Olympic champion Alistair Brownlee to receive honorary degree from University of York

Double Olympic champion Alistair Brownlee has been selected to receive an honorary degree from the University of York.

Born and raised in Yorkshire, Alistair is to be honored for what the university calls “an outstanding contribution to society”.

Alistair won gold in the individual triathlon event in both the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games, being the only athlete to hold two Olympic titles in the event.

The University of York has also named five other outstanding figures to receive an honorary degree in the graduation ceremony this January: expert beekeeper Dr Ryad Alsous, leading social policy expert Helen Barnard, composer Dr Nitin Sawhney, structural engineer Roma Agrawal, and author Reni Eddo-Lodge.

Alistair Brownlee MBE trained as a triathlete in and around Leeds, where he grew up and continued to live after his Olympic success. The University of Leeds Brownlee Centre is now the first purpose built triathlon training centre in the UK, said to be renowned internationally for producing top class triathletes.

As well as his multiple sporting achievements, Alistair is the founder of The Brownlee Foundation, along with his brother Jonathan, which provides free triathlon experiences to over 65,000 primary school children. Alistair is also the author of a Sunday Times bestseller sports autobiography.

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Expert beekeeper Dr Ryad Alsous is also to be honoured this month, a recognition of his efforts in research and nature sustainability. Ryad was a distinguished Professor of Food Science in Syria, but was forced to flee the country in 2013 and moved with his family to the UK. Living in Huddersfield, Ryad founded the Buzz Project to help refugees and the long-term unemployed find a sense of purpose through beekeeping. He is currently researching the breeding of Britain’s native black bee whilst continuing to support his community.

Helen Barnard is Director of Policy, Research and Impact at The Trussell Trust, a charity that works to end the need for food banks in the UK. She will receive an honorary degree for her outstanding expertise in the fields of poverty, inequality and social policy. Helen was formerly Director of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, an organisation based in York that envisions a future free from poverty.

Dr Nitin Sawhney CBE is a composer, producer, and touring musician with an extensive and rewarding career. He has scored over 70 film and TV series, including Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle and natural history series such as the BBC’s Human Planet, as well as having a well-acclaimed solo music career. Nitin has received more than 20 major national and international awards for his work, and will soon receive an honorary degree from the University of York.

Roma Agrawal MBE is a hugely successful engineer, author and broadcaster. She has worked on several major engineering projects, including the Shard in London, and has written four books, presented documentaries, TEDx talks, and is a motivational speaker. She champions women in engineering and aims to inspire everyone, from all different backgrounds, to discover the world of engineering and science. In 2021, Roma was elected an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering.

The final figure to have been selected for an honorary degree is Reni Eddo-Lodge, an award-winning and bestselling author. Reni’s non-fiction book Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race has been credited with sparking a national conversation about race relations in Britain today and became a Sunday Times, New York Times and Der Spiegel bestseller.

A poll by Academic Book Week named it the most influential book written by a woman. Her podcast, About Race with Reni Eddo-Lodge, is extremely popular and was chosen as one of the best podcasts of the year by Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Harper’s Bazaar UK, The Guardian, British GQ, and Wired UK.

The honorary degrees will be awarded at the York winter graduation ceremonies, running from Wednesday 8th-Friday 10th January 2025.

Featured image via YouTube and Unsplash