Honorary awardees join celebrations at spring graduations

For the first time this year, thousands of academics, graduands and families convened at London’s South Bank between 12-16 May to celebrate the formal awarding of postgraduate degrees across seven UCL faculties.

Over the course of the week, members of the Class of 2025 were joined on stage at Royal Festival Hall by honorary award recipients from fields as diverse as politics, technology and medicine.

Honorary degrees

A Doctorate of Science was awarded to Lila Ibrahim, the first Chief Operating Officer at artificial intelligence company Google DeepMind.

Having begun her career as a scholarship recipient and one of only three women in her Electrical Engineering class at Purdue University, Lila is a passionate advocate for access to education. Further to her leadership role at Google DeepMind, she serves as Chair Emerita of Team4Tech, which supports nonprofits with technology solutions and training, and established a computer lab at the Lebanese orphanage where her father spent his early life.

Mary McAleese, legal scholar and former President of Ireland, received a Doctorate of Laws.

The first person born in Northern Ireland – and only the second woman – to hold the Irish presidency, she defined the theme of her time in office as “building bridges” in the immediate aftermath of the Troubles. As Head of State, Mary worked tirelessly to promote mutual understanding and reconciliation across the island of Ireland, as well as furthering the rights of children, women, and LGBTQ people.

A Doctorate of Literature was conferred upon Dr Charles Chen Yidan, a leading philanthropist and co-founder of internet holding company Tencent.

Named by Forbes magazine as ‘China’s most charitable man’, Chen Yidan established the Tencent Charity Foundation in 2007 and subsequently the internationally renowned Yidan Prize, which is awarded each year in support of outstanding ideas and practices across two categories: education research, and education development.

Also collecting a Doctorate of Science was Dr Clare Bailey Mosley on behalf of her late husband and fellow UCL alum Dr Michael Mosley.

A television and radio presenter, producer and writer, Michael inspired an audience of millions to better understand the workings of the human body – and supported us in adopting small but powerful habits to improve our health. Over more than three decades on both sides of the TV cameras, he provided a meticulously researched but always entertaining template for a generation of science communicators.

Honorary Fellowships

An Honorary Fellowship was awarded to Lord Ajay Kakkar KBE, cross-party peer and Emeritus Professor of Surgery at UCL.

A world-renowned surgeon and highly respected academic who specialises in treating and preventing blood clots, Lord Kakkar’s innovative research in blood homeostasis and thrombosis has saved countless lives. His research, in large part conducted at UCL, has also vastly improved our understanding of thrombosis.

Made a Life Peer as Baron Kakkar in 2010, he used his platform in the House of Lords to advocate for medicine and science. His parliamentary career includes a notable stint as a member Science and Technology Committee, and in 2013 he was appointed as UK Business Ambassador for Healthcare and Life Sciences.

Also receiving an Honorary Fellowship was Julia Prescot CBE, a visionary leader in infrastructure and construction and Honorary Professor at UCL’s Bartlett School of Sustainable Construction.

Julia has driven innovative approaches to financing and delivering major projects for more than 30 years. Since 2023, she has also been leading the UK’s strategy in senior roles at the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) and the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (NISTA).

As founder of the Women Leaders in Infrastructure Group, Julia is committed to gender equality in her sector. At UCL, she established the Bartlett Promise Prescot Scholarship for a future woman leader from sub-Saharan Africa to undertake an MSc in Infrastructure Investment and Finance and has also supported women leaders studying for an MBA in Major Infrastructure Delivery.

A special community

“It is a privilege to welcome this remarkable cohort of Honorary Award recipients to their special roles in our community,” said Angharad Milenkovic, Vice-President (Advancement) at UCL. “Their journeys remind us of the potential we each have when we combine our unique talents, hard work and vision and dedicate them to the pursuit of positive change.”

“As our Class of 2025 take what they have learned at UCL into the world, we hope that they will find inspiration in the experiences of those they shared the stage with during this unforgettable week.”

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UCL alumna Dr Clare Bailey Mosley collects the Honorary Doctorate of Science on behalf of her late husband, Dr Michael Mosley.

Further links

IOE Honorary Doctorate awarded to internet entrepeneur and philanthropist - IOE, UCL's Faculty of Education and Society
UCL confers seven Honorary Awards in final 2024 graduation ceremonies (September 2024)
UCL awards first Honorary Degrees and Fellowships for 2024 (May 2024)