Bangor University () is a

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...

research Research is creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge. It involves the collection, organization, and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular attentiveness to ...

university A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

Bangor, Gwynedd Bangor (; ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and Community (Wales), community in Gwynedd, north Wales. It is the oldest city in Wales. Historic counties of Wales, Historically part of Caernarfonshire, the community had a ...

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

. It was established by

Royal Charter A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, but ...

in 1885 as the University College of North Wales (UCNW; ), and in 1893 became one of the founding institutions of the federal

University of Wales The University of Wales () is a confederal university based in Cardiff, Wales. Founded by royal charter in 1893 as a federal university with three constituent colleges – Aberystwyth, Bangor and Cardiff – the university was the first universit ...

. In 1996, after structural changes to the University of Wales it became known as the University of Wales, Bangor (UWB; ). It became independent of the University of Wales in 2007, adopting its current name and awarding its own degrees. It has over 10,000 students across 3 academic colleges and 11 schools, as well as several large research institutes. Its campus makes up a large part of Bangor, and extends to nearby

Menai Bridge Menai Bridge (; usually referred to colloquially as ''Y Borth'') is a town and community on the Isle of Anglesey in north-west Wales. It overlooks the Menai Strait and lies by the Menai Suspension Bridge, built in 1826 by Thomas Telford, j ...

as well, with a second campus in

Wrexham Wrexham ( ; ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in the North East Wales, north-east of Wales. It lies between the Cambrian Mountains, Welsh mountains and the lower River Dee, Wales, Dee Valley, near the England–Wales border, borde ...

for some healthcare courses. Its total income for 2022/23 was £178.0 million, of which 19% came from research grants, and it has an endowment of £8.2 million. Its alumni includes multiple

fellows of the Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the Fellows of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural science, natural knowledge, incl ...

, heads of state, and

Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; ; ) are awards administered by the Nobel Foundation and granted in accordance with the principle of "for the greatest benefit to humankind". The prizes were first awarded in 1901, marking the fifth anniversary of Alfred N ...

winners.

History

University College

The university was founded as the University College of North Wales (UCNW) on 18 October 1884, with an inaugural address by the

Earl of Powis Earl of Powis (Powys) is a title that has been created three times. The first creation came in the Peerage of England in 1674 in favour of William Herbert, 3rd Baron Powis, a descendant of William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke (c. 1501–15 ...

, the college's first President, in Penrhyn Hall.David Roberts (2009) ''Bangor University 1884–2009'', University of Wales Press There was then a procession to the college including 3,000 quarrymen, as quarrymen from Penrhyn Quarry and other quarries had subscribed more than 1,200 pounds to the university. The foundation was the result of a campaign for better provision of higher education in

that had involved some rivalry among towns in North Wales over which was to be the location of the new college. Originally based in a former coaching inn, the college was incorporated by

in 1885. It opened with just 58 students, who would receive degrees from the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...

until 1893 when UCNW became a founding constituent institution of the federal

. In that year there was a dispute that led to the closure of the Women's Hall and

Frances Hughes Frances Emily Hughes became Frances Emily Webb-Peploe (14 April 1855 – 12 February 1927) was the head of the Women's hall of residence for the University College of North Wales in Bangor. She resigned following a dispute that caused a nati ...

who was in the eye of the storm to leave the college. In 1903, the city of Bangor donated a 10-acre site at Penrallt for a new college building, and with funds raised by local people. The new building, now known as the Main Arts Building, was opened in 1911. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

paintings from national art galleries were stored in the Prichard-Jones Hall at UCNW to protect them from enemy bombing. They were later moved to slate mines at

Blaenau Ffestiniog Blaenau Ffestiniog () is a town in Gwynedd, Wales. Once a slate mining centre in historic Merionethshire, it now relies much on tourists, drawn for instance to the Ffestiniog Railway and Llechwedd Slate Caverns. It reached a population of 12,0 ...

. Students from

University College London University College London (Trade name, branded as UCL) is a Public university, public research university in London, England. It is a Member institutions of the University of London, member institution of the Federal university, federal Uni ...

were evacuated to continue their studies in a safer environment at Bangor.

Post-war

During the 1960s, the university shared in the general expansion of higher education in the UK following the

Robbins Report The Robbins Report (the report of the Committee on Higher Education, chaired by Lionel Robbins) was commissioned by the British government and published in 1963. The committee met from 1961 to 1963. After the report's publication, its conclusions ...

, with many new departments and new buildings. On 22 November 1965, during construction of an extension to the Department of Electronic Engineering in Dean Street, a crane collapsed on the building. The three-ton counterweight hit the second-floor lecture theatre in the original building about thirty minutes before it would have been occupied by about 80 first-year students. The counterweight went through to the ground floor. In 1967, the

Bangor Normal College The Normal College, Bangor () was an independent teacher training college, founded in 1858. It was created through the efforts of the British and Foreign School Society and the educator Sir Hugh Owen, and was funded by £11,000 raised through s ...

, now part of the university, was the venue for lectures on Transcendental Meditation by the

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (born Mahesh Prasad Varma, 12 January 191? – 5 February 2008) was the creator of Transcendental Meditation (TM) and leader of the worldwide organization that has been characterized in multiple ways, including as a new ...

at which

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

heard of the death of their manager,

Brian Epstein Brian Samuel Epstein ( ; 19 September 1934 – 27 August 1967) was an English music entrepreneur who managed the Beatles from 1961 until his death in 1967. Epstein was born into a family of successful retailers in Liverpool, who put hi ...

. Student protests at UCNW in the 1970s focused mainly on calls to expand the role of the

Welsh language Welsh ( or ) is a Celtic languages, Celtic language of the Brittonic languages, Brittonic subgroup that is native to the Welsh people. Welsh is spoken natively in Wales by about 18% of the population, by some in England, and in (the Welsh c ...

. Radical students would disturb lectures held in English and paint slogans in Welsh on the walls of the Main Building, resulting some suspensions of these activists. In the early 1980s, the Thatcher government even considered closing down the institution. Around this time consideration began of mergers with two colleges of education in Bangor: St Mary's College, a college for women studying to become schoolteachers, and the larger and older Normal College. The merger of St Mary's into UCNW was concluded in 1977, but the merger with Normal College fell through in the 1970s and was not completed until 1996. Alongside the eventual merger of Normal College, the North Wales College of Nursing and Midwifery merged with the university in 1992, forming a new Faculty of Health Studies. A year later it also took over the small North Wales College of Radiography.

Independence and development

The university made a formal application for degree-awarding powers in 2005. The 2007 a change of name to Bangor University, or ''Prifysgol Bangor'' in Welsh, was instigated by the university following the decision of the

to change from a federal university to a

confederal A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

non-membership organisation, and the granting of degree-awarding powers to Bangor University itself. As a result, every student starting after 2009 gained a degree from Bangor University, while any student who started before 2009 had the option to have either Bangor University or University of Wales Bangor on their degree certificate. Depsite the effective abolition of the federal university system, a research and enterprise partnership with Aberystwyth University was agreed in 2006, with £11 million of funding from the

Higher Education Funding Council for Wales The Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW) was the Welsh Government Sponsored Body responsible for funding the higher education sector. It was replaced by Medr, the Commission for Tertiary Education and Research from August 2024. ...

Expansion and financial issues

Under

John Hughes John Hughes may refer to: Arts and Entertainment Literature *John Hughes (poet) (1677–1720), English poet *John Hughes (1790–1857), English author *John Ceiriog Hughes (1832–1887), Welsh poet *John Hughes (writer) (born 1961), Australian au ...

' leadership as Vice-Chancellor from 2010–18, there were several new developments including the opening of St Mary's Student Village, and the first-ever collaboration between Wales and China to establish a new college, which involved Bangor University and the

Central South University of Forestry and Technology The Central South University of Forestry and Technology (CSUFT) is a provincial public university located in Changsha, Hunan, China. It is affiliated with the Hunan Provincial People's Government, and co-sponsored by the provincial government ...

(CSUFT). In 2014, the university secured a £45m loan from the

European Investment Bank The European Investment Bank (EIB) is the European Union's investment bank and is owned by the 27 member states. It is the largest multilateral financial institution in the world. The EIB finances and invests both through equity and debt sol ...

, to assist the university in developing its estates strategy. In 2016, the university opened Marine Centre Wales, a £5.5m building on the site of the university's Ocean Sciences campus in Menai Bridge, which was financed as part of the £25 million SEACAMS project, partly funded through the

European Regional Development Fund The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) is one of the European Structural and Investment Funds allocated by the European Union. Its purpose is to transfer money from richer regions (not countries), and invest it in the infrastructure and se ...

. In May 2017, Bangor became the fourth Welsh university to review its cost base to make savings of £8.5m. The university responded and introduced several cost-saving measures including a reorganisation of the structure of Colleges and Schools and the introduction of a voluntary severance scheme, and several compulsory redundancies was reduced from the initial estimate of 170. In addressing its financial challenges, Bangor University also reorganised some subject areas in 2017, which involved introducing new ways of coordinating and delivering adult education and part-time degree programmes, continuing to teach archaeology, but discontinuing the single honours course, and working with Grwp Llandrillo Menai to validate the BA Fine Arts degree. Other issues which attracted adverse media comment included the cost overrun and delayed opening of the Pontio Arts and Innovation Centre in 2016, the appointment of Hughes's then wife to a newly created senior management position, the purchase and refurbishment of a house for the vice-chancellor by the university for £750,000, the expenses of some senior staff, and the discrepancy between senior management salaries and remuneration for staff working on zero hour contracts. The university announced Hughes' early resignation in December 2018, after allegations of harassment were made against him by his ex-wife and student protests against staff cuts and the closure of the chemistry department. In June 2019, the university launched a consultation to concentrate its non-residential estate onto a single campus in Bangor (Deiniol Road and College Road sites) and dispose of some major sites (including Normal Site, Dean Street and Fron Heulog), 25 per cent of the estate. February 2020 saw a 14-day strike from staff in response to pay and working conditions. In September 2020, the university announced a new round of cuts to fill a £13m gap in the budget, saying 200 more jobs (including 80 academic posts) were at risk. Another reorganisation of the university's structure of Colleges and Schools was announced as well. Staff passed a motion of no confidence in the university management.

Development of new schools

In 2021 the Welsh Government announced plans to expand medical teaching at the university in collaboration with Cardiff University School of Medicine, to establish an independent medical school in North Wales following several years of delivering the franchised C21 North Wales for Cardiff. The independent North Wales Medical School admitted its first intake of 80 students in September 2024. In 2025, the Albert Guday foundation donated £10.5 million to the university, for the redevelopment of Bangor Business School. It will be used to fund a new premises and the school will be renamed to the Albert Guday Business School.

Campus and buildings

The University occupies substantial buildings in and around Bangor, whilst the School of Health Sciences also operate facilities at the University's Cambria campus within

Technology Park. The university was originally based in an old coaching inn, the Penrhyn Arms Hotel, which housed its 58 students and its 12 teaching staff. In 1911 it moved to a much larger new building, which is now the old part of the Main Arts. This building, designed by Henry Hare, had its foundation stone laid by King

Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until Death and state funeral of Edward VII, his death in 1910. The second child ...

on 9 July 1907 and was formally opened by King

George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936. George w ...

in 1911. The iconic building, which occupies a highly visible position overlooking Bangor, gave the college its Welsh nickname ''Y Coleg ar y Bryn'' ("The College on the Hill"). It included the large Prichard-Jones Hall, named after Sir John Prichard-Jones a local man who became a partner in the London department store

Dickins & Jones Dickins & Jones was a high-quality department store in London, England, which traded between 1835 and 2007, although tracing its origins to 1790. From 1835, the main store was in London's Regent Street. In its final years the store had branches a ...

and was a substantial benefactor of the building. The building became a Grade I-listed building in 1949. A modern extension, completing a quadrangle on the College Road side of the building, was completed in 1969, known as New Arts.

Pontio

The university's arts and innovation centre Pontio opened in 2016. The building includes teaching and social spaces and houses the offices of the students' union.

Organisation

Colleges and schools

The academic activities of Bangor University are organised into three colleges, which provide operational support to the schools. The colleges system was established in 2006, replacing the previous faculties.

Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences

School of Welsh

The School of Welsh is the school of

and

Celtic studies Celtic studies or Celtology is the academic discipline occupied with the study of any sort of cultural output relating to the Celts, Celtic-speaking peoples (i.e. speakers of Celtic languages). This ranges from linguistics, literature and art h ...

at the university. The first chair in Welsh was established at the university in 1894, for Sir John Morris-Jones. Prior to this the university council had considered establishing a chair in Welsh and classics but struggled to find a candidate. In 1920, a second chair in Welsh literature was established, the first holder being

Ifor Williams Sir Ifor Williams, (16 April 1881 – 4 November 1965) was a Welsh scholar who laid the foundations for the academic study of Old Welsh, particularly early Welsh poetry. Early life and education Ifor Williams was born at Pendinas, Tregarth nea ...

. Whilst there had been a department previously, a School of Welsh-Medium Studies was formally instituted in 1986. At undergraduate level, the school offers single-honours degrees in Welsh and joint-honours degrees in Welsh with arts and humanities subjects.

Governance

Governance of Bangor University is set out by its charter. It is ultimately governed by a council, which oversees the university's strategic direction, financial health, and policy compliance. Its senate manages all academic matters, such as teaching and research standards. The executive, led by the vice-chancellor, handles the day-to-day administration and implementation of strategic decisions. The current vice-chancellor is Edmund Burke. He is supported by a deputy vice-chancellor and four pro-vice-chancellors. Various committees support these bodies in specialized areas, and students are actively involved in governance through representation on key committees. The university is also accountable to external bodies like the

Academic profile

Research

The university's research expertise in the areas of materials science and

predictive modelling Predictive modelling uses statistics to Prediction, predict outcomes. Most often the event one wants to predict is in the future, but predictive modelling can be applied to any type of unknown event, regardless of when it occurred. For example, pre ...

was enhanced in 2017 through a collaboration with

Imperial College London Imperial College London, also known as Imperial, is a Public university, public research university in London, England. Its history began with Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria, who envisioned a Al ...

and the formation of the Nuclear Futures Institute at Bangor with the award of £6.5m in funding under the

Welsh Government The Welsh Government ( ) is the Executive (government), executive arm of the Welsh devolution, devolved government of Wales. The government consists of Cabinet secretary, cabinet secretaries and Minister of State, ministers. It is led by the F ...

's Ser Cymru programme. The university-owned £20m Science Park on Anglesey, M-Sparc was completed in March 2018, which will support the development of the region's low-carbon energy sector.

Rankings

The 2014

Research Excellence Framework The Research Excellence Framework (REF) is a research impact evaluation of British Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). It is the successor to the Research Assessment Exercise and it was first used in 2014 to assess the period 2008–2013. REF is ...

recognised that more than three-quarters of Bangor's research is either world-leading or internationally excellent. Based on the university submission of 14 Units of Assessment, 77% of the research was rated in the top two tiers of research quality, ahead of the average for all UK universities. In 2017, Bangor University became the only university in Wales to be rated 'Gold' by the new Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) which means that the university is deemed to be of the highest quality found in the UK, providing "consistently outstanding teaching, learning and outcomes for its students." In recent years, Bangor has been rated highly by its students in two independent surveys of student opinion. In the National Student Survey, the university has been consistently ranked highly both within Wales and in the UK higher education sector. In 2017, Bangor University's students placed the university eighth among the UK's non-specialist universities and second among Welsh Universities. For the second year in a row, Bangor was awarded Best University in the UK for Clubs and Societies at the 2018 WhatUni Student Choice Awards. It also regained the award for best Student Accommodation which it originally won in 2016. The university was also placed second overall for 'Courses and Lecturers' and retained third place in the category 'University of the Year'. WhatUni award nominations are based on the reviews and opinions of the university's students. This is the fourth year in a row that Bangor University has won a national WhatUni Award.

Student life

Halls of residence

University Hall, built in red brick a Queen Anne style, was the first substantial block. It was opened in 1897.M L Clarke (1966) ''Architectural History and Guide'', University College of North Wale
Online at Bangor Civic Society
This building was to become the

Welsh-language Welsh ( or ) is a Celtic language of the Brittonic subgroup that is native to the Welsh people. Welsh is spoken natively in Wales by about 18% of the population, by some in England, and in (the Welsh colony in Chubut Province, Argentina). ...

hall Neuadd John Morris-Jones in 1974, taking its name in honour of John Morris Jones. It is now called Neuadd Rathbone. Neuadd Reichel, built on the Ffriddoedd Farm site, was designed in a neo-Georgian style by the architect

Percy Thomas Sir Percy Edward Thomas OBE (13 September 1883 – 19 August 1969) was an Anglo-Welsh architect who worked in Wales for the majority of his life. He was twice RIBA president (1935–37 and 1943–46). Biography Percy Edward Thomas was born o ...

and was opened in 1942 as a hostel for male students. Expansion in the 1960s led to the development of Plas Gwyn in 1963–64 and Neuadd Emrys Evans in 1965, both on the Ffriddoedd site, and Neuadd Rathbone at the top of Love Lane in 1965. Neuadd Rathbone, designed by Colwyn Foulkes and named after the second President of the college, was originally for women students only. The names of Neuadd Rathbone and Neuadd John Morris-Jones were later exchanged. The building originally opened as Neuadd Rathbone is now known as Neuadd Garth. Accommodation is guaranteed for all first-year undergraduate students. There are around 3,000 rooms available in

halls of residence A dormitory (originated from the Latin word ''dormitorium'', often abbreviated to dorm), also known as a hall of residence, a residence hall (often abbreviated to halls), or a hostel, is a building primarily providing sleeping and residential qu ...

, all within under 20 minutes walking distance of the university. Three residential sites are currently in use: Ffriddoedd Village, St Mary's Village and Neuadd Garth. Launderette services on all three sites are provided by

Circuit Laundry The JLA Group is a provider of the distribution, rental and servicing of commercial laundry equipment, commercial dishwashers and regulatory compliance tools as well as Fire & Security Systems, Passive Fire Doors, Fire Risk Assessments, Automati ...

Ffriddoedd Village

The largest accommodation site is the Ffriddoedd Village in Upper Bangor, about ten minutes' walk from Top College, the Science Site and the city centre. This site has eleven en-suite halls completed in 2009, six other en-suite halls built in the 1990s and Neuadd Reichel built in the 1940s, and renovated in 2011. Neuadd John Morris-Jones is a Welsh-speaking hall, which started its life in 1974 on College Road and has, along with its equivalent Neuadd Pantycelyn in

Aberystwyth Aberystwyth (; ) is a University town, university and seaside town and a community (Wales), community in Ceredigion, Wales. It is the largest town in Ceredigion and from Aberaeron, the county's other administrative centre. In 2021, the popula ...

, became a focal point of

activities at the university. It is an integral part of UMCB, the Welsh Students' Union, which in turn is part of the main Students' Union. The halls on "Ffridd" (''ffridd'' riːðis the Welsh word for mountain pasture or sheep path; ''ffriddoedd'' �frɪðɔiðis its plural form) include Cefn y Coed, Glyder, Y Borth, Elidir, J.M.J. Bryn Dinas and J.M.J. Tegfan, all of which were built in the early 1990s; Adda, Alaw, Braint, Crafnant, Enlli, Peris, Glaslyn, Llanddwyn, Ffraw, Idwal and Gwynant, which were all built in the late 2000s; and Neuadd Reichel which was built in the 1940s and renovated in 2011. From 2021, Neuadd Reichel will no longer be used for student accommodation.

St Mary's Village

Bryn Eithin overlooks the centre of Bangor and is close to the Science Departments and the Schools of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering. Demolition of the former St Mary's Site halls, except the 1902 buildings and the Quadrangle, began in 2014 to make way for new halls which were completed in 2015. The halls on this site are Cybi, Penmon, and Cemlyn, which are all self-catered flats; Tudno, which is a townhouse complex; and the original St. Mary's building, with studios and flats. In Welsh, ''bryn'' means "hill" and ''eithin'' means "gorse".

Private halls

A private hall of residence called Tŷ Willis House (formerly known as Neuadd Willis) is operated by IQ Student Accommodation; which incorporates the old listed British Hotel with a new extension to the rear, and a further hall on the site of the old Plaza Cinema. Other privately owned halls of residence in Bangor include Neuadd Kyffin, Neuadd y Castell, Neuadd Llys y Deon and Neuadd Tŷ Ni.

Students' union

Undeb Bangor (English: ''Bangor Union'') is Bangor University's

students' union A students' union or student union, is a student organization present in many colleges, universities, and high schools. In higher education, the students' union is often accorded its own building on the campus, dedicated to social, organizat ...

, providing services, support, and activities for students. All students automatically become members unless they opt-out. Annual elections are held for five

sabbatical officer In the United Kingdom, a sabbatical officer is a full-time officer elected by the members of a students' union (or similar body such as students' association, students' representative council or guild of students), commonly at a higher education e ...

s: the president, the Welsh union President, and vice-presidents for education, societies and volunteering, and sports. In January 2016 the students' union moved to the new Pontio Arts and Innovation Centre, as it its old Deiniol road facilities were demolished.

Student representation

The Student Council is a forum that meets monthly in the academic year to discuss, debate, and pass ideas, as well as work alongside the sabbatical officers on projects to improve the student experience. A representative is also elected from each school, supported by representatives from individual programmes, to inform academic decision-making.

Societies and volunteering

There are around 100 student societies in the union. Membership of the societies was free until 2025, when the union began to implement a paid structure as a result of funding issues. SVB (Student Volunteering Bangor) is the volunteering branch of the students' union, which has supported community projects in and around the Bangor area since 1952. SVB volunteers provide a total of around 600 hours of work per week on 58 community-based projects, including projects on mental health, children, the environment, the elderly and community & sports projects. SVB works closely with charities, organisations and schools around Bangor and North Wales, as well as further afield.

Sports and varsity

Sports at Bangor University are managed by the Athletics Union, a part of Undeb Bangor. Notable sports clubs include Bangor University F.C. and Bangor University Rowing Club. Every year the university competes against

Aberystwyth University Aberystwyth University () is a Public university, public Research university, research university in Aberystwyth, Wales. Aberystwyth was a founding member institution of the former federal University of Wales. The university has over 8,000 stude ...

in Varsity, a sporting tournament which sees hundreds of students compete in over 40 sporting events for the Varsity Trophy.

Notable people associated with Bangor

File:Paul Bérenger.png,

Paul Bérenger Paul Raymond Bérenger (born 26 March 1945) is a Mauritian politician who served as the fourth prime minister of Mauritius from 2003 to 2005. Bérenger currently serves as deputy prime minister since November 2024 and has previously held the o ...

File:Danny Boyle May 2019.jpg,

Danny Boyle Daniel Francis Boyle (born 20 October 1956) is an English director and producer. He is known for his work on the films ''Shallow Grave (1994 film), Shallow Grave'' (1994), ''Trainspotting (film), Trainspotting'' (1996) and its sequel ''T2 Tra ...

File:Tom -gt.jones.jpg,

Tom Parry Jones Thomas Parry Jones OBE (27 March 1935 – 11 January 2013) was a Welsh scientist, inventor and entrepreneur, who was responsible for developing and marketing the first handheld breathalyzer, electronic breathalyser, winning the Queen's Award for ...

File:Sianjames anoriant.jpg, Siân James File:Prof. Stefan Rahmstorf.jpg, Stefan Rahmstorf

Presidents/Chancellors

Edward Herbert, 3rd Earl of Powis Edward James Herbert, 3rd Earl of Powis (5 November 1818 – 7 May 1891), styled Viscount Clive between 1839 and 1848, was a British peer and politician. Background Powis was born at The Angel Hotel, Pershore, Worcestershire, the eldest son ...

, 1884–1891 * William Rathbone 1891–1900 *

Lloyd Tyrell-Kenyon, 4th Baron Kenyon Lloyd Tyrell-Kenyon, 4th Baron Kenyon, KCVO, TD (5 July 1864 – 30 November 1927), was a British peer and Conservative politician. Family background and education Born in Wilmore Crescent, west London, Kenyon was the son of the Hon. Lloyd Ken ...

1900–1927 *

Herbert Gladstone, 1st Viscount Gladstone Herbert John Gladstone, 1st Viscount Gladstone (7 January 1854 – 6 March 1930) was a British Liberal politician. The youngest son of William Ewart Gladstone, he was Home Secretary from 1905 to 1910 and Governor-General of the Union of Sout ...

1927–1935 *

Lord Howard de Walden Baron Howard de Walden is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created by writ of summons in 1597 by Queen Elizabeth I for Admiral Lord Thomas Howard, a younger son of Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk, by his second wife, the Honour ...

1935–1940 *

William Ormsby-Gore, 4th Baron Harlech William George Arthur Ormsby-Gore, 4th Baron Harlech (11 April 1885 – 14 February 1964), was a British Conservative politician and banker. Background Harlech, the son of George Ormsby-Gore, 3rd Baron Harlech, and Lady Margaret Gordon, daught ...

1940–1945 * Charles Paget, 6th Marquess of Anglesey 1945–1947 * Lloyd Tyrell-Kenyon, 5th Baron Kenyon 1947–1982 * William Mars-Jones 1982–1995 *

Cledwyn Hughes Cledwyn Hughes, Baron Cledwyn of Penrhos, (14 September 1916 – 22 February 2001) was a Welsh Labour Party politician, usually associated with the moderate wing of the party. He was also regarded, particularly in later years, as a non-politic ...

1995–2000 *

Dafydd Elis-Thomas Dafydd Elis Elis-Thomas, Baron Elis-Thomas, (; 18 October 1946 – 7 February 2025) was a Welsh politician who served as the leader of Plaid Cymru from 1984 to 1991 and represented the Dwyfor Meirionnydd constituency in the Senedd from 199 ...

2000–2017 * George

Meyrick Meyrick is a surname and a masculine given name. Meyricke is a variant form. Surname * Denzil Meyrick (1965–2025), Scottish novelist * Edmund Meyrick (1636–1713), Welsh cleric * Edward Meyrick (1854–1938), English schoolmaster and amateu ...

2017–2022 * Sir Robin Williams 2022–present

Vice Chancellors

The university has had nine Principals/

Vice-Chancellor A vice-chancellor (commonly called a VC) serves as the chief executive of a university in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia, Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Kenya, other Commonwealth of Nati ...

s: *

Henry Reichel Sir Henry Rudolf Reichel (11 October 1856 – 22 June 1931), was a founder of the University of Wales. Life Born in Belfast, the son of a future Bishop of Meath, Reichel was educated at Christ's Hospital and Balliol College, Oxford. He was a F ...

, Principal 1884–1927 *

David Emrys Evans Sir David Emrys Evans (29 March 1891 – 20 February 1966) was a Welsh classicist and university principal. Life Evans, from Clydach, Glamorgan, was educated at Ystalyfera County School, before going on to University College, Bangor, a ...

, Principal 1927–1958 * Charles Evans, Principal 1958–1984 *

Eric Sunderland Eric Sunderland, (18 March 1930 – 24 March 2010) was a Welsh anthropologist and academic. He served as Principal and then Vice-Chancellor of the University College of North Wales from 1984 to 1995, and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Wa ...

, Principal, Vice-Chancellor 1984–1995 *

Roy Evans Roy Quentin Echlin Evans (born 4 October 1948) is an English former footballer who played as a defender for Liverpool, where he also had a spell as manager. Aside from his time at Liverpool, he had a short spell in the United States; and also ...

, Vice-Chancellor 1995–2004 *

Merfyn Jones R. Merfyn Jones CBE (born January 1948) is a Welsh historian and broadcaster, was vice-chancellor of Bangor University (2004 to 2010) and a governor of the BBC (2003 to 2006). He grew up and still lives in Gwynedd, Wales. Academic career J ...

, Vice-Chancellor, 2004–2010 * John G. Hughes, Vice-Chancellor 2010–2018 *

Graham Upton Graham Upton DL (born 30 April 1944) was chair of the board of Experience Oxfordshire from 2013 to 2017 having previously been chair of the board of Oxford Playhouse for 8 years. Born in Birmingham, he moved to, and was educated in, Australia, w ...

, Vice-Chancellor 2018–2019 * Iwan Davies, Vice-Chancellor 2019–2022 * Edmund Burke, Vice-Chancellor 2022–present

Notable academics

* Samuel L. Braunstein, quantum physicist, 1997–2004 * Ronald Brown was an English mathematician known for his work in

algebraic topology Algebraic topology is a branch of mathematics that uses tools from abstract algebra to study topological spaces. The basic goal is to find algebraic invariant (mathematics), invariants that classification theorem, classify topological spaces up t ...

Tony Conran Tony Conran (7 April 1931 – 14 January 2013) was an Anglo- Welsh poet and translator of Welsh poetry. His own poetry was mostly written in English and Modernist in style but was very much influenced by Welsh poetic tradition, Welsh culture ...

, poet and translator, Reader in English and Tutor until 1983 *

David Crystal David Crystal, (born 6 July 1941) is a British linguist who works on the linguistics of the English language. Crystal studied English at University College London and has lectured at Bangor University and the University of Reading. He was aw ...

linguist Linguistics is the scientific study of language. The areas of linguistic analysis are syntax (rules governing the structure of sentences), semantics (meaning), Morphology (linguistics), morphology (structure of words), phonetics (speech sounds ...

and

author In legal discourse, an author is the creator of an original work that has been published, whether that work exists in written, graphic, visual, or recorded form. The act of creating such a work is referred to as authorship. Therefore, a sculpt ...

honorary professor Honorary titles (professor, president, reader, lecturer) in academia may be conferred on persons in recognition of contributions by a non-employee or by an employee beyond regular duties. This practice primarily exists in the UK and Germany, as ...

Linguistics Linguistics is the scientific study of language. The areas of linguistic analysis are syntax (rules governing the structure of sentences), semantics (meaning), Morphology (linguistics), morphology (structure of words), phonetics (speech sounds ...

A. H. Dodd Professor Arthur Herbert Dodd (1891 – 21 May 1975) was an academic historian who taught and published widely, specialising in the politics of the Tudor and Stuart periods, Welsh history, and the history of the Industrial Revolution. Dodd was ...

, historian, 1919–1958 * Israel Dostrovsky (1918–2010), Ukrainian-born Israeli physical chemist, fifth president of the

Weizmann Institute of Science The Weizmann Institute of Science ( ''Machon Weizmann LeMada'') is a Public university, public research university in Rehovot, Israel, established in 1934, fourteen years before the State of Israel was founded. Unlike other List of Israeli uni ...

* Stephen Eichhorn, British materials scientist *

Malcolm Gavin Malcolm Gavin was a British physicist, electronics engineer and educational administrator. In 1965, Gavin was appointed the principal of Chelsea College of Science and Technology and was instrumental in converting the college into a federal membe ...

, physicist and electronics engineer, developed the School of Engineering Science, 1955-1965 * John L. Harper, biologist, ecologist, British scholar and scientist, 1925–2009 * Raimund Karl, archaeologist, 2003–2020 * , historian, eighth director of the

Swiss Social Archives The Swiss Social Archives (, ) in Zurich is a historical archive, an academic library, a collection of documentation and a research facility specialising in social issues and social movements. The Swiss Confederation recognizes the archives as the ...

, 2007–2014 * Bedwyr Lewis Jones, scholar *

William Mathias William James Mathias CBE (1 November 1934 – 29 July 1992) was a Welsh composer noted for choral works. Biography William Mathias was born in Whitland, Carmarthenshire. A child prodigy, he started playing the piano at the age of three and b ...

, composer, former professor of music *

Innes McCartney Innes McCartney (born 1964) is a British nautical archaeologist and historian. He is a Visiting Fellow at Bournemouth University in the UK. Career McCartney is a nautical archaeologist specializing in the interaction of shipwreck archaeology ...

, British scientist * John Morris-Jones, pioneering Welsh grammarian, editor, poet and literary critic * Guto Puw, Welsh composer * Duncan Tanner, historian of the Labour Party, 1989–2010 *

John Meurig Thomas Sir John Meurig Thomas (15 December 193213 November 2020), also known as JMT, was a Welsh scientist, educator, university administrator, and historian of science primarily known for his work on heterogeneous catalysis, solid-state chemistry, ...

, Department of Chemistry * Gwyn Thomas, Welsh scholar and poet *

Margaret Thrall Margaret Eleanor Thrall (1928–2010) was a Welsh theologian, academic, and Anglican priest. Thrall studied at Girton College, Cambridge, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in 1950 and a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in 1960. Her d ...

, Welsh theologian and Anglican priest

Notable alumni

* Fahad Abdulrahman Badar, Qatari mountaineer and banker *

, film director and producer, graduated in English and drama *

, former Prime Minister of Mauritius * Martin J. Ball, emeritus professor of linguistics at Bangor University, Cymru/Wales *

Frances Barber Frances Barber (née Brookes, born 13 May 1958) is an English actress. She received Olivier Award nominations for her work in the plays '' Camille'' (1985), and '' Uncle Vanya'' (1997). Her film appearances include three collaborations with ...

, actress * Richard Brunstrom, Chief Constable of

North Wales Police North Wales Police () is the territorial police force responsible for policing North Wales. Its headquarters are in Colwyn Bay. , the force has 1,510 police officers, 170 special constables, 182 police community support officers (PCSO), 71 p ...

Gordon Conway Sir Gordon Richard Conway (6 July 1938 – 30 July 2023) was a British agricultural ecologist, who served as the president of the Rockefeller Foundation and the Royal Geographical Society. He was latterly Professor of International Development ...

, president of the

Royal Geographical Society The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers), often shortened to RGS, is a learned society and professional body for geography based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical scien ...

and vice Chancellor of the

University of Sussex The University of Sussex is a public university, public research university, research university located in Falmer, East Sussex, England. It lies mostly within the city boundaries of Brighton and Hove. Its large campus site is surrounded by the ...

* Dominic Chad, guitarist and pianist for Cheshire band

Mansun Mansun were an English alternative rock band, formed in Chester in 1995. The band comprised vocalist/rhythm guitarist Paul Draper (musician), Paul Draper, bassist Stove King, lead guitarist/backing vocalist Dominic Chad, and drummer Andie Rath ...

* Paul Alan Cox, ethnobotanist * Colin Eaborn, chemist * Aled Eames, maritime historian and warden of Neuadd Reichel in the 1950s and 1960s * Robert G. Edwards,

physiologist Physiology (; ) is the scientific study of functions and mechanisms in a living system. As a subdiscipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ systems, individual organs, cells, and biomolecules carry out chemical and ...

and pioneer in

reproductive medicine Reproductive medicine is a branch of medicine concerning the male and female reproductive systems. It encompasses a variety of reproductive conditions, their prevention and assessment, as well as their subsequent treatment and prognosis. Reprodu ...

won the 2010

Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine () is awarded yearly by the Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute for outstanding discoveries in physiology or medicine. The Nobel Prize is not a single prize, but five separate prizes that, acco ...

. * John Evans, film director *

Bill Fay William Fay (9 September 1943 – 22 February 2025) was an English singer-songwriter. His early recordings were released by Deram, but following the release of his second album in 1971, Fay was dropped by the label. His work enjoyed a growing ...

, singer/musician and recording artist *

Raymond Garlick Raymond Garlick (21 September 1926 – 19 March 2011) was an Anglo-Welsh poet. He was also the first editor of '' The Anglo-Welsh Review'', a lecturer, critic, and campaigner for the use of the Welsh language. Early life and studies Raymond G ...

, poet and editor *

Tony Gillam Tony Gillam (born 1961) is an English mental health nurse, writer and musician. A long-standing regular contributor to nursing and mental health journals, he has written more than 80 articles and two mental health related books, ''Reflections ...

, musician and writer * Mary Dilys Glynne, plant pathologist * Gwynn ap Gwilym, poet * Lowri Gwilym, television and radio producer *

Tim Haines Tim Haines is a screenwriter, film producer, producer and film director, director who is best known for his work on the BBC popular science shows ''Walking with Dinosaurs'', ''Walking with Beasts'', and ''Walking with Monsters''. He is co-creat ...

, BBC producer * Julian Hibberd, a plant scientist, was named by Nature as one of the "Five crop researchers who could change the world" * Howel Harris Hughes, theologian,

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

minister and Principal of the

United Theological College, Aberystwyth The United Theological College located in Aberystwyth, in the county of Ceredigion in mid Wales, is a Grade II listed building which was the ministerial training college of the Presbyterian Church of Wales from 1906 to 2003 and an associate colle ...

. * Siân James, traditional/folk singer and musician * Ann Clwyd, Labour MP for

Cynon Valley Cynon Valley () is a former coal mining valley in Wales. It lies between Rhondda and the Merthyr Valley and takes its name from the River Cynon. Aberdare is located in the north of the valley and Mountain Ash in the south. From 1974 to 19 ...

* Einir Jones, poet *

Kathy Jones Kathy Louise Jones (''née'' Sandells-Rees; born 1968) is a Welsh Anglican priest and chaplain. From January 2016 to June 2021, she was Dean of Bangor making her one of the most senior priests in the Church in Wales. Previously, she was the Lead ...

, Anglican priest and Dean of Bangor * Denis Kwok, singer and actor; member of Hong Kong Cantopop group '

Error An error (from the Latin , meaning 'to wander'Oxford English Dictionary, s.v. “error (n.), Etymology,” September 2023, .) is an inaccurate or incorrect action, thought, or judgement. In statistics, "error" refers to the difference between t ...

' *

Martha Elizabeth Newton Martha Elizabeth Newton (11 November 1941 - 4 January 2020) was a British bryologist and botanist, specialising in cytology and field surveying. Early life and education Newton was born in 1941 at her family's Lumm Farm, Littlemoss, Limehurs ...

, bryologist and cytologist * John Ogwen, actor *

R. Williams Parry Robert Williams Parry (6 March 1884 – 4 January 1956) was one of Wales's most notable 20th-century poets writing in Welsh language, Welsh. Life R. Williams Parry was born in Tal-y-sarn, in Nantlle Valley, Dyffryn Nantlle, a first cousin to t ...

, poet *

, scientist, and developer of the first handheld electronic

breathalyser A breathalyzer or breathalyser (a portmanteau of ''breath'' and ''analyzer/analyser''), also called an alcohol meter, is a device for measuring breath alcohol content (BrAC). It is commonly utilized by law enforcement officers whenever they in ...

Mmusi Maimane Mmusi Aloysias Maimane (born 6 June 1980) is a South African politician, businessman, and leader of Build One South Africa, a political party. Maimane is also the former Leader of South Africa, South Africa's opposition Democratic Alliance (So ...

, South African politician * Bethany C. Morrow, author * Stefan Rahmstorf, professor of Physics of the Oceans at Potsdam University *

Derek Ratcliffe Derek Almey Ratcliffe (9 July 1929 – 23 May 2005) was one of the most significant British nature conservationists of the 20th century. He was Chief Scientist for the Nature Conservancy Council at the Monks Wood Experimental Station, Abbots Rip ...

, botanist, zoologist and nature conservationist * Howard Riley, jazz pianist and composer * Gareth Roberts, physicist and university administrator * Kate Roberts, writer * Andy Rowley, TV producer *

John Sessions John Sessions (born John Marshall; 11 January 1953 – 2 November 2020) was a British actor and comedian. He was known as a regular performer on comedy improvisation show '' Whose Line Is It Anyway?'', as co-creator, co-writer and co-star of the ...

, actor * Lyndon Smith, Professor in Computer Simulation and Machine Vision, University of the West of England * Gwyn Thomas, poet and academic,

National Poet of Wales The post of National Poet of Wales () was established in May 2005 by Academi, the Welsh National Literature Promotion Agency and Society for Writers, now known as Literature Wales. The current holder of the position is Hanan Issa, who was appoi ...

R. S. Thomas Ronald Stuart Thomas (29 March 1913 – 25 September 2000), published as R. S. Thomas, was a Welsh poet and Anglican priest noted for nationalism, spirituality and dislike of the anglicisation of Wales. John Betjeman, introducing ''Song at the ...

, poet and Anglican priest *

Derick Thomson Derick Smith Thomson (Scottish Gaelic: ''Ruaraidh MacThòmais''; 5 August 1921, Stornoway – 21 March 2012, Glasgow) was a Scottish poet, publisher, lexicographer, academic and writer. He was originally from Lewis, but spent much of his life ...

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic (, ; Endonym and exonym, endonym: ), also known as Scots Gaelic or simply Gaelic, is a Celtic language native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a member of the Goidelic language, Goidelic branch of Celtic, Scottish Gaelic, alongs ...

poet, publisher, academic and writer *

Tim Wheeler Timothy James Arthur Wheeler (born 4 January 1977) is an Irish singer, songwriter and musician from Northern Ireland. He is the lead vocalist and guitarist of the alternative rock band Ash (band), Ash. He has written nearly all of Ash's notabl ...

, Vice-Chancellor of the

University of Chester The University of Chester is a public university located in Chester, England. The university originated as the first purpose-built teacher training college in the UK. As a university, it now occupies five campuses, campus sites in and around Ch ...

Roger Whittaker Roger Henry Brough Whittaker (22 March 1936 – 13 September 2023) was a Kenyan-born British singer-songwriter and musician. His music is an eclectic mixture of folk music and popular songs, the latter variously in a crooning or in a schlager ...

, musician *

Bill Wiggin Sir William David Wiggin (born 4 June 1966) is a former British Conservative Party politician who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for North Herefordshire, previously Leominster, from 2001 to 2024. Early life and career Bill Wiggin was born ...

, Conservative MP for

Leominster Leominster ( ) is a market town in Herefordshire, England; it is located at the confluence of the River Lugg and its tributary the River Kenwater. The town is north of Hereford and south of Ludlow in Shropshire. With a population of almos ...

* Gareth Williams,

Secret Intelligence Service The Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), commonly known as MI6 (MI numbers, Military Intelligence, Section 6), is the foreign intelligence service of the United Kingdom, tasked mainly with the covert overseas collection and analysis of Human i ...

employee *

, historian and editor of Welsh literature *

Herbert Wilson Herbert Rees Wilson FRSE (20 March 1929 – 22 May 2008) was a physicist, who was one of the team who worked on the structure of DNA at King's College London, under the direction of Sir John Randall. Biography Early life He was born the son of ...

, a physicist who worked on the structure of

DNA Deoxyribonucleic acid (; DNA) is a polymer composed of two polynucleotide chains that coil around each other to form a double helix. The polymer carries genetic instructions for the development, functioning, growth and reproduction of al ...

* Hamza Yassin, TV presenter and wildlife cameraman. Zoology with conservation graduate

Fictional alumni

* The title character of

Helen Fielding Helen Fielding (born 19 February 1958) is a British journalist, novelist and screenwriter, best known as the creator of the fictional character Bridget Jones. Fielding’s first novel was set in a refugee camp in East Africa and she started wr ...

's 1996 novel ''

Bridget Jones's Diary ''Bridget Jones's Diary'' is a 2001 romantic comedy film directed by Sharon Maguire from a screenplay by Helen Fielding, Andrew Davies and Richard Curtis. It is based on the 1996 novel of the same name by Fielding, which was itself a loose ...

'' attended Bangor University.

References

External links

Official websiteStudents' union website
{{authority control Bangor Universities and colleges in North Wales Universities and colleges established in 1884 Bangor, Gwynedd 1884 establishments in Wales Buildings by Henry Hare Law schools in Wales Universities UK