University Of Sheffield Notable Alumni

Although best known for her surreal and digressive stand-up comedies, Eddie Izzard is also a popular film and television actor. Born as Edward John Izzard, she began her career as a street performer, eventually making her first stage appearance at the age of twenty-five, quickly drawing larger and larger audience with her stream-of-consciousness delivery, achieving fame both home and abroad.

Jessica Ennis-Hill is a British retired track and field athlete. She specialized in multi-eventing disciplines and 100 meters hurdles. In 2012, she won an Olympic gold in the heptathlon. She was introduced to sports as a young girl and immediately took an interest in athletics. She has won several other titles as well in addition to her Olympic gold. 

British author Hilary Mantel initially studied law at LSU and then concentrated on her writing career after moving to Botswana with her geologist husband. Her Booker Prize-winning novels, Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies, later catapulted her to fame. She divorced and remarried her husband later.

The first British person to fly into space, Helen Sharman also became the first female astronaut to visit the Mir space station. She was selected from over 13,000 applicants to be part of the Project Juno program. She was also as a chemist for the chocolate manufacturer Mars.

Linda Smith was an English comedian who appeared regularly on Radio 4 panel games. She studied at the University of Sheffield. A lifelong socialist, she performed many benefit concerts to support various causes. She was popular for starring in her own Radio 4 sitcom, Linda Smith's A Brief History of Timewasting. She died of ovarian cancer, at the age of 48. 

Paul Mason is a British radio personality and commentator. Over the years, Mason has been a well-respected figure in the world of journalism. In 2003, he received the prestigious Wincott Prize for Business Journalism. The next year, he was adjudged Workworld Broadcaster of the Year. In 2007, he won the Diageo African Business Reporting Award.

Molecular biologist Richard J. Roberts is best known for his Nobel Prize-winning research on split genes. The Harvard alumnus had wished to be a detective as a child but changed his mind after being gifted a chemistry set. He was also made a Fellow of the Royal Society and knighted.

Donald Bailey is largely remembered as the man behind the formation of the Bailey Bridge, which played a major role in World War II. He received many awards, including a knighthood, for his contribution. The University of Sheffield alumnus initially worked in railroading before joining the Ministry of Supply’s bridging department.

Hans Kornberg was a British-American biochemist who became the first person to be honored by the Biochemical Society with the prestigious Colworth Medal in 1963. He also held professorships at prestigious institutions, including the Boston University.