This is a list of people involved with

Memorial University of Newfoundland Memorial University of Newfoundland, or MUN (), is a Public university, public research university in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, based in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, St. John's, with satellite campuses in Corner Brook ...

Chancellors

Presidents

Founders

* Vincent Patrick Burke

Notable alumni

Academics and scholars

David Agnew "David Agnew" is a pen name that was employed on BBC television drama programmes of the 1970s as a scriptwriting credit. Conditions of use The pseudonym "David Agnew" was most often used when the original freelance scriptwriter was unable to ...

, president, Seneca College of Applied Arts and Technology, former Secretary of Cabinet,

Government of Ontario The Government of Ontario () is the body responsible for the administration of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. The term ''Government of Ontario'' refers specifically to the executive—political Minister ...

Gary Botting Gary Norman Arthur Botting (born 19 July 1943) is a Canadian legal scholar and criminal defense lawyer (now retired) as well as a poet, playwright, novelist, and critic of literature and religion, in particular Jehovah's Witnesses. The author o ...

, poet, playwright, lawyer and legal scholar * Donald B. Dingwell, D.Sc. (h.c. mult.), award-winning experimental geoscientist *

Robert Gellately Robert Gellately (born 1943) is a Canadian academic and noted authority on the history of modern Europe, particularly during World War II and the Cold War era. Education and career He earned his B.A., B.Ed., and M.A. degrees at Memorial Unive ...

, historian * John Gosse,

geomorphologist Geomorphology () is the scientific study of the origin and evolution of topographic and bathymetric features generated by physical, chemical or biological processes operating at or near Earth's surface. Geomorphologists seek to understand why ...

George Ivany J. W. George Ivany (born May 26, 1938) was President of the University of Saskatchewan from 1989 to 1999. Biography Born in Grand Falls-Windsor, Newfoundland and Labrador, he received a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry and physics from Me ...

, President, University of Saskatchewan * Mary C. Lobban, British physiologist * Brian Pratt, award-winning paleontologist and sedimentologist and past president of the Geological Association of Canada * Carolyn Relf, geologist * Harold Williams, geologist and world expert on the tectonics of mountain belts

Business

Moya Greene Dame Moya Marguerite Greene (born 10 June 1954) is a Canadian businesswoman who was the chief executive officer (CEO) of the Royal Mail from 2010 until 2018, having previously been the CEO of Canada Post. Early life and education Moya Margueri ...

, President and CEO of

Royal Mail Royal Mail Group Limited, trading as Royal Mail, is a British postal service and courier company. It is owned by International Distribution Services. It operates the brands Royal Mail (letters and parcels) and Parcelforce Worldwide (parcels) ...

Politics and government

* KM Chan, biochemistry professor and politician * Gen.

Rick Hillier Rick J. Hillier (born June 30, 1955) is a retired Canadian Armed Forces, Canadian Forces General (Canada), general, who served as the Chief of the Defence Staff (Canada), chief of the Defence Staff (CDS) from 4 February 2005 to 1 July 2008. He pr ...

, Chief of the Defence Staff,

Canadian Forces The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; , FAC) are the unified Military, military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air commands referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Air Force. Under the ''National Defenc ...

Dale Kirby Dale Kirby (born May 19, 1971) is a politician who served in the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly from 2011 to 2019. He served as Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development in the Ball government from 2015 to 2018. Early ...

, Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development *

Allan Rowe Allan Rowe (October 16, 1956 – March 16, 2015) was a Canadian politician, who was elected to the Nova Scotia House of Assembly in the 2013 provincial election. A member of the Nova Scotia Liberal Party, he represented the electoral distric ...

, MPP for

Dartmouth South Dartmouth South is a provincial electoral district in Nova Scotia, Canada, that elects one member of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly. The riding is currently represented by Claudia Chender of the NDP. The district was created in 1966, under the ...

and liberal caucus whip, former television host *

Marit Stiles Marit Stiles (born September 20, 1969) is a Canadian politician who has been the leader of the Ontario New Democratic Party (NDP) and the Leader of the Official Opposition (Ontario), leader of the Official Opposition since February 4, 2023. She ...

(born 1969), Member of Provincial Parliament for

Davenport Davenport may refer to: Places Australia *Davenport, Northern Territory, a locality *Hundred of Davenport, cadastral unit in South Australia **Davenport, South Australia, suburb of Port Augusta **District Council of Davenport, former local govern ...

in the

Legislative Assembly of Ontario The Legislative Assembly of Ontario (OLA; ) is the legislative chamber of the Canadian province of Ontario. Its elected members are known as Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs). Bills passed by the Legislative Assembly are given royal as ...

, leader of the

Ontario New Democratic Party The Ontario New Democratic Party (NDP; , NPD) is a social democratic political party in Ontario, Canada. The party sits on the centre-left of the political spectrum. It is Ontario’s provincial section of the federal New Democratic Party. The ...

(NDP) and the

leader of the Opposition The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the Opposition (parliamentary), largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the ...

* Clyde Wells, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador, former Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador

Film and television

Perry Chafe Perry Lawrence Chafe (born February 9, 1969) is a Canadian television writer, producer and bestselling author most noted as a creator of the television series ''Republic of Doyle''. Early life Perry Chafe was born and raised in Petty Harbour, ...

, TV producer and writer,

Republic of Doyle ''Republic of Doyle'' is a Canadian comedy-drama television series set in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, which aired on CBC Television from January 6, 2010, to December 10, 2014. The show stars Allan Hawco as private investigator and f ...

Son of A Critch ''Son of a Critch'' is a Canadian comedy television series, created by Mark Critch and Tim McAuliffe, that premiered on January 4, 2022 on CBC Television. Based on the memoir of the same name by Critch, the semi-autobiographical series follows ...

* Bill Gillespie, former Security Correspondent,

CBC Radio CBC Radio is the English-language radio operations of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The CBC operates a number of radio networks serving different audiences and programming niches, all of which (regardless of language) are outlined below ...

* Tristan Homer, children's television producer * Bhreagh MacNeil, Canadian Screen Award nominated actress *

Mark McKinney Mark Douglas Brown McKinney (born June 26, 1959) is a Canadian actor and comedian. He is best known as a member of the sketch comedy troupe The Kids in the Hall, which includes starring in the 1989 to 1995 TV series '' The Kids in the Hall'' and ...

, comedian, member of The Kids in the Hall *

Scott Oake Scott Oake (born 1952 or 1953) is a Gemini Award-winning Canadian sportscaster for CBC Sports, Sportsnet, and Hockey Night in Canada. Biography Early life Oake was born in 1952 or 1953 in Sydney, Nova Scotia, and raised in Sydney's "Shipyards" ...

, sportscaster for

CBC Sports CBC Sports is the division of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation responsible for English-language sports broadcasting. The CBC's sports programming primarily airs on CBC Television, CBCSports.ca, and CBC Radio One. (The CBC's French-languag ...

Press and literature

Anne Chislett Anne Chislett (born December 22, 1942) is a Canadian playwright. Biography Born and raised in St. John's, Dominion of Newfoundland, Chislett studied at Memorial University of Newfoundland and the University of British Columbia. She taught high s ...

, playwright *

Michael Crummey Michael Crummey (born November 18, 1965) is a Canadian poet and a writer of historical fiction. His writing often draws on the history and landscape of Newfoundland and Labrador. He won the 2025 International Dublin Literary Award. Life and educ ...

, novelist and poet *

Gwynne Dyer Michael Gwynne Dyer (born 17 April 1943) is a British-Canadian military historian, author, professor, journalist, broadcaster, and retired naval officer. Dyer rose to prominence in the 1980s with the release of his television series ''War'' in ...

, journalist, syndicated columnist and military historian, Senior Lecturer in War Studies at the

Royal Military Academy Sandhurst The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS or RMA Sandhurst), commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is one of several military academy, military academies of the United Kingdom and is the British Army's initial Commissioned officer, officer train ...

* Tom Harrington, journalist * Wayne Johnston, novelist

Art and music

Alan Doyle Alan Thomas Doyle (born May 17, 1969) is a Canadian musician and founding member of the Canadian folk rock band Great Big Sea. Life and career Alan Doyle was born and raised in Petty Harbour–Maddox Cove, Petty Harbour, Newfoundland, in a Ro ...

, musician * Nancy Dahn, musician *

Bob Hallett Robert Hallett (born 1966) is a Canadians, Canadian musician, author, producer, and entrepreneur, best known as a founding member of the Canadian folk rock band Great Big Sea (1993–2013). He is also a native of St. John's, Newfoundland and La ...

, musician * Andy Jones, comedian *

Séan McCann Sean, also spelled Seán or Séan in Hiberno-English, is a male given name of Irish origin. It comes from the Irish versions of the Biblical Hebrew name ''Yohanan'' (), Seán (anglicized as ''Shaun/Shawn/ Shon'') and Séan (Ulster variant; angli ...

, musician * Fergus O'Byrne, musician *

Shelley Posen Shelley (I. Sheldon) Posen is a Canadian folklorist, singer and songwriter, a member of the folk trio Finest Kind, and a former writer of the 'Songfinder' column for ''Sing Out!'' In the 1970s, while still a graduate student, he was the Directo ...

, folklorist and singer-songwriter

Sports

Brad Gushue Bradley Raymond Gushue, ONL ( ; born June 16, 1980) is a Canadian curler from St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. Gushue, along with teammates Russ Howard, Mark Nichols, Jamie Korab and Mike Adam, represented Canada in curling at the 2006 ...

, Olympic gold medalist in curling * Mark Nichols, Olympic gold medalist in curling

Medicine

* Norman R.C. Campbell, Professor of Medicine, Community Health Sciences and Physiology and Pharmacology at the

University of Calgary {{Infobox university , name = University of Calgary , image = University of Calgary coat of arms without motto scroll.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms , former ...

Ranjit Chandra Ranjit Kumar Chandra (रंजीत कुमार चंद्रा; born February 2, 1938) is an Indian-born Canadian researcher and self-proclaimed "father of nutritional immunology" who committed scientific and health care fraud. Chandr ...

, Former professor of Medicine, forced to resign after allegations of scientific misconduct and data fabrication * Jawahar Kalra, physician, clinical researcher, and academic

Religion

Darrell Critch Darrell Critch (born 1970 or 1971) is a Canadian-born Anglican bishop. Since December 2024, he has been the third diocesan bishop of Mahajanga, Madagascar, in the Church of the Province of the Indian Ocean. Prior to his election as bishop, he was ...

, Anglican bishop of

Mahajanga Mahajangā (French: Majunga) is a city and an administrative district on the northwest coast of Madagascar. The city of Mahajanga (Mahajanga I) is the capital of the Boeny Region. The district (identical to the city) had a population of 258,068 ...

* Alexander Pryor, Anglican bishop of the Arctic

Rhodes Scholars

Robert Joy Robert Joy (born August 17, 1951) is a Canadian actor. He is best known for his role as medical examiner Sid Hammerback on the police procedural series '' CSI: NY'', and his appearances in the films ''Atlantic City'' (1980), ''Ragtime'' (1981) ...

(1973), actor * Danny Williams (1969), Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador *

Rex Murphy Robert Rex Rafael Murphy (March 1947 – 9 May 2024) was a Canadian commentator and author, primarily on Canadian political and social matters. He was the regular host of CBC Radio One's '' Cross Country Checkup'', a nationwide call-in show, fo ...

(1968), TV commentator *

Bill Rowe William Neil Rowe, (born June 4, 1942) is a former politician, lawyer, broadcaster, and writer in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Rowe was born in Grand Bank and is the son of the late Liberal Senator Frederick William Rowe and the late Ed ...

(1964), former politician, lawyer, broadcaster, and writer *

Fabian O'Dea Fabian Aloysius O'Dea, (January 20, 1918 – December 12, 2004) was a Newfoundland and Canadian lawyer and the fourth lieutenant governor of Newfoundland. Family He was the son of John V. O'Dea and May (Coady) O'Dea. In 1950, O'Dea married ...

(1939),

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the population ...

and

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

lawyer A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...

and the fourth

lieutenant governor of Newfoundland The lieutenant governor of Newfoundland and Labrador () is the representative in Newfoundland and Labrador of the monarch, who operates distinctly within the province but is also shared equally with the ten other jurisdictions of Canada. The li ...

* Moses Morgan (1938),

academic and president of

from 1973 to 1981

Notable faculty

Jean Briggs Jean L. Briggs (May 28, 1929 – July 27, 2016) was an American-born anthropologist, ethnographer, linguist, and professor emerita at Memorial University of Newfoundland. Her best known works included the 1970 landmark book ''Never in Anger: Port ...

, anthropologist and expert on

Inuit languages The Inuit languages are a closely related group of Indigenous languages of the Americas, indigenous American languages traditionally spoken across the North American Arctic and the adjacent subarctic regions as far south as Labrador. The Inuit ...

Lindsay Cahill Lindsay Cahill is a Canadian chemist who uses Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI ) to study metabolic abnormalities in pregnancy. She has published more than 70 articles on her research related to nuclear magnetic resonance in studying electrochemic ...

, chemist *

John Frederick Dewey John Frederick Dewey (born 22 May 1937) is a British structural geologist and a strong proponent of the theory of plate tectonics, building upon the early work undertaken in the 1960s and 1970s. He is widely regarded as an authority on the ...

structural geologist Structural geology is the study of the three-dimensional distribution of Rock (geology), rock units with respect to their Deformation (geology), deformational histories. The primary goal of structural geology is to use measurements of present-day ...

;

Wollaston Medal The Wollaston Medal is a scientific award for geology and the highest award granted by the Geological Society of London, the oldest geological society in the world. The medal is named after William Hyde Wollaston, and was first awarded in 1831. I ...

Penrose Medal The Penrose Medal was created in 1925 by R.A.F. Penrose, Jr., as the top prize awarded by the Geological Society of America. Originally created as the Geological Society of America Medal it was soon renamed the Penrose Medal by popular assent of ...

recipient. * Donald Hillman,

paediatrician Pediatrics (American English) also spelled paediatrics (British English), is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. In the United Kingdom, pediatrics covers many of their yout ...

and professor of pediatrics best known for working in

Third World The term Third World arose during the Cold War to define countries that remained non-aligned with either NATO or the Warsaw Pact. The United States, Canada, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, the Southern Cone, NATO, Western European countries and oth ...

countries in international child health and development * Ian Jordaan, University Research Professor, engineer and expert on design of offshore structures in harsh environments * Francesca M. Kerton, chemist * Elliott Leyton, renowned for studies of serial murderers * Elizabeth Miller, 19th century British Gothic literature * Ward Neale, geologist * Robert Paine, Anthropologist studying the Inuit and Saami peoples. *

Patrick Parfrey Patrick Parfrey, (born 1950) is a Canadian physician, specialized as nephrologist and epidemiologist. Parfrey is an internationally known scientist and clinical epidemiologist. In addition, he has provided leadership to the sport of rugby un ...

, nephrologist and clinical epidemiologist *

Augustus Rowe Augustus Taylor Rowe (August 2, 1920 – July 20, 2013) was a Canadian physician and politician. He served as a member of the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly for Carbonear from 1971 to 1975. He also spent three years as the province' ...

, former Minister of Health of Newfoundland and Labrador; former chairman of Memorial University's Department of Family Medicine * Wei Qiu, architecture professor * Harold Williams, University Research Professor, geologist and world expert on the tectonics of mountain belts

Honorary degree recipients

* Sarah Anala, Canadian social worker *

Anne, Princess Royal Anne, Princess Royal (Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise; born 15 August 1950) is a member of the British royal family. She is the second child and only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and the only sister of King ...

, member of the Canadian Royal family *

Lloyd Axworthy Lloyd Norman Axworthy (born December 21, 1939) is a Canadian politician, elder statesman and academic. He served as Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Jean Chrétien. Following his retirement from parliament ...

, Canadian politician *

Jean Chrétien Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien (; born January 11, 1934) is a retired Canadian politician, statesman, and lawyer who served as the 20th prime minister of Canada from 1993 to 2003. He served as Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, leader of t ...

, 20th

Prime Minister of Canada The prime minister of Canada () is the head of government of Canada. Under the Westminster system, the prime minister governs with the Confidence and supply, confidence of a majority of the elected House of Commons of Canada, House of Commons ...

Bob Cole Robert Cole may refer to: Entertainment *Robert William Cole (1869–1937), British writer *Bob Cole (composer) (1868–1911), American composer *Bobby Cole (musician) (1932–1996), American musician Sports *Bob Cole (cricketer) (born 1938), for ...

, CBC hockey commentator *

, geologist *

Craig Dobbin Craig Lawrence Dobbin, (12 September 1935 – 7 October 2006) was an industrialist and chairman and chief executive officer of CHC Helicopter Corporation, a public company traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange and the New York Stock Exchange. The ...

, businessman *

, journalist *

John Kenneth Galbraith John Kenneth Galbraith (October 15, 1908 – April 29, 2006), also known as Ken Galbraith, was a Canadian-American economist, diplomat, public official, and intellectual. His books on economic topics were bestsellers from the 1950s through the ...

, economist *

Loyola Hearn Loyola Hearn, (born March 25, 1943) is a Canadian diplomat and former politician. Hearn is the former Canadian Ambassador to Ireland. He served as a Member of the House of Commons of Canada from 2000 to 2008, and as Minister of Fisheries and O ...

, former

Minister of Fisheries and Oceans The minister of fisheries () is the minister of the Crown responsible for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) and the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG). The minister is a member of the King's Privy Council for Canada and the Canadian Cabinet ...

Ron Hynes Ron Hynes (December 7, 1950 – November 19, 2015) was a folk singer-songwriter from Newfoundland and Labrador. He was especially known for his composition " Sonny's Dream", which has been recorded worldwide by many artists and was named the 41 ...

, folk musician *

David Lloyd Johnston David Lloyd Johnston (born June 28, 1941) is a Canadian academic, author, and statesman who served as the 28th governor general of Canada from 2010 to 2017. Johnston was the special rapporteur appointed to investigate reports of foreign inter ...

, Governor General of Canada *

Cathy Jones Catherine Frederica "Cathy" Jones (born April 6, 1955) is a Canadian actress, comedian and writer. She is known for her work for 28 years on the Canadian television series '' This Hour Has 22 Minutes''. Jones left the show in 2021. Early life a ...

, comedian and actress *

Aung San Suu Kyi Aung San Suu Kyi (born 19 June 1945) is a Burmese politician, diplomat, author, and political activist. She was awarded the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize. She served as State Counsellor of Myanmar and Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Myanmar), Ministe ...

, pro-democracy advocate * HRH Princess Mary, member of the Canadian Royal Family *

Rick Mercer Richard Vincent "Rick" Mercer (born October 17, 1969) is a Canadian comedian, television personality, Political satire, political satirist, and author. He is best known for his work on the CBC Television comedy shows ''This Hour Has 22 Minutes'' ...

, Canadian comedian and television personality *

Brian Mulroney Martin Brian Mulroney (March 20, 1939 – February 29, 2024) was a Canadian lawyer, businessman, and politician who served as the 18th prime minister of Canada from 1984 to 1993. Born in the eastern Quebec city of Baie-Comeau, Mulroney studi ...

, 18th Prime Minister of Canada * Ward Neale, geologist *

Lester B. Pearson Lester Bowles Pearson (23 April 1897 – 27 December 1972) was a Canadian politician, diplomat, statesman, and scholar who served as the 14th prime minister of Canada from 1963 to 1968. He also served as Leader of the Liberal Party of C ...

, 14th Prime Minister of Canada,

Nobel Peace Prize The Nobel Peace Prize (Swedish language, Swedish and ) is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the Will and testament, will of Sweden, Swedish industrialist, inventor, and armaments manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Nobe ...

winner *

Edward Shackleton Edward Arthur Alexander Shackleton, Baron Shackleton (15 July 1911 – 22 September 1994) was a British geographer, Royal Air Force officer and Labour Party politician. Early life and career Born in Wandsworth, London, Shackleton was the young ...

, geographer and politician *

David Suzuki David Takayoshi Suzuki (born March 24, 1936) is a Canadian academic, science broadcaster, and environmental activist. Suzuki earned a PhD in zoology from the University of Chicago in 1961, and was a professor in the genetics department at the ...

, Canadian science broadcaster and environmental activist * Mary Walsh, comedian *

John Tuzo Wilson John Tuzo Wilson (October 24, 1908 – April 15, 1993) was a Canadian geophysicist and geologist who achieved worldwide acclaim for his contributions to the theory of plate tectonics. He added the concept of ''hot spots'', a volcanic region hott ...

, geophysicist

References

{{Memorial University of Newfoundland Memorial University of Newfoundland