We actively invite recipients of Honorary Awards to maintain their links with the University and transfer their knowledge and experience through master classes and public lectures.
Honorary awards are a recognition of national and international success
Honorary awards reward individuals who have attained national and international success and recognition in their chosen field. They maximise the University’s public presence, allow Schools to develop closer relationships with distinguished persons and engage students in the process.
The honorary awards available are Doctor of the University (Hon DUniv) Emeritus/Emerita Chancellor Emeritus/Emerita Vice-Chancellor and Emeritus/Emerita Dean conferred on annual basis during the University’s award ceremony weeks in July and November.
For details on how to submit a nomination please visit our graduation awards pages.
2023 awards
2022 awards
2019 awards
2018 awards
| Name |
Award |
Year |
| Ashok Vaswani |
Hon DUniv |
2018 |
| Christopher Reid |
Hon DUniv |
2018 |
| Colin Dennis |
Hon DUniv |
2018 |
| Eric L F Nicholls |
Hon DUniv |
2018 |
| Jacqueline Dyer MBE |
Hon DUniv |
2018 |
| John Bernard |
Hon DUniv |
2018 |
| Distinguished Professor Lady Rachel Cooper OBE |
Hon DUniv |
2018 |
| Sir Paul Nurse |
Hon DUniv |
2018 |
| Professor Ojan Assadian |
Emeritus Professor |
2018 |
| Professor David Croisdale-Appleby OBE |
Hon DUniv |
2018 |
| Rebecca Saunders |
Hon DUniv |
2018 |
| Dr Peter Alan Shaw |
Hon DUniv |
2018 |
| Winthrop Professor Fiona Wood |
Hon DUniv |
2018 |
| Mrs Fatma Zakaria |
Hon DUniv |
2018 |
2017 awards
| Name |
Award |
Year |
| Professor Mario Neto Borges PhD |
Hon DUniv |
2017 |
| Sir John Parker GBE FREng |
Hon DUniv |
2017 |
| Roger Marsh OBE BSc(Hons) FCA |
Hon DUniv |
2017 |
| Professor Dame Carol Robinson |
Hon DUniv |
2017 |
| Baroness Williams of Trafford |
Hon DUniv |
2017 |
| Professor David Leaper |
Emeritus Professor |
2017 |
| Professor The Lord (David) Blunkett PC |
Hon DUniv |
2017 |
| Beth Butterwick |
Hon DUniv |
2017 |
| Professor Lesley Yellowlees |
Hon DUniv |
2017 |
| Rear Admiral Philip Greenish CBE |
Hon DUniv |
2017 |
| Sir David McMurtry |
Hon DUniv |
2017 |
| Professor Roger Barlow |
Emeritus Professor |
2017 |
2016 awards
| Name |
Award |
Year |
| Naomi Climer |
Hon DUniv |
2016 |
| Kaffe Fassett |
Hon DUniv |
2016 |
| Michael Mansfield QC |
Hon DUniv |
2016 |
| Dr Julie Maxton OBE |
Hon DUniv |
2016 |
| Maggie Philbin |
Hon DUniv |
2016 |
| Sally Wainwright |
Hon DUniv |
2016 |
| Professor Sir Al Aynsley-Green Kt |
Hon DUniv |
2016 |
| Professor John Colligon |
Emeritus Professor |
2016 |
| Professor Dame Ann Dowling |
Hon DUniv |
2016 |
| Kigge Mai Hvid |
Hon DUniv |
2016 |
| Iby Knill BEM |
Hon DUniv |
2016 |
| Jenny Molloy |
Hon DUniv |
2016 |
| Jane Platt CBE |
Hon DUniv |
2016 |
| Sir Gary Verity |
Hon DUniv |
2016 |
2015 awards
| Name |
Award |
Year |
| Professor Eric Blyth |
Emeritus Professor |
2015 |
| Professor Robert Cywinski |
Emeritus Professor |
2015 |
| Nigel Foster |
Hon DUniv |
2015 |
| Richie Hawtin |
Hon DUniv |
2015 |
| Nina Hossain |
Hon DUniv |
2015 |
| Professor Sir Peter Knight |
Hon DUniv |
2015 |
Professor Richard Morris
|
Emeritus Professor |
2015 |
| Professor Li Peigen |
Hon DUniv |
2015 |
| Baroness Pinnock of Cleckheaton |
Hon DUniv |
2015 |
| Sir John O'Reilly |
Hon DUniv |
2015 |
| Rob Vincent CBE |
Hon DUniv |
2015 |
| Sir Malcolm Walker CBE |
Hon DUniv |
2015 |
2014 awards
2013 awards
| Name |
Award |
Year |
| Cyril Brandford |
Hon DUniv |
2013 |
| Professor Colin Carlile |
Hon DUniv |
2013 |
| Duncan Druce (deceased) |
Hon DUniv |
2013 |
| Ashley Jackson BEM |
Hon DUniv |
2013 |
| Sir Ian Kershaw |
Hon DUNiv |
2013 |
| Hon. Fatou Lamin Faye |
Hon DUniv |
2013 |
| Kavita Oberoi OBE |
Hon DUniv |
2013 |
| Robert Powell |
Hon DUniv |
2013 |
| Ty Unwin |
Hon DUniv |
2013 |
| Michael Woodhead |
Hon DUniv |
2013 |
| Baroness Bryony Worthington |
Hon DUniv |
2013 |
2012 awards
| Name |
Award |
Year |
| Susan Bernhauser |
Emerita Dean |
2012 |
| Sir Norman Bettison |
Hon DUniv |
2012 |
| Professor Brian Cox |
Hon DUniv |
2012 |
| Alan Garner |
Hon DUniv |
2012 |
| Dean Hoyle |
Hon DUniv |
2012 |
| Gwyneth Hughes |
Hon DUNiv |
2012 |
| Dr Simon Lindley |
Hon DUniv |
2012 |
| Jonathan Mason |
Hon DUniv |
2012 |
| Professor Helen Masson |
Emerita Professor |
2012 |
| Rt Revd Stephen Platten |
Hon DUniv |
2012 |
| Professor Michael Russ |
Emeritus Dean |
2012 |
| Professor John Thompson |
Emeritus Professor |
2012 |
2011 awards
| Name |
Award |
Year |
| Professor Sir John Enderby |
Hon DUniv |
2011 |
| Rod Franks (deceased) |
Hon DUniv |
2011 |
| Professor Mark Halstead |
Emeritus Professor |
2011 |
| Betty Jackson |
Hon DUniv |
2011 |
| David Peace |
Hon DUNiv |
2011 |
| Lawrence Tomlinson |
Hon DUniv |
2011 |
2010 awards
| Name |
Award |
Year |
| Lieutenant General Nadeem Ahmed |
Hon DUniv |
2010 |
| Professor Peter Bradshaw |
Emeritus Professor |
2010 |
| Rita Britton |
Hon DUniv |
2010 |
| Professor Valerie Bryson |
Emeritus Professor |
2010 |
| Peter Clegg |
Hon DUniv |
2010 |
| Eorl Crabtree |
Hon UHFell |
2010 |
| Fred Frith |
Hon DUniv |
2010 |
| Steve Hallam |
Hon DUniv |
2010 |
| Kathryn Hinchliff |
Hon DUniv |
2010 |
| Terry Hodgkinson |
Hon DUniv |
2010 |
| Professor John Lancaster |
Emeritus Professor |
2010 |
| Richard Reed CBE |
Hon DUniv |
2010 |
| Professor David Titterington |
Hon DUniv |
2010 |
| Chris Wilson |
Hon UHFell |
2010 |
2009 awards
| Name |
Award |
Year |
| Andrew Booth |
Hon UHFell |
2009 |
| Professor Tony Butterworth |
Hon DSc |
2009 |
| Professor Sue Frost |
Emeritus Professor |
2009 |
| Baroness Hale of Richmond |
Hon DCL |
2009 |
| Elgar Howarth |
Hon DLitt |
2009 |
| Professor Sir Alec Jeffreys |
Hon DSc |
2009 |
| Sarah Lancashire OBE |
Hon DLitt |
2009 |
| Professor Mike Page (deceased) |
Emeritus Professor and Hon DUniv |
2009 |
| Peter Murray OBE |
Hon DSc |
2009 |
| Theo Paphitis |
Hon DBA |
2009 |
| Michael Phipps |
Hon UHFell |
2009 |
| Professor Mona Siddiqui |
Hon DCL |
2009 |
| Lemn Sissay |
Hon DLitt |
2009 |
| Professor Rob Smith |
Emeritus Professor |
2009 |
| Professor Barrie Web |
Emeritus Professor |
2009 |
| James Whitham |
Hon DSc |
2009 |
| Professor Christian Wolff |
Hon DLitt |
2009 |
| Dr Philip Woodfine |
Emeritus Reader |
2009 |
| General Nadeem Ahmed |
HonD Univ |
2009 |
2008 awards
| Name |
Award |
Year |
| Harold 'Dickie' Bird |
Hon DCL |
2008 |
| Professor Ted Charsley |
Emeritus Professor |
2008 |
| Robert Cockcroft |
Hon DLitt |
2008 |
| Sir George Cox |
Hon DSc |
2008 |
| Professor Sir Richard Dawkins |
Hon DSc |
2008 |
| Lord Harries of Pentregarth |
Hon DCL |
2008 |
| Jonathan Harvey (deceased) |
Hon DLitt |
2008 |
| Baroness Kennedy of The Shaws |
Hon DCL |
2008 |
| Andrew Kilburn |
Hon DCL |
2008 |
| Colin McDowell |
Hon DSc |
2008 |
| Professor Tim Moscovitch |
Emeritus Professor |
2008 |
| Sir Michael Parkinson |
Hon DLitt |
2008 |
| Lord Patel of Bradford |
Hon DCL |
2008 |
| Denis Smalley |
Hon DLitt |
2008 |
| Jaswant Toor |
Hon DBA |
2008 |
| Professor David Taylor |
Emeritus Professor |
2008 |
| David Wheeler |
Hon DLitt |
2008 |
| Professor Christian Wolff |
Hon DLitt |
2008 |
2007 awards
| Name |
Award |
Year |
| Christopher Bailey |
Hon DSc |
2007 |
| Ken Davy |
Hon DBA |
2007 |
| Professor Robert Edwards |
Hon DSc |
2007 |
| Professor Kel Fidler FREng |
Hon DSc |
2007 |
| Ian McMillan |
Hon DLitt (Barnsley) |
2007 |
| Dr Robert Perks |
Hon DLitt |
2007 |
| Parnell Reilly |
Hon DCL |
2007 |
| Dame Dr Ingrid Roscoe DVCO (deceased) |
Hon DCL |
2007 |
| Kate Rusby |
Hon DLitt (Barnsley) |
2007 |
| Richard Smith |
Hon DCL |
2007 |
| Emeritus Vice-Chancellor John Tarrant |
Hon DSc |
2007 |
| Hilary Wainwright |
Hon DLitt |
2007 |
| Martin Wainwright |
Hon DLitt |
2007 |
| Paul Walsh |
Hon DBA (Oldham) |
2007 |
2006 awards
| Name |
Award |
Year |
| R K Krishna Kumar |
Hon DBA |
2006 |
| Colin Cramphorn (deceased) |
Hon DCL (in absentia) |
2006 |
| Carl Fogarty |
Hon DCL |
2006 |
| Malvern Goodall |
Hon Fellowship |
2006 |
| Celia Kilner |
Hon DLitt |
2006 |
| Malcolm Lee (deceased) |
Hon DLitt (Posthumous) |
2006 |
| Graham Leslie |
Hon DBA |
2006 |
| Graham Penning OBE |
Hon DSC |
2006 |
| Anita Lonsbrough MBE (now Mrs Porter) |
Hon DCL |
2006 |
| Barrie Rutter |
Hon DLitt |
2006 |
| Professor Brian Tattersfield |
Hon DSc |
2006 |
| Hazel Wigmore |
Hon DCL |
2006 |
| Shobna Gulati |
Hon DLitt (Oldham) |
2006 |
| Brian Clarke |
Hon DLitt (Oldham) |
2006 |
| Darren Gough |
Hon DCL (Barnsley) |
2006 |
2005 awards
| Name |
Award |
Year |
| David Armitage |
OBE Hon DBA |
2005 |
| Professor Fen Arthur |
Hon DSc and Emeritus Professor |
2005 |
| Trevor Cherry |
Hon DCL |
2005 |
| Charlotte di Vita |
Hon DBA |
2005 |
| Dr Margaret Faull |
Hon DCL |
2005 |
| Dame Suzi Leather |
Hon DCL |
2005 |
| Ping Cheung Liu |
Hon DCL |
2005 |
| Edward Stanners |
Hon DSc |
2005 |
| Gordon Stewart |
Hon DLItt |
2005 |
| Professor David Whitehouse |
Hon DSc |
2005 |
| Paul Whittaker OBE |
Hon DLitt |
2005 |
2004 awards
| Name |
Award |
Year |
| Sonia Benster |
Hon MA |
2004 |
| Gregory Doran |
Hon DLitt |
2004 |
| Cecil Dormand |
Hon DLitt |
2004 |
| Dame Pauline Green |
Hon DCL |
2004 |
| Brian Hill MBE |
Hon DCL |
2004 |
| Derek Ibbotson (deceased) |
Hon DCL |
2004 |
| Professor Isobel Pollock-Hulf OBE |
Hon DSc |
2004 |
| David Scacchetti |
Hon DBA |
2004 |
| Luisa Scacchetti |
Hon DBA |
2004 |
| Professor Richard Steinitz OBE |
Hon DLitt |
2004 |
| Patrick Stewart OBE |
Hon DLItt |
2004 |
| Clare Taylor MBE |
Hon DCL |
2004 |
2003 awards
| Name |
Award |
Year |
| Roger Bale |
Hon DBA |
2003 |
| Dr George W Buckley |
Hon DSc |
2003 |
| James Dillon |
Hon DLitt |
2003 |
| Jeremy Dyson (League of Gentlemen) |
Hon DLitt |
2003 |
| Mark Gatiss (League of Gentlemen) |
Hon DLitt |
2003 |
| Reece Shearsmith (League of Gentlemen) |
Hon DLitt |
2003 |
| Steve Pemberton (League of Gentlemen) |
Hon DLitt |
2003 |
| Joanne Harris MBE |
Hon DLitt |
2003 |
| Professor Steven V Ley CBE FRS |
Hon DSc |
2003 |
| The Right Reverend Nigel McCulloch (the Bishop of Manchester) |
Hon DCL |
2003 |
| John Murgatroyd |
Hon DCL |
2003 |
| Jane Tomlinson (deceased) |
Hon DCL |
2003 |
| Professor Leslie Wagner CBE |
Hon DCL |
2003 |
Awards between 2000 and 2002
| Name |
Award |
Year |
|
Professor R Livingstone
|
Hon DSc |
2000 |
| Linda Hirst |
Hon DLitt |
2000 |
| James Sommerville |
Hon D Litt |
2000 |
| Simon Needham |
Hon D Litt |
2000 |
| Sir John Harman |
Hon DCL |
2000 |
| Sir Tom McKillop |
Hon DSc |
2000 |
| Sir Len Peach |
Hon DCL |
2000 |
| Mandy Kennedy |
Hon MSc |
2001 |
| Pam Liversidge OBE DL |
Hon DSc |
2001 |
| Stephen Battye (deceased) |
Hon DSc |
2001 |
| Diane Thompson CBE |
Hon DCL |
2001 |
| Professor Stuart Hall |
Hon DLitt |
2001 |
| Professor Geoffrey Sims |
Hon DSc |
2001 |
| John Pryce-Jones |
Hon DLitt |
2001 |
| Professor Paul Hirst (deceased) |
Hon DLitt |
2002 |
| Jonathan Sands |
Hon DSc |
2002 |
| Dr Kevin Conway CBE |
Hon DLitt |
2002 |
| Aileen Armitage |
Hon DLitt |
2002 |
| Deric Longden (deceased) |
Hon DLitt |
2002 |
| Professor Mel Chevannes CBE FRCN MA |
Hon DSc |
2002 |
| David Moorhouse (deceased) |
Hon DSc |
2002 |
| Jenni Murray |
Hon DCL |
2002 |
| Lord (Christopher) Haskins |
Hon DCL |
2002 |
| Peter Wood OBE (deceased) |
Hon DCL (Posthumous) |
2002 |
Awards between 1996 and 1999
| Name |
Award |
Year |
| Simon Armitage |
Hon DLitt |
1996 |
| Arthur Quarmby |
Hon DSc |
1996 |
| Richard B Sykes |
Hon DSc |
1996 |
| Edith Bentley |
MBE Hon MA |
1996 |
| Malcolm E Bond (deceased) |
Honorary Fellowship |
1997 |
| Warwick A Price |
Honorary Fellowship |
1997 |
| Dame Gillian Weir DBE |
HonDMus Hon DLitt |
1997 |
| David Blackburn |
Hon DLitt |
1997 |
| Roy Clarke |
Hon DLitt |
1997 |
| Dr Donald E Nicholson (deceased) |
Hon DSc |
1997 |
| The Revd Dr David A Kirby |
Hon DLitt |
1997 |
| James Dyson |
Hon DSc |
1997 |
| Keith Hellawell QPM |
Hon DCL |
1997 |
| Professor Brian Mellitt |
Hon DSc |
1997 |
| Yvonne Moores |
Hon DSc |
1997 |
| Anne E Mace OBE DL BA |
Hon DCL |
1998 |
| Dr Nicholas Tate |
Hon DCL |
1998 |
| Kamlesh Bahl CBE |
Hon DCL |
1998 |
| Professor Sir Liam Donaldson |
Hon DSc |
1998 |
| J M Hardcastle C TEXT FTI ARPS |
Hon MA |
1998 |
| Jeffrey Michael Blackburn |
Hon DLitt |
1998 |
| Sir John E Walker FRS MA DPhil |
Hon DSc |
1998 |
| Brian Ward FCA (deceased) |
Honorary Fellowship and Hon DCL |
1998 |
| Dr David Quarmby CBE |
Hon DSc |
1999 |
| Mary Williams OBE |
Hon MSc |
1999 |
| General Sir David J Ramsbotham GCB |
Hon DCL |
1999 |
| Professor Andrew Wallard |
Hon DSc |
1999 |
| David C Jones FCCA FCIS |
Hon DLitt |
1999 |
| Thomas Megahy BA MEP |
Honorary Fellowship
Hon DCL |
1989
1999 |
Awards between 1990 and 1995
| Name |
Award |
Year |
| Sir Christopher George Francis Harding (deceased) |
Honorary Fellowship |
1990 |
| Reginald Charles Cross OBE (deceased) |
Honorary Fellowship |
1990 |
| Director of Higher Education |
Honorary Fellowship |
1990 |
| The Reverend Kenneth Robert Cook BA (deceased) |
Associate |
1990 |
| Professor Derek William Saunders CBE CPhys CEng |
Hon DTech |
1990 |
| Rt Hon Lord Templeman (Sydney William) MBE PC |
Hon LLD |
1990 |
| The Royal Society of Chemistry |
Honorary Fellowship |
1991 |
| J Garry Hawkes CBE FHCIMA |
Honorary Fellowship |
1991 |
| Watson Johnson CEng FIMarE MIIM MBIM |
Associate |
1991 |
| Dr Jane Alison Glover MA PhD |
Hon DMus |
1991 |
| The Lord Hanson FRSA CBIM (deceased) |
Hon DBA |
1991 |
| Rt Rev and Rt Hon Lord Hope of Thornes |
Hon LLD |
1991 |
| Professor Frank Barr BSc (Econ) MPhil (deceased) |
Hon DSc |
1993 |
| Dr Jane Valerie Carter |
Hon DLit |
1993 |
| Rt Hon Kenneth Clarke QC MP BA LLB |
Hon LLD (Nott) |
1993 |
| Dr Peter Fielden (deceased) |
Hon DSc |
1993 |
| Sir William Taylor CBE |
Hon EdD |
1995 |
Awards from the 1980's
| Name |
Award |
Year |
| Sir William Mallalieu |
Freeman of Kirklees |
1980 |
| His Excellency Bakary Bunja Darbo BA MP |
Honorary Fellowship |
1988 |
| Dr Kenneth W Hillier PhD DIC CPhys FInstP |
Honorary Fellowship |
1988 |
| Dr Edwin Kerr CBE DSC DUniv FIMA FCS FCP |
Honorary Fellowship |
1988 |
| Richard Scurah Wainwright BA FCA (deceased) |
Honorary Fellowship |
1988 |
| Reginald Hartley MBE JP (deceased) |
Honorary Fellowship |
1988 |
| Clifford Stephenson (deceased) |
Honorary Fellowship |
1988 |
| Nancy Hepworth |
Associate |
1988 |
| Eric Seymour IPFA ACIS DMA |
Associate |
1988 |
| Philip Wood FMOB |
Associate |
1988 |
| Sir Ernest Hall OBE DL DUniv ARMCM |
Honorary Fellowship
Hon DCL |
1989
2000 |
| M le Professeur Jean-Francios Robert (Besancon) |
Honorary Fellowship |
1989 |
| Edward Austen Johnson MBE JP DipArch FRIBA |
Honorary Fellowship |
1989 |
| Thomas Megahy BA |
Honorary Fellowship
Hon DCL |
1989
1999 |
| The Right Worshipful the Mayor of the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees |
Honorary Fellowship |
1989 |
| The Right Worshipful the Mayor of the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale |
Honorary Fellowship |
1989 |
| The Right Worshipful the Mayor of the City of Wakefield Metropolitan District |
Honorary Fellowship |
1989 |
| Peter G Davies MA (deceased) |
Associate |
1989 |
| Effie T Elliott (deceased) |
Associate |
1989 |
Awards from the 1970's
| Name |
Award |
Year |
| Harold Gray BA (deceased) |
Honorary Fellowship |
1971 |
| Douglas Sisson FRSA FPH FSAScot FBIM (deceased) |
Honorary Fellowship |
1971 |
| Dr William Errington Scott BSc MSc PhD FRIC FIM FAPTI (deceased) |
Honorary Fellowship |
1971 |
| Sir Tobias Ruston Weaver KT CBE (deceased) |
Honorary Fellowship |
1972 |
| Douglas Graham CBE (deceased) |
Honorary Fellowship |
1972 |
| John Llewellyn Dawson MP JP (deceased) |
Honorary Fellowship |
1972 |
| Mary Dennell (deceased) |
Honorary Fellowship |
1973 |
| The Lord Bowden of Chesterfield (Bertram Vivian) MA PhD FIEE MScTech (deceased) |
Honorary Fellowship |
1974 |
| Alexander MacLennan CBE |
Honorary Fellowship |
1975 |
| The Lord Rhodes of Saddleworth KG PC DFE DL (Hervey) (deceased) |
Honorary Fellowship |
1976 |
| Professor Charles Smalley Whewell BSc PhD CChem FRSC CText FTI(Hon) CCol FSDC (deceased) |
Honorary Fellowship |
1977 |
| The Lord Wilson of Rievaulx (Harold) KG OBE FRS (deceased) |
Honorary Fellowship |
1977 |
| Dr John Lewis Womersley CBE HonMA HonLLD PhD RIBA DistTP FRTPI (deceased) |
Honorary Fellowship |
1977 |
