Leeds alumni in 2024

A year to remember

We started in Leeds with hundreds of heart-warming stories of love at the University. We progressed across the globe, celebrating our finest athletes in Paris. We flew out of this world for a special event with Leeds astronaut Matthias Maurer.

We even went to 10 Downing Street, and the election of Leeds's first UK prime minister.

Join us this festive season as we take a trip through the Leeds alumni highlights from 2024.

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Love at Leeds

Love was in the air in February – in fact it’s been blossoming across all walks of life at Leeds over the last 70 years.

A chance encounter in the Brotherton Library, a picnic in St George's Field, a seminar buddy who became something more – Leeds has seen it all.

On Valentine’s Day, you sent us your stories of finding love and falling in love with Leeds over the last 70 years.

International Women's Day 2024

From jaw-dropping record breakers to award-winning musicians, we shared eight stories to celebrate International Women’s Day this month, including:

• The BBC anchor – Naga Munchetty (English Literature and Language 1997) uses her national platform to campaign for changes to women’s health treatment.
• The social entrepreneur – Anna May (English Literature and Sociology 2020) suffered loss from an early age. She used her experiences to set up the Student Grief Network, which aims to soften the impact of bereavement in universities across the UK.
• The leading horror writer – Award-winning horror writer Tananarive Due (MA English Literature 1988) knows how to scare. She's been a leading voice in Black speculative fiction for more than 20 years.
• The Syrian refugee – Ten years after she first began studying in her home country, Syrian refugee Loubna El Saboni (Medicine 2023) finally graduated as a doctor last summer.

Read how women in our global Leeds community are inspiring others across the world.

Thanks to You: Navigating the cost of living crisis

From scholarships to financial literacy programmes, in our 2024 supporter magazine, we discovered how the supporter community is helping students most in need.

We asked 'could you live on 50p a week?', the reality faced by students attending university today. We discovered how, thanks to support offered at Leeds from school to retirement, those in need might not have to.

We explored student finance through the ages, and how a fluctuating political landscape has impacted student life.

And we met spice business owner Anith Puthiyankath (MBA 2002), who returned to campus to share his experiences with Leeds students.

Leeds at the House of Lords

Leeds hosted a special evening at the House of Lords in May. We were joined by enterprising alumni – many of whom started their businesses whilst studying at Leeds – to celebrate the University’s fresh approach to the spirit of enterprise.

Celebrating Africa

From UK ambassadors to the Lord Mayor of Leeds, from a World Health Organisation leader to an advocate for entrepreneurs, from conservationists to transport transformers, our African alumni are making a tremendous impact.

We caught up with our fabulous alumni in, or from, Africa to celebrate Africa week.

Pride in Leeds

Leeds has a proud history of bringing about positive change. The University is home to research on hate crime, human rights, and marriage inequalities. The city has been a trailblazer for progression and support for minorities.

In Pride Month, we celebrated a major fundraising project, Pride Global Scholarships, which will enable researchers to investigate the challenges facing LGBTQ+ people globally, and explore possible solutions.

Volunteers' Week 2024

June meant Volunteers’ Week 2024, and a chance to hear discover how our volunteers make a difference across campus and around the world.

We say thank you to our volunteers and celebrate the positive difference they make to our University community.

Leeds's first Prime Minister

Sir Keir Starmer (Law 1985, Hon LLD 2012) became the first University of Leeds graduate to become the UK Prime Minister after a landslide election result.

In an exclusive interview with Leeds Magazine in October 2023, Sir Keir Starmer discussed how his three years at university changed his life.

Leeds in China and Hong Kong

Leeds hosted a successful event in Hong Kong for alumni, donors and other supporters. The event was attended by Interim Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Leeds Professor Hai-Sui Yu.

The University of Leeds and Southwest Jiaotong University (SWJTU) also marked the 10th anniversary of a Joint School of Engineering and Computer Science with a special graduation ceremony in Chengdu, China.

Going for gold at Paris 2024

At the close of the Paris Olympics, we looked back on five memorable moments for Leeds students and alumni at the Games.

Leeds also had success at the Paralympics, where Laura Sugar (Sport and Exercise Science 2012) took gold in the para canoe, and para triathlete Claire Cashmore MBE (Linguistics and Phonetics 2011, Hon LLD 2013) won silver.

Study UK Alumni Awards success for Leeds graduates

In 2023 and 2024, 14 Leeds alumni from nine different countries were named national finalists and winners in the British Council Study UK Awards, more than any other UK institution.

Executive Director of Drug Discovery at Antengene Bing Hou (PhD Biomedicine 2015) was named a national winner in China for his impact in science and sustainability. Discover his story, and meet more of our recent winners.

Reducing cancer inequalities for Black people

In September, we learnt how Bonner (Human Physiology 2014) is driving change for Black people, who are under-represented in cancer research and over-represented in cancer mortality.

Astronaut touches down in Leeds

Leeds alum Matthias Maurer (Erasmus Materials Science 1993) spent 175 days on the International Space Station in 2022. He returned to Leeds to meet staff, students and alumni, and for an exclusive Leeds Alumni Voices event.

On his return to Leeds, Matthias shared his journey to become an astronaut, the influence Leeds had on his career, and his experience on board the International Space Station (ISS).

Leeds in the USA

A University delegation was joined by alumni in New York and San Francisco in October. They enjoyed opportunities to network, and learned how the Leeds Institute of Textiles and Colour will tackle the global challenges of a textiles industry facing increasing environmental scrutiny.

150 years of textiles at Leeds

Over 100 alumni, staff and guests gathered in November for a celebration event to mark 150 years of research and teaching in textiles and colour at the University of Leeds.

Guests learned about a new fundraising initiative which will help the University tackle the global issues of the textiles industry, which is facing increasing environmental scrutiny.

View pictures from the event

10 years of the Plus Programme

A special event in November marked ten years of the Plus Programme.

Supported by our donors, the Programme works with students from under-represented backgrounds to ease their transition into the University and helps them to thrive at Leeds.

Watch, as students and an alum explain the transformative difference it has made to their time at Leeds.

Leeds alumni at COP29

Research and innovation from the University contributed to important discussions and negotiations that took place in the run up to, and at, the 29th Conference of the Parties (COP29).

Principal Climate Change Scientist at UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) Helen Macintyre (PhD Atmospheric Science 2011) explained why the health impacts of climate change should be on everyone’s agenda.