The University recognises outstanding achievement, exceptional service and significant contribution through the granting of the following honorary awards; Honorary Doctorate, Emeritus Professorship, University Fellowship and Community Fellowship.
Honorary alumni
Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley AC KC
Honorary Doctor of Laws
Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley AC KC is a pioneering jurist and the 39th Governor of New South Wales. Her historic legal career includes serving as the first woman President of the NSW Court of Appeal and advancing justice, human rights, and gender equity.
Sharan Burrow AC
Honorary Doctor of Letters
Sharan Burrow AC is a transformative global leader who has championed labour rights and social justice for decades. As the first woman to lead the International Trade Union Confederation, she shaped global labour standards and spearheaded landmark campaigns that amplified the voices of working people worldwide.
Professor Megan Davis AC
Honorary Doctor of Laws
Professor Megan Davis AC is a leading constitutional lawyer, and human rights advocate whose eminent service to Indigenous constitutional reform and international diplomacy has reshaped Australia’s legal landscape. As a primary architect of the Uluru Statement from the Heart, her work has advanced global legal standards for Indigenous rights.
Maggie Dent
Honorary Doctor of Letters
Maggie Dent is a celebrated author and educator whose work has transformed international approaches to childhood wellbeing and resilience. A trusted voice for families, she has authored nine bestsellers and led community recovery initiatives in the Illawarra, advocating for safer digital futures and social responsibility.
Robert James Ryan
Honorary Doctor of the University of Wollongong
Robert Ryan is a distinguished financial leader who provided exceptional service to the University of Wollongong over 14 years. As Deputy Chancellor and Chair of key committees, his governance expertise shaped the University’s strategic direction, global growth, and the development of the Early Start Discovery Space.
2026 University Fellows
Andrew FitzSimons
University Fellow
Andrew FitzSimons is a distinguished educator and community leader whose long-standing contribution to public education, vocational pathways and community service has had a lasting impact in the Illawarra.
2026 Emeritus Professors
Senior Professor Kristine French
Emeritus Professor
Senior Professor Kristine French is a leading research ecologist whose three-decade career at UOW has transformed invasion and urban ecology. Awarded the Ecological Society of Australia’s Gold Medal, she has profoundly influenced national biodiversity policy through solution-focused research and the dedicated mentorship of over 100 students.
Professor Grace McCarthy
Emeritus Professor
Professor Grace McCarthy is an international leader in managerial coaching and leadership whose distinguished career at UOW included serving as Dean of the Sydney Business School. Her transformative leadership, innovative coaching-based pedagogies, and commitment to gender equity and transnational partnerships have significantly strengthened the University’s global reputation.
Professor Timothy John McCarthy
Emeritus Professor
Professor Timothy McCarthy is a distinguished engineering educator and sustainability leader whose transformative work in modernising engineering curricula, championing experiential learning, and advancing institutional sustainability initiatives has shaped generations of engineers and strengthened the University of Wollongong’s global reputation.
Professor Peter McLennan
Emeritus Professor
Professor Peter McLennan is a pioneering nutritional physiologist whose four-decade career has advanced the cardio-protective benefits of omega-3 fatty acids. A foundation member of UOW’s Graduate School of Medicine, he was instrumental in designing the medical curriculum and fostering a research culture that has shaped generations of health professionals.
Senior Professor Colin Murray-Wallace
Emeritus Professor
Senior Professor Colin Murray-Wallace is a distinguished geologist and leader in Quaternary science who shaped Earth sciences during his 32-year career at UOW. He directed Australia’s only amino acid geochronology laboratory and received the Mawson Medal for his international research on sea-level change and coastal evolution.
Professor Sarath Perera
Emeritus Professor
Professor Sarath Perera is a respected power engineering academic who has contributed to research leadership, industry engagement and the development of engineering education over more than four decades.
Senior Professor Marie Ranson
Emeritus Professor
Senior Professor Marie Ranson is an internationally recognized cancer researcher and influential leader whose 27-year career at UOW has advanced targeted therapies. Through her foundational research, institutional leadership, and dedicated mentorship of dozens of doctoral and honours students, she has profoundly strengthened the University’s research profile and clinical partnerships.
Senior Professor Simon Ville
Emeritus Professor
Senior Professor Simon Ville is an internationally recognized scholar in economic and business history whose two-decade career at UOW enriched the understanding of global trade. A former Harvard Visiting Chair, his prolific research has shaped international policy and strengthened the University’s global academic standing.
News and stories
Honorary Alumni Chapter
The Honorary Alumni Chapter is a network of alumni who have been awarded either a University Fellowship, an Honorary degree or an Emeritus Professorship from the University of Wollongong. The Chapter meets regularly to discuss and organise ways in which they can support the University through advocacy, projects and activities.
Find out more about the UOW Honorary Alumni Chapter