10 of the most famous University of Sussex notable alumni

The University of Sussex is a distinguished public research university located in Brighton, England. It has a diverse community and represents almost every nationality in the world. The University is known for its dedicated teaching and high- intensive curriculum.  Its most notable alumni include Nobel Prize winners, Fellows of the Royal Society, state heads, diplomats, politicians, scientists, activists, and artists, and so many other fields. We rounded up 10 for you in no particular order.

1. Hilary Benn

Hilary Benn is Labour Party’s most known MP and studied Russian and East European studies at Sussex University. He is the son of Tony Benn, who is also a highly well-known left-wing politician. Benn is infamous for his support of the Syrian bombing in a speech from 2015.

2. Zhang Xin

Zhang Xin is the owner of China’s largest real estate developer. She attended Sussex to study Economics. Her net worth is a whopping $3.6 billion, and she is also the 62^nd most powerful woman in the world. With her husband, she co-owns and is also the CEO of SOHO China.

3. Frankie Boyle 

Boyle is an English Literature graduate from the University of Sussex and is best known for his cynical and controversial humour. He became famous while being on the panel on the comedy show Mock the Week, and since then, he has been a part of satirical shows, stand- up tours, and several stand-up specials.

4. Ian McEwan

Ian McEwan is Britain’s most- famous and notable novelist and screenwriter. He studied English literature at Sussex, and his book Atonement was adapted into an Oscar-winning film. He is one of the most influential people in British culture, according to The Daily Telegraph.

5. Shamshad Akhtar

Shamshad Akhtar is a development economist based out of Pakistan. She is a diplomat, an intellectual, and served as the first woman governor of the State Bank of Pakistan. She has also assumed positions such as that of senior adviser to the Secretary-General of the UN- Ban- Ki-Moon, and vice-president of the World Bank. She studied development economics at Sussex and was the recipient of the coveted Commonwealth scholarship.

6. Dermot Murnaghan

Murnaghan received honours in history at Sussex. He is now seen on the sets of Sky News as a TV presenter. He also has been presenting for other famous TV outlets such as ITV and BBC.

7.  Bob Mortimer

Bob Mortimer read law at Sussex and is mainly known for his involvement in the Punk Movement. He even formed his own band and named it Dog Dirt. He is famous for his collaboration with comedian Vic Reeves, and they together hosted the show Shooting Stars.

8. Billy Idol

Billy Idol is Britain’s most songwriter, singer, musician, and actor who attended Sussex but left after a year. His first tryst with fame was in the late 1970s in the emerging punk rock scene in London. He then went on to become the lead for the group Generation X. He achieved international fame and embarked on a solo career thereafter.

9. Darren Foreman

Foreman studied at Sussex around 2001. He is famously known as the ‘Beardyman’, which is also his stage name. He is mainly recognized as being a famous British multi-vocalist and musical comedian best known for his beatboxing and live looping skills.

10. Shantanu Gupta

Shantanu Gupta is an author and political analyst based in India who studied a master’s in governance and public policy from the Institute of Development Studies at Sussex University. He is the founder of the Ramayana School and has 6 books under his belt, including the Bhartiya Janata Party- Past, Present, and Future- the story of the world’s largest and current ruling political party in India. And also, The Monk Who Became Chief Minister, which is a biography of the Chief Minister of the state, Yogi Adityanath.