27 ceremonies and over 7,000 graduates; 2025 summer graduation at Nottingham was another huge undertaking as the university celebrated the diligent studies of another cohort of students as they join our alumni community.

We've gone all-in to give you a flavour of this summer's ceremonies, with a selection of behind-the-scenes photos, as well as profiling our honorary graduates.

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Photography by Simon Litherland. Click individual images to enlarge.

Our Honorary Graduates

David Woolger, Jill Carter MBE, Dr Simon Hirst and Ian Kenyon were all presented with honorary degrees this summer.

Honorary degrees are granted in recognition of someone’s outstanding contribution, success and distinction within their profession or a campaign close to their hearts, with previous recent graduates including Vicky McClure, SIr Paul Smith and Professor Sir Jonathan Van-Tam.

David Woolger is the CEO of university Spin-out company Cerca was awarded a Doctor of Letters. David is CEO of Cerca Magnetics Ltd. which he formed in 2020 with a vision to take a prototype brain scanner, pioneered by Nottingham physicists, from concept to commercialisation. Cerca has now evolved into a multi-million-pound business with global reach, and scanners are providing clinicians worldwide with an unprecedented window on brain health.

Jill Carter MBE is the co-founder, with her daughter Jessie, of Pulp Friction, a charity that supports learning disabled and autistic people to develop social, independence and work-readiness skills. She received a Doctor of Laws.

Dr Simon Hirst (PhD Synthetic Organic Chemistry, 1988) received a Doctor of Science. Simon is the CEO and founder of Sygnature Discovery, a world-leading integrated drug discovery solutions provider. 

The medicinal chemist and entrepreneur has 30 years’ experience in the pharmaceutical industry, including AstraZeneca and OSI Pharmaceuticals. In 2004 he founded Sygnature, which has grown to rapidly become a leading provider of drug discovery services and delivers a unique style of innovation and scientific rigour, a reflection of Simon’s own personal approach to drug discovery

Ian Kenyon has spent the latter part of his career in the not-for-profit sector, becoming CFO of Cancer Research UK in 2013. He joined the Higher Education sector as the first CFO and Deputy CEO of UK Research & Innovation, before moving to be a Finance Director at the Ministry of Defence.

Ian was appointed Treasurer and Chair of Finance Committee for the University in January 2020. He has maintained his relationship with the university throughout his career and is currently sponsoring engineering scholarships which supports the University’s widening participation programme. He has received a Doctor of Laws.

Huge congratulations to our Honorary Graduates, their endeavours and achievements are leading the way in medical innovation and social change. Their vision and determination is an inspiration for our graduates as they embark on their own career journeys.
Professor Jane Norman, President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Nottingham
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Photography by Phil Rowley. Click individual images to enlarge.

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Photography by Lisa Gilligan-Lee. Click individual images to enlarge.