The University of Cambridge is 15th in the world, 2nd in Europe, and 2nd in the United Kingdom by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 10 notable alumni from the University of Cambridge sorted by their wiki pages’ popularity. The directory includes famous graduates and former students along with research and academic staff. 20 individuals affiliated with the University of Cambridge won Nobel Prizes in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, and Economics.
Stephen Hawking
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Stephen William Hawking was an English theoretical physicist, cosmologist, and author who, at the time of his death, was director of research at the Centre for Theoretical Cosmology at the University of Cambridge. Between 1979 and 2009, he was the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge.
Isaac Newton
Sir Isaac Newton was an English mathematician, physicist, astronomer, alchemist, theologian, and author (described in his time as a “natural philosopher”) widely recognized as one of the greatest mathematicians and physicists of all time and among the most influential scientists. He was a key figure in the philosophical revolution known as the Enlightenment. His book Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica (Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy), first published in 1687, established classical mechanics. Newton also made seminal contributions to optics and shares credit with German mathematician Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz for developing the infinitesimal calculus.
Charles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin was an English naturalist, geologist, and biologist, best known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. His proposition that all species of life have descended from common ancestors is now widely accepted and considered a fundamental concept in science. In a joint publication with Alfred Russel Wallace, he introduced his scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process that he called natural selection, in which the struggle for existence has a similar effect to the artificial selection involved in selective breeding. Darwin has been described as one of the most influential figures in human history, and he was honored with his burial in Westminster Abbey.
Alan Turing
Alan Mathison Turing was an English mathematician, computer scientist, logician, cryptanalyst, philosopher, and theoretical biologist. Turing was highly influential in the development of theoretical computer science, providing a formalization of the concepts of algorithm and computation with the Turing machine, which can be considered a model of a general-purpose computer. He is widely considered to be the father of theoretical computer science and artificial intelligence.
Rachel Weisz
Rachel Hannah Weisz is an English actress. She is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, a Laurence Olivier Award, and a British Academy Film Award.
Tom Hiddleston
Thomas William Hiddleston is an English actor. He gained international fame portraying Loki in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), appearing in Thor (2011), The Avengers (2012), Thor: The Dark World (2013), Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Avengers: Endgame (2019), and in the Disney+ series Loki (2021).
Freddie Highmore
Alfred Thomas Highmore is an English actor. He is known for his starring roles beginning as a child, in the films Finding Neverland (2004), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), August Rush (2007), and The Spiderwick Chronicles (2008). He won two consecutive Critics’ Choice Movie Awards for Best Young Performer.
Emma Thompson
Dame Emma Thompson is a British actress and screenwriter. Described as one of the best actresses of her generation, she has received various accolades throughout her career spanning four decades, including two Academy Awards, two British Academy Film Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, a British Academy Television Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award.
Lord Byron
George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron, simply known as Lord Byron, was an English poet and peer. One of the leading figures of the Romantic movement, Byron is regarded as one of the greatest English poets. He remains widely read and influential. Among his best-known works are the lengthy narrative poems Don Juan and Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage; many of his shorter lyrics in Hebrew Melodies also became popular.
Bertrand Russell
Bertrand Arthur William Russell, 3rd Earl Russell was a British philosopher, logician, and social critic. As an academic, he worked in philosophy, mathematics, and logic. His work has had a considerable influence on mathematics, logic, set theory, linguistics, artificial intelligence, cognitive science, computer science, and various areas of analytic philosophy, especially philosophy of mathematics, philosophy of language, epistemology, and metaphysics. He was a public intellectual, historian, social critic, political activist, and Nobel laureate. He was born in Monmouthshire into one of the most prominent aristocratic families in the United Kingdom.
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