Over 860 undergraduates set to graduate next week

Professor Sally Wheeler, Vice-Chancellor of Birkbeck, shared her congratulations: “It is an honour to celebrate the remarkable achievements of our students. Their hard work and dedication have brought them to this significant moment, and I am thrilled to welcome them to our alumni community as they embark on the next chapter of their lives.” 

Graduating students will also hear from distinguished guest speakers, including: 

Joanna MacGregor  

Joanna MacGregor CBE is one of the world’s most innovative musicians, celebrated as a pianist, conductor, and curator. She has performed in over 80 countries with renowned orchestras and conductors like Pierre Boulez and Simon Rattle. In 2024–25, she will tour Europe, Scandinavia, the US, Canada, and China. Joanna holds the Dame Myra Hess Chair at the Royal Academy of Music and leads two annual piano festivals, alongside curating a series at Wigmore Hall. 

Her artistic leadership includes directing the Dartington International Summer School and Bath International Festival. Known for versatility, she has recorded over 40 albums on her label, SoundCircus, spanning genres from Bach to John Cage. Joanna also collaborates in jazz, film, and contemporary dance projects. Currently Music Director of Brighton Philharmonic, she champions bold programming. A regular BBC Proms performer, she inspires musicians of all ages through her bestselling PianoWorld books. 

Melanie Eusebe 

Melanie Eusebe MBE is a Director at Google, leading Diversity and Inclusion across EMEA (Europe, the Middle East, and Africa). A passionate advocate for equality and economic empowerment, she began her career as a Management Consultant with global firms including IBM, EY, and Accenture. Melanie founded the Black British Business Awards (BBBA) to celebrate and inspire Black talent in the UK. 

Her dedication to advancing opportunities for women includes roles with the Commonwealth Women’s Summit Committee and as Executive Producer of the Women of the World Festival, the world’s largest global convenor of women. Melanie is also the author of Financial Wellness and How to Find It, a guide to financial empowerment. 

Awarded an MBE in 2021 for her contributions to diversity in business, Melanie is widely recognized as a top influencer in media and leadership. She is a sought-after speaker and judge on high-profile panels worldwide. 

William Sarenden 

Chair of Birkbeck’s Students’ Union and currently studying BA Philosophy, in his role William acts as an ambassador for the welfare of Birkbeck Students, giving them a voice.  

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There will also be several orations, recognising the contribution of Fellows. Elected annually by the Governors, the award of a Birkbeck Fellowship recognises individuals who have either given outstanding service to the university or who have attained distinction in their fields or in connection with Birkbeck.  

In addition, the ceremonies will include the formal recognition of outstanding individuals through the conferral of Fellowships. These awards honour exceptional service to the university or notable achievements in specific fields. 

The Fellows being recognised at the December ceremonies include: 

Anthony Bale  

Anthony Bale is a leading scholar of medieval studies. Formerly Professor of Medieval Studies at Birkbeck and Executive Dean of Birkbeck's School of Arts, Anthony is now Professor of Medieval & Renaissance English (1954) at the University of Cambridge and Professorial Fellow at Girton College, Cambridge. His acclaimed works include translations of Mandeville's Book of Marvels and Travels and The Book of Margery Kempe and the popular A Travel Guide to the Middle Ages, which has been translated into many languages. His research has earned fellowships from prestigious institutions, including Harvard University, the National Humanities Center, and the Huntington Library. From 2023 to 2026, he holds a Leverhulme Major Research Fellowship for his work on the Ottoman Siege of Rhodes (1480). Anthony has served as President of the New Chaucer Society and has advised on major exhibitions, including the British Library’s Medieval Women: In their Own Words (2024). 

Joan Bakewell  

Baroness Joan Bakewell is a celebrated journalist, author, and broadcaster. She has been a prominent voice in British media and a passionate advocate for social issues. Serving as President of Birkbeck from 2013 to 2024, she has been a champion of adult education and lifelong learning. Known for co-presenting the influential BBC program Late Night Line-Up in the 1960s, Bakewell broke barriers for women in broadcasting with her incisive interviews and commentary on arts, culture, and politics. Beyond television, she is a respected author, with works including her memoir The Centre of the Bed and the novel All the Nice Girls. Appointed a life peer in 2011, Baroness Bakewell contributes actively in the House of Lords, advocating for causes such as women's rights, aging, and social equality. Her enduring commitment to public service and cultural discourse has made her a celebrated figure in British public life. 

Joanna Bourke  

Professor Joanna Bourke is Professor Emerita of History at Birkbeck, Professor Emerita of Rhetoric at Gresham College, and OBE. She is celebrated for her profound contributions to the cultural history of violence, war, emotions, masculinity, psychology, and the human body. A Fellow of the British Academy, Professor Bourke is the prize-winning author of fifteen influential books, including An Intimate History of Killing, winner of the Wolfson and Fraenkel Prizes, and Rape: A History from the 1860s to the Present. Her works, translated into numerous languages, explore themes of trauma, gender, and human suffering, as well as reflections on humanity itself, such as in What it Means to be Human. Recent books include Disgrace: Global Reflections on Sexual Violence (2022), Birkbeck: 200 Years of Radical Education for Working People (2022), and the forthcoming Evil Women (2025). A prominent media voice, Professor Bourke frequently contributes to TV, radio, and press. 

Gillian Broadley  

Gillian Broadley has keen interests in education and art history.  She studied pure mathematics at Warwick university and then qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Arthur Andersen before moving into corporate finance at the merchant bank Kleinwort Benson. A career break beckoned, and she became a governor of a local primary school in Merton, where she chaired the finance and curriculum committees. She also had time to pursue her interest in Art History – first with a certificate course and then an MA, both at Birkbeck. A happy convergence of her two passions presented itself when she was asked to join the governing body of Birkbeck, which she served for a full nine-year term from 2015 – 2024, ultimately serving as Chair of Finance and General Purposes committee. Gillian is also a keen amateur musician and treasurer of one of London’s leading choral societies. 

Stephen Frosh  

Professor Stephen Frosh is a distinguished scholar in psychology and psychosocial studies, with a career marked by influential contributions to psychoanalysis, psychosocial studies, and social ethics. As well as working as Professor of Psychology at Birkbeck, he held visiting positions at the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa and the University of São Paulo in Brazil , and was Vice Dean of the Tavistock Clinic. A Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences and an Academic Associate of the British Psychoanalytical Society, Professor Frosh is also a Founding Member of the Association of Psychosocial Studies and an Honorary Member of the Institute of Group Analysis. With over 20 seminal books, including: Hate and the Jewish Science; Hauntings; Those who come After (winner of the British Psychological Society award for best Academic Monograph, 2023); and Antisemitism and Racism, Professor Frosh has shaped discussions on psychoanalysis, memory, and the psychological impacts of trauma.  

Keith Harrison  

Born and raised in Birmingham, Keith Harrison read English at Balliol College, Oxford. In September 2005, he joined Birkbeck as College Secretary and Clerk to the Governors, having profound influence and impact from the outset of his role. Over the course of his time in post, Keith provided leadership for the central professional services as well as advising and supporting Birkbeck’s Governors and Vice-Chancellors in overseeing and running the institution. Keith has worked closely with the Birkbeck community, including three Chairs of Governors and two Vice-Chancellors and their senior academic teams. He has provided invaluable strategic and practical input to both the challenges and triumphs of Birkbeck over the last two decades, from responding to drastic changes to Higher Education funding and policy to progressively developing, acquiring and securing tenure on Birkbeck estates and assets. Keith has led and shaped the transformation of Birkbeck's professional services over two decades, showcasing dedication, insight and generosity along the way. 

Michael Mainelli  

Alderman Professor Michael Mainelli is a scholar, entrepreneur, and civic leader who served as the 695th Lord Mayor of the City of London from November 2023 to November 2024. An Honorary Life Fellow and Emeritus Mercers' School Memorial Professor of Commerce at Gresham College, he held the chair from 2005 to 2009 and is also the Executive Chairman of Z/Yen Group, the City of London’s leading think tank focused on societal advancement through better finance and technology. Professor Mainelli earned his PhD in Mathematics and Statistics from the London School of Economics and a BA in Government with Physics, Mathematics, and Economics from Harvard University. His career spans roles in aerospace and computing, global consulting, and advisory positions with the Ministry of Defence. With over 60 journal articles and 200 commercial publications, his book The Price of Fish: A New Approach to Wicked Economics and Better Decisions won the Independent Publisher Book Awards Gold Prize. A past master and liveryman of multiple livery companies, he is also an avid sailor, woodcarver, and glassblower. 

Laura Mulvey  

Professor Laura Mulvey is a pioneering feminist film theorist and filmmaker who revolutionised media studies with her seminal 1975 essay, Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema. Introducing the concept of the "male gaze," Professor Mulvey explored how mainstream cinema reflects and perpetuates patriarchal power dynamics, positioning women as passive subjects of male desire. Her work, rooted in psychoanalytic theory, redefined approaches to gender and representation in visual culture, influencing generations of scholars across disciplines. Beyond her landmark essay, Professor Mulvey’s prolific career includes numerous influential books and essays, as well as experimental films, that explore the intersections of cinema, feminism, and psychoanalysis, challenging cultural norms and inspiring deeper critiques of media. She has been Professor of Media Studies at Birkbeck since 1999, with her contributions making impacts on film theory, feminist thought, and visual culture. 

The Birkbeck community eagerly anticipates the upcoming celebrations, which will honour the commitment and achievements of its newest graduates while recognising the contributions of distinguished Fellows and guest speakers.