Cambridge in the 2018 New Year Honours List

Professor Sir Keith Peters, who was first honoured as a Knight Bachelor in the 1993 New Year’s Honours list, was awarded a GBE (Knights Grand Cross of the British Empire) for Services to the Advancement of Medical Science.

Sir Keith Peters, former Regius Professor of Physic at Cambridge University and an honorary fellow of Clare Hall and Christ's, said: “I am delighted to have been able to contribute to Cambridge.

"This is indeed a great personal honour but one which also reflects the contribution of many colleagues in  Cambridge who’ve done so much for Cambridge medicine.” 

The citation for his honour reads: “Sir Keith Peters is one of the UK’s most influential clinical academics who has made a series of lasting impacts on medicine and science. Most recently, he made a major contribution to the conception and establishment of the Francis Crick Institute.

"Earlier, he was a driving force at the Royal Postgraduate Medical School, Hammersmith, where his work on immune mechanisms in kidney disease changed clinical practice.

"In Cambridge he transformed its Clinical School and led the development of what is now the Cambridge Biomedical Campus. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society, was President of the Academy of Medical Sciences, and from 2005-2016 Senior Consultant to GlaxoSmithKline.”

Ian Goodyer, Emeritus Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the Department of Psychiatry in the Cambridge Clinical School was honoured for his work in psychiatric research with an OBE. He is an Emeritus Fellow of Wolfson College.

Dr Tina Barsby, CEO of Cambridge-based crop science organisation NIAB and Fellow of St Edmund’s College, has been awarded an OBE for services to agricultural science and biotechnology.

Dr Barsby said: “This award is a great honour for me and a tribute to all the colleagues I’ve worked with across the industry over the years.

"Every day I’m inspired by the work being carried out at NIAB and the essential contribution we are making to help our industry fulfil its potential in food production.”

Professor Diane Coyle, who will become Cambridge’s inaugural Bennett Professor of Public Policy in March, was awarded a CBE. A Fellow of Churchill College, she will join the Department of Politics and International Studies at the University of Cambridge in her new role.

Cambridge alumni honoured include actor Hugh Laurie, who read English at Selwyn College and was President of the Footlights. He was made an OBE in 2007, and is now being honoured with the higher award of CBE.

Founder of search engine blinkx Suranga Chandratillake, who has an MA in Computer Science from Cambridge, was awarded an OBE for his achievements in engineering and technology.

Former deputy prime minister and Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg, who read Archaeology and Anthropology at Robinson College, was appointed a knight bachelor. 

Two other alumni, Anthony Habgood and Kenneth Aphunezi Olisa, will also be appointed knight bachelors – the former for services to UK Industry, the latter for services to business and philanthropy. Christopher Geidt and Philip McDougall Rutnam, both Trinity Hall alumni, are being knighted in the Order of the Bath, the former as a Knight Grand Cross, and the latter as a Knight Commander.

Altogether, at least 14 Cambridge alumni have been recognised in the New Year Honours list. They include Oxford professor of economic history Jane Humphries (CBE), Hay Festival director Peter Florence (CBE), and CEO of DeepMind Dr Demis Hassabis (CBE).

Dr John Sulston, former Director of the Sanger Centre, was awarded a knighthood for services to genome research in the list. He stressed that he felt he was accepting the award on behalf of all the staff at the Sanger Centre, adding: "What I most value is the recognition of the Sanger Centre team, and that their achievement is important to the people of this country."

The Honours list, which dates back to around 1890, recognises notable services and contributions to Britain.