctor of Science |
| 1991 | Roy Mills | Doctor of Medicine |
| 1991 | Vincent Clarence Millington | Master of Arts |
| 1991 | Patricia Rankin | Doctor of the University |
| 1991 | Roland Robinson | Doctor of Letters |
| 1991 | Dr Richard Gosper | Doctor of Science |
| 1991 | Dr Barry Flanagan AM | Doctor of Engineering |
| 1990 | Warren Derkenne | Master of Arts |
| 1990 | Prof. Charles Renwick AO | Doctor of the University |
| 1990 | Prof. Raymond Chambers | Doctor of Science |
| 1990 | John Thomson | Doctor of Engineering |
| 1990 | Dr Edward Flowers | Doctor of Letters |
| 1990 | Dr Margaret Bowman | Doctor of Letters |
| 1990 | John Miner | Master of Laws |
| 1990 | Alan Hewson AM | Doctor of Medicine |
| Year | Name | Honorary Degree |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Prof. Warren Hogan | Doctor of Science |
| 1989 | Walter Laurence Hughes | Doctor of Engineering |
| 1989 | Ian Stewart | Doctor of Engineering |
| 1989 | Ulric Burstein | Master of Arts |
| 1989 | Dr John Varnum AM | Doctor of Science |
| 1988 | Judith White AM | Master of Arts |
| 1988 | Prof. Gordon Kerridge | Doctor of Medicine |
| 1988 | E/Prof. Beryl Nashar OBE | Doctor of Science |
| 1988 | E/Prof. James Allen AO | Doctor of Science |
| 1988 | Harold Bradford | Master of Arts |
| 1988 | The Honourable Justice Elizabeth Evatt AO AC | Doctor of the University |
| 1988 | James Comerford | Master of Arts |
| 1988 | Dr Manuel Alves | Doctor of Engineering |
| 1988 | Dr James Kirk | Doctor of Science |
| 1988 | Dr Norman Keith Boardman AO | Doctor of Science |
| 1987 | The Honourable Michael Kirby AC CMG | Doctor of Letters |
| 1987 | Bryan Campbell | Master of Science |
| 1986 | E/Prof. Donald George AO | Doctor of Engineering |
| 1986 | Rolph Farrell | Master of Arts |
| 1985 | James Balderston | Doctor of the University |
| 1985 | Joyce Cummings | Master of Arts |
| 1985 | Sir Gustav Nossal | Doctor of Medicine |
| 1985 | Sir Roderick Carnegie | Doctor of Science |
| 1984 | E/Prof. Charles Blackburn AC | Doctor of Medicine |
| 1984 | E/Prof. Alan Shaw AO | Doctor of Letters |
| 1984 | Percy Haslam | Master of Arts |
| 1983 | Dr Alec Forsythe | Doctor of the University |
| 1983 | Edwin Pitcher | Master of Arts |
| 1982 | John Wild | Doctor of Science |
| 1981 | Sir James McNeill | Doctor of Science |
| 1981 | The Honourable Kenneth Booth | Doctor of Letters |
| 1981 | Sir Rupert Myers KBE AO | Doctor of Engineering |
| 1980 | Sir Zelman Cowan | Doctor of the University |
| 1980 | Prof. Ronald Thomas Sussex | Doctor of Letters |
| 1980 | Charles Manning Clark AC | Doctor of Letters |
| Year | Name | Honorary Degree |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Prof. Ralph Stanton | Doctor of Science |
| 1979 | Prof. David Miller | Doctor of Letters |
| 1978 | E/Prof. Peter Karmel AC CBE | Doctor of the University |
| 1978 | Prof. Roger Russell | Doctor of Science |
| 1976 | Xavier Herbert | Doctor of Letters |
| 1974 | Frank Burnet OM AK KBE FRS FAA FRSNZ | Doctor of Science |
| 1974 | Frank Purdue | Doctor of Science |
| 1974 | E/Prof. Eric Parker | Master of Architecture |
| 1974 | E/Prof. James Auchmuty | Doctor of Letters |
| 1974 | Bernard Neumann | Doctor of Science |
| 1973 | Marcel Aurousseau | Doctor of Letters |
| 1971 | Sir Hermann Black | Doctor of Letters |
| 1969 | Sir Charles Cutler | Doctor of Letters |
| 1969 | Sir James Vernon CBE | Doctor of Science |
| 1969 | Sir Arthur Cutler KBE | Doctor of Science |
| 1969 | Prof. Jack Roderick | Doctor of Engineering |
| 1969 | Dr Ralph Basden | Doctor of Science |
| 1968 | Sir Ian McLennan | Doctor of Engineering |
| 1967 | Lord Richard Casey | Doctor of Engineering |
| 1966 | Sir Allen Fairhall KBE | Doctor of Science |
| 1966 | Prof. Thomas Jones | Doctor of Science |
| 1966 | Sir John Crawford | Doctor of Science |
| 1966 | Sir Phillip Baxter | Doctor of Science |
| 1966 | Sir Alister McMullin | Doctor of Letters |
| 1966 | James Corlette | Doctor of Engineering |
| 1966 | Malcom Ellis | Doctor of Letters |
| 1966 | Morton Herman | Doctor of Letters |
| 1966 | Sir Robert Madgwick OBE | Doctor of Letters |
The University of Newcastle acknowledges the traditional custodians of the lands within our footprint areas: Awabakal, Darkinjung, Biripai, Worimi, Wonnarua, and Eora Nations. We also pay respect to the wisdom of our Elders past and present.