 Calestous Juma |
 Julian Le Grand |
 Aaron Sloman |
 Donald Winch |
The four professors receiving honorary degrees from Sussex at this week's graduation ceremonies all have strong connections with the University dating back many years.
In 1983 Professor Calestous Juma completed an MSc (Science Technology and Industrialisation) and subsequently a DPhil (Science and Technology Policy Studies) at SPRU. Now an internationally recognised authority on sustainable development, he is director of the Science, Technology and Globalization Program at Harvard University. He is a former Executive Secretary of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity.
Julian Le Grand, Professor of Social Policy at the London School of Economics (LSE), completed his first degree at Sussex in 1967. He went on to do a PhD at the University of Pennsylvania before returning to Sussex, where he lectured in economics until 1977. He is widely recognised for his contribution to the academic study and practice of public policy, health systems and social exclusion.
Professor Aaron Sloman is among the forefront of those exploring the boundaries of artificial intelligence (AI) and philosophy. He came to Sussex in 1964 and in the early 1970s helped to develop the Cognitive Studies programme in the School of Social Sciences, which grew into the School of Cognitive and Computing Sciences. After 27 years at Sussex he went to the University of Birmingham to head its School of Computer Science.
In 1963 Donald Winch joined the then brand-new University of Sussex, where he has remained ever since, serving as a lecturer, professor, dean and pro-vice-chancellor. An economist until the 1980s, he is now Emeritus Professor of Intellectual History in the School of Humanities. His move into intellectual history was encouraged by the small group who pioneered the teaching of the subject at Sussex as an autonomous field, creating the international reputation it continues to enjoy.