Imperial graduation celebrates student achievements during COVID-19 pandemic

Over 2,400 students will receive their undergraduate degrees in three in-person ceremonies taking place at the Royal Albert Hall.

The ceremonies are being held for those who completed their degrees during the pandemic and were unable to attend an in-person graduation ceremony due to safety regulations. Friends and family of graduates around the world can watch the ceremonies on a live stream link.  

Speaking to the graduates, Imperial’s Provost, Professor Ian Walmsley said, “Any graduation is a big achievement, but you have arrived at this one after navigating some extraordinary circumstances. 

“You have adapted, improvised and innovated through the especially difficult times we have faced, and through it all you have excelled.”  

This is the first of two days of replacement ceremonies taking place this month. A second day of ceremonies will take place on 30 March. Further replacement ceremonies will be organised to allow students to graduate if they were unable to due to the pandemic.  

More information about the ceremonies can be found in the College’s Graduation FAQs.  

Honorary degrees  

Four honorary degrees will be conferred as part of the graduation ceremonies  

Mr William Butler-Adams  

William Butler-Adams OBE is the Chief Executive Officer of Brompton Bicycles, a success story of British design, engineering and innovation. He is an internationally recognised expert in vaccinology, global health and infections. William is a visiting lecturer at Imperial and a Fellow of the City of Guild Institute, the Institute of Mechanical Engineers and the Royal Geographical Society.  

Professor Gordon Dougan  

Professor Gordon Dougan is a Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Cambridge and Head of the Infection Health Challenge area at Wellcome. He is an internationally recognised expert in vaccinology, global health and infections. Professor Dougan was Head of Pathogens at The Wellcome Sanger Institute (WTSI) for 15 years, building their pathogen genomics programme. Before this, he was the founding Director of the Centre for Molecular Microbiology and Infection at Imperial and a Professor of Biochemistry.  

Mr Jonathan Flint  

Mr Jonathan Flint is the President of the Institute of Physics, Executive Chairman of Refeyn, and a director of the Marshall Group. After obtaining a Physics degree from Imperial and an MBA from the University of Southampton Management School, Jonathan started his career designing scientific and communications satellites. Subsequently, he held various aerospace and managerial roles at Marconi and BAE Systems, and also worked as the Senior Independent Non-Executive Director for Cobham and as Chief Executive Officer of Oxford Instruments.  

Professor Dame Georgina Mace  

12 July 1953 – 19 September 2020  

Professor Dame Georgina Mace was Professor of Biodiversity and Ecosystems and Head of the Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research at University College London. She was a world leader in conservation and global biodiversity protection. Professor Mace had a huge influence on global environmental policy and its scientific underpinnings, with work that shaped the UK government’s obligations to international conventions.