100 Notable alumni of
University of Rochester
Updated:
The University of Rochester is 306th in the world, 127th in North America, and 120th in the United States by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 100 notable alumni from the University of Rochester sorted by their wiki pages popularity. The directory includes famous graduates and former students along with research and academic staff. 1 individual affiliated with the University of Rochester won Nobel Prizes in Physiology or Medicine.
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Lance Reddick
- Enrolled in the University of Rochester
- Graduated with Bachelor of Music
- Occupations
- television actorstage actorfilm actormusician
- Biography
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Lance Solomon Reddick was an American actor. He portrayed Cedric Daniels in The Wire (2002–2008), Phillip Broyles in Fringe (2008–2013), and Chief Irvin Irving in Bosch (2014–2020). In film, he played Charon in the John Wick franchise (2014–2025) and General Caulfield in White House Down (2013).
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Robert Forster
- Enrolled in the University of Rochester
- Graduated with Bachelor of Arts in study of history
- Occupations
- television actorfilm directoractorfilm actor
- Biography
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Robert Wallace Foster Jr., known professionally as Robert Forster, was an American actor. He made his screen debut as Private L.G. Williams in John Huston's Reflections in a Golden Eye (1967), followed by a starring role as news reporter John Cassellis in the landmark New Hollywood film Medium Cool (1969). For his portrayal of bail bondsman Max Cherry in Quentin Tarantino's Jackie Brown (1997), he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
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Josh Shapiro
- Enrolled in the University of Rochester
- 1991-1995 graduated with Bachelor of Arts in political science
- Occupations
- lawyerpolitician
- Biography
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Joshua David Shapiro is an American politician and lawyer serving since 2023 as the 48th governor of Pennsylvania. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the attorney general of Pennsylvania from 2017 to 2023 and served on the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners from 2012 to 2017.
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Debra Jo Rupp
- Enrolled in the University of Rochester
- In 1974 graduated with Bachelor of Arts
- Occupations
- stage actortelevision actorvoice actoractorfilm actor
- Biography
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Debra Jo Rupp is an American actress. She is best known for her starring role as Kitty Forman in the Fox sitcom That '70s Show (1998–2006) and its Netflix sequel series That '90s Show (2023–2024). Rupp also had roles in the NBC sitcom Friends (1997–1998), the ABC animated series Teacher's Pet (2000–2002) and its 2004 sequel film, the ABC sitcom Better with You (2010–2011), and the Disney+ miniseries WandaVision (2021) and its spin-off Agatha All Along (2024).
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Brian Daboll
- Occupations
- American football playeroffensive coordinatorAmerican football coach
- Biography
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Brian Michael Daboll is a Canadian born-American football coach who is the offensive coordinator for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the head coach of the New York Giants from 2022 to 2025. Daboll has also previously served as the offensive coordinator for the Cleveland Browns, Miami Dolphins, Kansas City Chiefs, Alabama Crimson Tide, and Buffalo Bills and in various capacities as an assistant coach for the New England Patriots and New York Jets.
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Richard Thaler
- Enrolled in the University of Rochester
- In 1970 graduated with Master of Arts
- 1970-1974 graduated with Doctor of Philosophy
- Occupations
- economist
- Biography
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Richard H. Thaler is an American economist and the Charles R. Walgreen Distinguished Service Professor of Behavioral Science and Economics at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. In 2015, Thaler was president of the American Economic Association.
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Paul Singer
- Occupations
- financierlawyerjournalisthedge fund manager
- Biography
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Paul Elliott Singer is an American hedge fund manager, activist investor, and the founder, president, and co-CEO of Elliott Management. As of September 2025, Forbes estimated his net worth at US$6.7 billion. Fortune described Singer as one of the "smartest and toughest money managers" in the hedge fund industry. A number of sources have branded him a vulture capitalist, largely on account of his role at Elliott Management, which is a vulture fund. The Independent has described him as "a pioneer in the business of buying up sovereign bonds on the cheap, and then going after countries for unpaid debts".
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Larry Kudlow
- Enrolled in the University of Rochester
- In 1969 graduated with Bachelor of Arts in history
- Occupations
- writerpunditbusinesspersoneconomistradio personality
- Biography
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Lawrence Alan Kudlow is an American conservative broadcast news analyst, economist, columnist, journalist, political commentator, and radio personality. He is a financial news commentator for Fox Business and served as the director of the National Economic Council during the Trump administration from 2018 to 2021. He assumed that role after his previous employment as a CNBC television financial news host. He is the vice chair of the board of the America First Policy Institute, a nonprofit think tank founded to promote an America First public policy agenda.
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Steven Chu
- Occupations
- climate activistphysicistuniversity teacherpolitician
- Biography
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Steven Chu FREng ForMemRS HonFInstP is an American physicist and former government official. He is a Nobel laureate and was the 12th U.S. secretary of energy. He is currently the William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of Physics and Professor of Molecular and Cellular Physiology at Stanford University. He is known for his research at the University of California, Berkeley, and his research at Bell Laboratories and Stanford University regarding the cooling and trapping of atoms with laser light, for which he shared the 1997 Nobel Prize in Physics with Claude Cohen-Tannoudji and William Daniel Phillips.
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Mariann Budde
- Enrolled in the University of Rochester
- Graduated with Bachelor of Arts in study of history
- Occupations
- Anglican bishopAnglican priest
- Biography
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Mariann Edgar Budde is an American Episcopal prelate who has served as Bishop of Washington since 2011. She is the first female bishop of the diocese.
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Renée Richards
- Occupations
- academicophthalmologistwritertennis coachsurgeon
- Biography
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Renée Richards is an American ophthalmologist and former tennis player who competed on the professional circuit in the 1970s, and became widely known following male-to-female medical affirmation, when she fought to compete as a woman in the 1976 US Open.
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Donna Strickland
- Enrolled in the University of Rochester
- In 1989 graduated with Doctor of Philosophy in physics
- Occupations
- physicistuniversity teacher
- Biography
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Donna Theo Strickland is a Canadian optical physicist and pioneer in the field of pulsed lasers. She was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2018, together with Gérard Mourou, for the practical implementation of chirped pulse amplification. She is a professor at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada.
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Masatoshi Koshiba
- Occupations
- researcherprofessorphysicist
- Biography
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Masatoshi Koshiba was a Japanese physicist and one of the founders of neutrino astronomy. His work with the neutrino detectors Kamiokande and Super-Kamiokande was instrumental in detecting solar neutrinos, providing experimental evidence for the solar neutrino problem.
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Hettienne Park
- Occupations
- stage actortelevision actorvoice actoractorfilm actor
- Biography
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Hettienne Park is an American actress and writer, having played roles in Young Adult, Bride Wars (2009), Blindspot (2018), and The Outsider (2020), with her most notable role being Beverly Katz on the psychological horror television series Hannibal (2013–2014).
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James Smith Bush
- Occupations
- politicianlawyerwriterjuristAnglican priest
- Biography
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James Smith Bush was an American attorney, Episcopal priest, religious writer, and the direct ancestor of the Bush political family. He was the father of business magnate Samuel P. Bush, grandfather of former U.S. Senator Prescott Bush, great-grandfather of former U.S. President George H. W. Bush and great-great-grandfather of George W. Bush and Jeb Bush.
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Bruce Schneier
- Occupations
- writerphysicistcomputer scientistmathematiciancryptographer
- Biography
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Bruce Schneier is an American cryptographer, computer security professional, privacy specialist, and writer. Schneier is an Adjunct Lecturer in Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School and a Fellow at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society as of November, 2013. He is a board member of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Access Now, and The Tor Project; and an advisory board member of Electronic Privacy Information Center and VerifiedVoting.org. He is the author of several books on general security topics, computer security and cryptography and is a squid enthusiast.
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Stephen Kotkin
- Occupations
- historianauthoruniversity teacher
- Biography
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Stephen Mark Kotkin is an American historian, academic, and author. He is the Kleinheinz Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution and a senior fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies at Stanford University.
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Daniel Carleton Gajdusek
- Enrolled in the University of Rochester
- Studied in 1943
- Occupations
- anthropologistbiologistvirologistphysician
- Biography
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Daniel Carleton Gajdusek was an American physician and medical researcher who was the co-recipient (with Baruch S. Blumberg) of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1976 for work on the transmissibility of kuru, implying the existence of an infectious agent, which he named an 'unconventional virus'. In 1996, Gajdusek was charged with child molestation and, after being convicted, spent 12 months in prison before entering a self-imposed exile in Europe, where he died a decade later. Despite Gajdusek openly admitting to molesting boys and his approval of incest, he still received support from peers advocating for clemency who felt his crimes were lessened by his scientific contributions.
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J. C. R. Licklider
- Enrolled in the University of Rochester
- In 2024 graduated with Doctor of Philosophy
- Occupations
- computer scientistartificial intelligence researcherpsychologist
- Biography
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Joseph Carl Robnett Licklider, known simply as J. C. R. or "Lick", was an American psychologist and computer scientist who is considered to be among the most prominent figures in computer science development and general computing history.
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Mark Kern
- Enrolled in the University of Rochester
- In 1992 graduated with Bachelor of Arts
- Occupations
- video game developervideo game producer
- Biography
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Mark Edward Kern, also known as Grummz, is a former video game executive. He worked for Blizzard Entertainment from 1997 to 2005 and served as co-founder and CEO of Red 5 Studios during the development and promotion of the video game Firefall.
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E. C. George Sudarshan
- Occupations
- physicistuniversity teacher
- Biography
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Ennackal Chandy George Sudarshan was an Indian American theoretical physicist and a professor at the University of Texas. Sudarshan has been credited with numerous contributions to the field of theoretical physics, including Glauber–Sudarshan P representation, V-A theory, tachyons, quantum Zeno effect, open quantum system and quantum master equations, spin–statistics theorem, non-invariance groups, positive maps of density matrices, and quantum computation.
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Michele Boldrin
- Occupations
- vloggeruniversity teacherbloggerresearchereconomist
- Biography
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Michele Boldrin is an Italian-born academic, politician, YouTuber, and economist specializing in economic growth, business cycles, technological change, and intellectual property. He is the Joseph Gibson Hoyt Distinguished Professor in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis and the Secretary of the Italian political party Ora! (“Now!”).
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Ryan Dahl
- Occupations
- programmersoftware engineerinventor
- Biography
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Ryan Dahl is an American software engineer who is best known for creating the Node.js JavaScript runtime as well as the Deno JavaScript/TypeScript runtime.
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Francis Bellamy
- Occupations
- writerChristian minister
- Biography
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Francis Julius Bellamy was an American Christian socialist Baptist minister and author. He is best known for writing the original version of the Pledge of Allegiance in 1892.
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Bob Ludwig
- Occupations
- audio technicianmastering engineeraudio engineer
- Biography
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Robert Carl Ludwig is a retired American mastering engineer. He mastered recordings on all the major recording formats for all the major record labels, and on projects by more than 1,300 artists, including Led Zeppelin, Lou Reed, Metallica, Queen, Jimi Hendrix, Bryan Ferry, Paul McCartney, Nirvana, Bruce Springsteen, Radiohead, Tool and Daft Punk, with more than 3,000 credits. He is the recipient of thirteen Grammy and other awards. In 1992, Ludwig founded his own mastering facility, Gateway Mastering Studios, in Portland, Maine. He retired in 2023.
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Lewis A. Kaplan
- Occupations
- lawyerjudge
- Biography
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Lewis Avins Kaplan is an American lawyer and jurist who serves as a senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. He was the presiding judge in a number of cases involving high-profile defendants, including E. Jean Carroll v. Donald J. Trump, Virginia Giuffre v. Prince Andrew, United States v. Bankman-Fried, and trials of al-Qaeda terrorists such as Ahmed Ghailani.
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Arthur Kornberg
- Occupations
- university teachernon-fiction writerchemistbiochemistphysician
- Biography
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Arthur Kornberg was an American biochemist who won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1959 for the discovery of "the mechanisms in the biological synthesis of ribonucleic acid and deoxyribonucleic acid" together with Spanish biochemist and physician Severo Ochoa of New York University. He was also awarded the Paul-Lewis Award in Enzyme Chemistry from the American Chemical Society in 1951, an L.H.D. degree from Yeshiva University in 1962, and the National Medal of Science in 1979. In 1991, Kornberg received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement and the Gairdner Foundation Award in 1995.
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Robert Zubrin
- Occupations
- scientistmilitary flight engineernovelistscience fiction writerjournalist
- Biography
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Robert Zubrin is an American aerospace engineer, author, and advocate for human exploration of Mars. He is also an advocate for U.S. space superiority, writing that "in the 21st century, victory on land, sea or in the air will go to the power that controls space" and that "if we desire peace on Earth, we need to prepare for war in space."
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Eric J. Topol
- Enrolled in the University of Rochester
- In 1979 graduated with Doctor of Medicine
- Occupations
- geneticistcardiologist
- Biography
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Eric Jeffrey Topol is an American cardiologist, scientist, and author. He is the founder and director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute, a professor of Molecular Medicine and Executive Vice-President at Scripps Research Institute, and a senior consultant at the Division of Cardiovascular Diseases at Scripps Clinic in La Jolla, California.
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George Abbott
- Enrolled in the University of Rochester
- 1907-1911 studied journalism
- Occupations
- film directorwriterautobiographerplaywrightfilm producer
- Biography
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George Francis Abbott was an American theatre producer, director, playwright, screenwriter, film director and producer whose career spanned eight decades. He received numerous honors including six Tony Awards, the Pulitzer Prize, the Kennedy Center Honors in 1982, the National Medal of Arts in 1990, and was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame.
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Charles Strouse
- Enrolled in the University of Rochester
- Graduated with Bachelor of Music
- Occupations
- screenwritersongwriterlyricistcomposeractor
- Biography
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Charles Louis Strouse was an American composer and lyricist best known for writing the music to the Broadway musicals Bye Bye Birdie, Applause, and Annie.
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John DiBartolomeo
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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John DiBartolomeo is an Israeli–American professional basketball player and the team captain for Maccabi Tel Aviv of the Israeli Basketball Premier League and the EuroLeague. He played college basketball at the University of Rochester, where he starred in his four seasons with the Yellow Jackets, and was dubbed "one of the best players in the University of Rochester men's basketball history". DiBartolomeo played professional basketball in Spain and Israel, where he was named the Israeli League Regular Season MVP and Israeli League Cup MVP in 2017 and the Israeli League Final Four MVP in 2019.
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Harvey J. Alter
- Occupations
- virologistinternistuniversity teacherinfectious disease physicianhematologist
- Biography
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Harvey James Alter is an American medical researcher, virologist, physician and Nobel Prize laureate, who is best known for his work that led to the discovery of the hepatitis C virus. Alter is the former chief of the infectious disease section and the associate director for research of the Department of Transfusion Medicine at the Warren Grant Magnuson Clinical Center in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland. In the mid-1970s, Alter and his research team demonstrated that most post-transfusion hepatitis cases were not due to hepatitis A or hepatitis B viruses. Working independently, Alter and Edward Tabor, a scientist at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, proved through transmission studies in chimpanzees that a new form of hepatitis, initially called "non-A, non-B hepatitis" caused the infections, and that the causative agent was probably a virus. This work eventually led to the discovery of the hepatitis C virus in 1988, for which he shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2020 along with Michael Houghton and Charles M. Rice.
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Lev Manovich
- Occupations
- theoristliterary criticgraphic designernew media artistart theorist
- Biography
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Lev Manovich is an artist, author and theorist of digital culture. He is a Distinguished Professor at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. Manovich played a key role in creating four new research fields: new media studies (1991-), software studies (2001-), cultural analytics (2007-) and AI aesthetics (2018-). Manovich's current research focuses on generative media, AI culture, digital art, and media theory.
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David Sloan Wilson
- Occupations
- university teachergeneticistbiologist
- Biography
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David Sloan Wilson is an American evolutionary biologist and a Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Biological Sciences and Anthropology at Binghamton University. He is a son of author Sloan Wilson, a co-founder of Evolution Institute and a co-founder of Prosocial World. He has studied social evolution in Binghamton.
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Claude VonStroke
- Occupations
- record producerdisc jockeycomposer
- Biography
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Barclay Macbride Crenshaw, who is known by the stage name Claude VonStroke, is an American house producer based in Los Angeles. He owned Dirtybird Records based in San Francisco. In July 2006 he released his debut album, Beware of the Bird. He has produced a 'Fabric' mix, which was released in May 2009, and has also appeared on Pete Tong's Essential Mix Radio show in 2007, 2013, and 2020. In 2009, he released his second studio album, Bird Brain. In 2016, he was named America's Best DJ in Pioneer DJ and DJ Times' annual poll. In 2017, he was nominated at the Electronic Music Awards for both DJ of the Year and Radio Show of the Year for "The Birdhouse".
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Gary L. Francione
- Occupations
- university teacherlawyerphilosopher
- Biography
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Gary Lawrence Francione is an American academic in the fields of law and philosophy. He is Board of Governors Professor of Law and Katzenbach Scholar of Law and Philosophy at Rutgers University in New Jersey. He is also a visiting professor of philosophy at the University of Lincoln (UK) and honorary professor of philosophy at the University of East Anglia (UK). He is the author of numerous books and articles on animal ethics.
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George Whipple
- Awards
- Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1934
- Born in
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United States - Years
- 1878-1976 (aged 98)
- Occupations
- physicianpathologist
- Biography
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George Hoyt Whipple was an American physician, pathologist, biomedical researcher, and medical school educator and administrator. Whipple shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1934 with George Richards Minot and William Parry Murphy "for their discoveries concerning liver therapy in cases of anemia". This makes Whipple the first of several Nobel laureates affiliated with the University of Rochester.
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Kenneth Keating
- Enrolled in the University of Rochester
- Studied in 1919
- Occupations
- lawyerdiplomatjudgepolitician
- Biography
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Kenneth Barnard Keating was an American politician, diplomat, and judge who served as a United States senator representing New York from 1959 until 1965. A member of the Republican Party, he also served in the United States House of Representatives, representing New York's 40th and 38th congressional districts from 1947 until 1959. Additionally, he served as a judge of the New York State Court of Appeals from 1966 until 1969 and was U.S. ambassador to India from 1969 until 1972 and Israel from 1973 until 1975.
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John C. Slater
- Occupations
- theoretical chemistphysicistchemistuniversity teacher
- Biography
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John Clarke Slater was an American physicist who advanced the theory of the electronic structure of atoms, molecules and solids. He also made major contributions to microwave electronics. He received a B.S. in physics from the University of Rochester in 1920 and a Ph.D. in physics from Harvard in 1923, then did post-doctoral work at the universities of Cambridge (briefly) and Copenhagen. On his return to the U.S. he joined the physics department at Harvard.
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Chris Lee
- Enrolled in the University of Rochester
- In 1987 graduated with Bachelor of Arts
- Occupations
- businesspersonpolitician
- Biography
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Christopher John Lee is a former American politician and former Republican member of the United States House of Representatives for New York's 26th congressional district. He served from January 2009 until his resignation on February 9, 2011, following revelations that he had sent a shirtless photo of himself to a woman on Craigslist. Subsequent reporting revealed that Lee had also used Craigslist to solicit transsexual and cross-dressing sexual encounters.
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Susan Hockfield
- Occupations
- biologistphysiologistneuroscientistuniversity teacher
- Biography
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Susan Hockfield is an American neuroscientist who served as the 16th president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology from 2004 to 2012.
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Jenean Hampton
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Jenean Michelle Hampton is an American politician who served as the 57th lieutenant governor of Kentucky from 2015 to 2019. Hampton was the running mate of gubernatorial candidate Matt Bevin in the 2015 election. A Republican, Hampton was the first African American to hold statewide office in Kentucky history and the third African-American woman to have served as lieutenant governor of a U.S. state.
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Pedro Duarte Guimarães
- Enrolled in the University of Rochester
- Graduated with master's degree in economics
- Occupations
- economist
- Biography
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Pedro Guimarães is a Brazilian economist. He had served as chairman of Caixa Econômica Federal from 2019 to 2022 and former partner of the investment bank Brasil Plural.
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Laura Friedman
- Enrolled in the University of Rochester
- In 1988 graduated with Bachelor of Arts
- Occupations
- politicianfilm producer
- Biography
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Laura Syril Friedman is an American politician and former film producer who is the member for California's 30th congressional district. A member of the Democratic Party, she previously represented California's 44th State Assembly district from 2016 to 2024.
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Olivia Hooker
- Enrolled in the University of Rochester
- Graduated with Doctor of Philosophy
- Occupations
- teacherpsychologist
- Biography
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Olivia Juliette Hooker was an American psychologist and professor. She was a survivor of the Tulsa race massacre of 1921, and the first African-American woman to enter the U.S. Coast Guard. During World War II, she became a member of the United States Coast Guard Women's Reserve, earning the rank of Yeoman Third Class during her service. She served in the Coast Guard until her unit was disbanded in mid-1946. Hooker then used her G.I. Bill to obtain her master's degree in psychological services and went on earn her PhD in clinical psychology. In 1973, she helped form the American Psychological Association's Division 33: IDD/ASD, which is dedicated to "advancing psychological research, professional education, and clinical services that increase quality of life in individuals with IDD/ASD across the life course."
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Edward G. Gibson
- Occupations
- engineerastronautphysicistaircraft pilot
- Biography
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Edward George Gibson is a former NASA astronaut, pilot, engineer, and physicist.
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N. Katherine Hayles
- Enrolled in the University of Rochester
- In 1977 graduated with Doctor of Philosophy in English-language literature
- Occupations
- literary criticelectronic literature writerdocumentary participantwriteruniversity teacher
- Biography
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Nancy Katherine Hayles is an American scholar who focuses on the interconnections "between science, literature, and technology". Originally a research chemist in the 1960s, she then earned her doctorate in English literature and became a distinguished professor. In the humanities, her work, How We Became Posthuman (1999) is a seminal foundation for posthumanism. In literary criticism, she is most notable for her contribution to the fields of literature and science, particularly American literature. Throughout her work, (from the 1970s through 2025), Hayles has examined how humans interact with technology and media. She explores how digital technologies affect humanities research. As one of the early and leading scholars of electronic literature, Hayles introduced digital literature concepts to a generation of scholars and writers (such as M.D. Coverley and Stephanie Strickland) in the 1990s through her courses for the National Endowment of Humanities.
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Jennifer Donnelly
- Occupations
- writerauthorchildren's writernovelist
- Biography
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Jennifer Donnelly is an American writer best known for the young adult historical novel A Northern Light.
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Vittorio Grilli
- Occupations
- university teachereconomistpolitician
- Biography
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Vittorio Grilli is an Italian economist and academic. He was Italy's minister of economy and finance from 2012 to 2013 as part of the Monti cabinet.
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Jason Diamond
- Occupations
- plastic surgeon
- Biography
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Jason B. Diamond, M.D., F.A.C.S. is an American facial plastic surgeon(ENT) and television personality.
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Elwell Stephen Otis
- Occupations
- military officer
- Biography
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Elwell Stephen Otis was a United States Army general who served in the American Civil War, Indian Wars, the Philippines late in the Spanish–American War and during the Philippine–American War.
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Mario Greco
- Occupations
- businesspersonmanager
- Biography
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Mario Greco is an Italian businessman and the chief executive officer (CEO) of Zurich Insurance.
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John M. Barry
- Occupations
- historian
- Biography
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John M. Barry is an American author and historian who has written books on the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927, the influenza pandemic of 1918, and the development of the modern form of the ideas of separation of church and state and individual liberty. He is a professor at the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine and Distinguished Scholar at Tulane's Bywater Institute.
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Randall Thompson
- Occupations
- composerconductormusicologistmusic educator
- Biography
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Ira Randall Thompson was an American composer, particularly noted for his choral works, and educator.
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Muhammad Ali Pate
- Occupations
- civil servantphysician
- Biography
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Muhammad Ali Pate is a Nigerian physician and politician. He is certified by the American Board in Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases. He was appointed as the Minister of Health and Social Welfare of Nigeria in 2023. Before taking office, he was a professor of public health leadership in the Department of Global Health and Population at Harvard University. He also served as the director of the Global Financing Facility (GFF) for women, children, and adolescents at the World Bank Group. He worked in various roles across several regions for the World Bank Group beginning in 2000.
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Robert Khuzami
- Years
- 1956-.. (age 70)
- Occupations
- lawyer
- Biography
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Robert S. Khuzami was the Deputy U.S. Attorney for the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York until March 22, 2019. He previously was a United States federal prosecutor and Assistant United States Attorney for the office, and a former director of the Division of Enforcement of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. He was previously a partner at law firm Kirkland & Ellis. and general counsel of Deutsche Bank AG.
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Daniel Diermeier
- Enrolled in the University of Rochester
- Graduated with Doctor of Philosophy
- Occupations
- academic administratoreconomist
- Biography
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Daniel Diermeier is a German political scientist, currently serving as the 9th chancellor of Vanderbilt University since July 2020. Previously, Diermeier was the David Lee Shillinglaw Distinguished Service Professor at the University of Chicago, where he also served as provost from 2016 to 2020.
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Robert S. Wiesenthal
- Years
- 1966-.. (age 60)
- Occupations
- investment banker
- Biography
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Robert S. Wiesenthal is an American businessman.
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Tony Vargas
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Anthony Vargas is an American politician and former educator who served as a member of the Nebraska Legislature from 2017 to 2025. Vargas represented the 7th district, which covers all of downtown Omaha and much of southeastern Omaha.
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Josh A. Cassada
- Occupations
- astronautphysicist
- Biography
-
Josh Aaron Cassada is an American physicist, test pilot, and former NASA astronaut. Prior to his selection to join NASA in 2013, Cassada served as a test pilot in the US Navy, and has over 3,500 hours in more than 40 aircraft, and 23 combat missions. In August 2018, Cassada was selected for CTS-1, the first operational mission of the Boeing CST-100 Starliner, but subsequently reassigned to SpaceX Crew-5.
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Gary Starkweather
- Occupations
- inventorengineer
- Biography
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Gary Keith Starkweather was an American engineer who invented the laser printer and color management.
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Richard Rashid
- Years
- 1951-.. (age 75)
- Occupations
- computer scientistengineer
- Biography
-
Richard Farris Rashid is an American computer scientist and the founder of Microsoft Research, which he created in 1991. Between 1991 and 2013, as its chief research officer and director, he oversaw the worldwide operations for Microsoft Research which grew to encompass more than 850 researchers and a dozen labs around the world.
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Rudolph E. Tanzi
- Occupations
- researchergeneticistneurologist
- Biography
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Rudolph Emile 'Rudy' Tanzi is a professor of Neurology at Harvard University, vice-chair of neurology, director of the Genetics and Aging Research Unit, and co-director of the Henry and Allison McCance Center for Brain Health at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH).
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Ümit Boyner
- Occupations
- businessperson
- Biography
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Ümit Nazlı Boyner is a Turkish businesswoman who served as the 14th President of the Turkish Industry and Business Association (TÜSİAD) from 2010 to 2013.
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Herbert York
- Occupations
- university teachernuclear physicistphysicist
- Biography
-
Herbert Frank York was an American nuclear physicist of Mohawk origin. He held numerous research and administrative positions at various United States government and educational institutes.
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Arthur R. Miller
- Occupations
- teacher
- Biography
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Arthur Raphael Miller CBE, is an American legal scholar in the field of American civil procedure and a University Professor at New York University and Chairman of The NYU Sports & Society Program. He was a professor at Harvard Law School from 1971 to 2007.
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Donald C. Winter
- Occupations
- businesspersonpolitician
- Biography
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Donald Charles Winter is an American technologist and business leader who served as United States Secretary of the Navy. A former top executive of TRW, Aerospace & Defense, he was nominated in 2005 by President George W. Bush, confirmed by the United States Senate, and took the oath of office on January 3, 2006. In January 2009 Defense Secretary Robert Gates requested that Winter remain in office until President Obama picked his successor on March 13, 2009. He resigned on March 13.
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Heather Higginbottom
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Heather Anne Higginbottom is currently the head of the JPMorgan Chase PolicyCenter. Prior to her current role, she served as CARE USA's Chief Operating Officer beginning in 2017. Higginbottom was the U.S. Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources from 2013 to 2017. She previously served as counselor of the United States Department of State and prior to that had served as Deputy Director of the federal Office of Management and Budget from 2011 until 2013. On October 20, 2011, the United States Senate voted 64–36 to confirm her nomination to be Deputy Director of the OMB. She had previously served as the Deputy assistant to the President for Domestic Policy and Deputy Director of the Domestic Policy Council in the administration of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2010, after serving as policy director of the Obama for America campaign.
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Grove Karl Gilbert
- Occupations
- geologistphotographerastronomer
- Biography
-
Grove Karl Gilbert, known by the abbreviated name G. K. Gilbert in academic literature, was an American geologist.
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David Franklin Noble
- Occupations
- chemisthistorian of Modern Agewriteruniversity teacherhistorian of technology
- Biography
-
David Franklin Noble was a historian and critic of technology, science and education, best known for his seminal work on the social history of automation. In his final years he taught in the Division of Social Science and the department of Social and Political Thought at York University in Toronto, Canada. Noble held positions at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the Smithsonian Institution, and Drexel University, as well as many visiting professorships.
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W. Scott Gould
- Occupations
- business executive
- Biography
-
William Scott Gould is a former United States Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs. Gould is also an elected fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration.
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Lee Ming-liang
- Years
- 1936-.. (age 90)
- Occupations
- geneticist
- Biography
-
Lee Ming-liang is a Taiwanese biochemist, molecular biologist, and geneticist who led the Department of Health from 2000 to 2002. After Lee left office, Taiwan was hit by the 2003 SARS outbreak, and he was named to a committee convened to research the disease.
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Richard M. Ryan
- Years
- 1953-.. (age 73)
- Enrolled in the University of Rochester
- Graduated with Doctor of Philosophy
- Occupations
- psychologistresearcher
- Biography
-
Richard M. Ryan is a professor at the Institute for Positive Psychology and Education at the Australian Catholic University and a research professor at the University of Rochester. He earned his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University for Rochester and his B.A. from the University of Connecticut. Ryan is a clinical psychologist and co-developer with Edward L. Deci, of Self-Determination Theory, one of the most influential theories of human motivation. SDT is a macrotheory of motivation, psychological development and wellness. The theory has spawned basic research on intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, and the facilitation and undermining of volitional motivation. SDT has been widely applied on research and interventions in work organizations, schools, clinical settings, virtual environments and sports, among other areas of application.
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Mary Calderone
- Occupations
- sexologistphotographerphysician
- Biography
-
Mary Steichen Calderone was an American physician, author, public speaker, and public health advocate for reproductive rights and sex education.
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Bill Kauffman
- Occupations
- journalist
- Biography
-
Bill Kauffman is an American political writer. He was born in Batavia, New York, and currently resides in Elba, New York, with his wife and daughter.
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Arif Dirlik
- Occupations
- historiansinologist
- Biography
-
Arif Dirlik was a Turkish-American historian who published on historiography and political ideology in modern China, as well as issues in modernity, globalization, and postcolonial criticism.
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Ho-Kwang Mao
- Occupations
- geologistresearcher
- Biography
-
Ho-Kwang Mao (Chinese: 毛河光; pinyin: Máo Héguāng; Wade–Giles: Mao Ho-kuang; born June 18, 1941) is a Chinese-American geologist. He is the director of the Center for High Pressure Science and Technology Advanced Research in Shanghai, China. He was a staff scientist at Geophysical Laboratory of the Carnegie Institution for Science for more than 30 years. Mao is a recognized leading scientist in high pressure geosciences and physical science. There are two minerals named after him, Davemaoite and Maohokite.
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Michael O'Rielly
- Enrolled in the University of Rochester
- In 1993 graduated with Bachelor of Arts
- Occupations
- civil servant
- Biography
-
Michael O'Rielly is a former commissioner of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, an independent agency of the United States government. He was nominated by President Barack Obama in August 2013 and was confirmed on October 29, 2013, taking office on November 4, 2013. He was nominated to complete the term of outgoing commissioner Robert M. McDowell which ended on June 30, 2014. He was then renominated and reconfirmed by the Senate.
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Stan Frankel
- Occupations
- computer scientistengineerphysicistnuclear physicist
- Biography
-
Stanley Phillips Frankel was an American computer scientist. He worked in the Manhattan Project and developed various computers as a consultant.
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Albion W. Tourgée
- Occupations
- diplomathuman rights defenderwritersoldierjurist
- Biography
-
Albion Winegar Tourgée was an American soldier, lawyer, writer, politician, and diplomat. Wounded in the Civil War, he relocated to North Carolina afterward, where he became involved in Reconstruction activities. He served as a delegate to the state constitutional convention in 1868 and served six years as a judge on the Superior Court. Tourgée was also a pioneer civil rights activist who founded the National Citizens' Rights Association (a precursor of the NAACP) and Bennett College as a normal school for freedmen in North Carolina – it has been a women's college since 1926. Tourgée represented Tabitha Ann Holton in her case before the Supreme Court of North Carolina; she applied for and became the first female lawyer in North Carolina and in the Southern United States.
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Adora Cheung
- Years
- 1984-.. (age 42)
- Occupations
- engineer
- Biography
-
Adora Cheung is an American entrepreneur, investor, and programmer. She was the co-founder and CEO of house cleaning business Homejoy. After Homejoy shut down, Cheung continued working for Y Combinator as a partner, until February 2021.
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Frederick Starr
- Years
- 1858-1933 (aged 75)
- Occupations
- anthropologist
- Biography
-
Frederick Starr was an American academic, anthropologist, and "populist educator" born in Auburn, New York. He was the fourth son of a Missouri clergyman and abolitionist Frederick Starr (Reverend).
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José Scheinkman
- Enrolled in the University of Rochester
- In 1974 graduated with Doctor of Philosophy
- Occupations
- economist
- Biography
-
José Alexandre Scheinkman is a Brazilian-American economist, currently the Charles and Lynn Zhang Professor of Economics at Columbia University and the Theodore A. Wells '29 Professor of Economics Emeritus at Princeton University. He spent much of his career at the University of Chicago, where he served as department chair immediately prior to his departure for Princeton. He is best known for his work in mathematical economics (particularly dynamic optimization) and finance, oligopoly theory and the social economics of cities and crime; he also helped spur the development of work at the intersection of economics, finance and physics. Scheinkman also famously pioneered the now-ubiquitous application of academic financial theory to practical risk management of fixed incomes during a leave he took as vice president in the Financial Strategies Group at Goldman, Sachs & Co. during the late 1980s.
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Louis Hyman Bean
- Years
- 1896-1994 (aged 98)
- Enrolled in the University of Rochester
- 1915-1919 graduated with Bachelor of Arts
- Occupations
- economistpollsterfinancial analyst
- Biography
-
Louis Hyman Bean was an American economic and political analyst who is best known for predicting Harry S. Truman's victory in the 1948 presidential election.
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Mary Anne Krupsak
- Occupations
- lawyerpolitician
- Biography
-
Mary Anne Krupsak was an American lawyer and politician from New York. She was the lieutenant governor of New York from 1975 to 1978. She was the first woman to hold the office.
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Nasser Saidi
- Enrolled in the University of Rochester
- In 1977 graduated with Doctor of Economics
- Occupations
- politicianeconomist
- Biography
-
Nasser Saidi is a Lebanese politician and economist who served as the minister of economy and industry and the vice governor for the Lebanese central banks for several terms in the last decade of the 20th century.
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Lewis A. Swift
- Occupations
- meteorological observerastronomer
- Biography
-
Lewis A. Swift was an American astronomer who discovered 13 comets and 1,248 previously uncatalogued nebulae. Only William Herschel discovered more nebulae visually.
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Susan B. Anthony II
- Enrolled in the University of Rochester
- In 1938 graduated with Bachelor of Arts in political science
- Occupations
- journalistsubstance abuse counselornon-fiction writerCatholic theologianperson with substance use disorder
- Biography
-
Susan Brownell Anthony II was an American journalist and writer, activist and substance abuse counselor. She grew up in Easton, Pennsylvania, and attended the University of Rochester, graduating in 1938. During her schooling, she became an activist in progressive causes, but she also struggled with alcoholism. She supported pacifism, the anti-fascist movement, housing desegregation, and women's rights, including advocacy to remove the poll tax as an obstacle to women's suffrage, as well as childcare centers for working mothers. She worked as a reporter for The Washington Star and completed a master's degree in political science in 1941 at American University.
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Milan Zelený
- Enrolled in the University of Rochester
- In 1970 graduated with Master of Science
- Occupations
- university teacherpedagogueeconomist
- Biography
-
Milan Zeleny was a Czech-American economist, a professor of management systems at Fordham University, New York City. He has done research in the field of decision-making, productivity, knowledge management, and business economics. Zeleny was also a visiting professor at the Tomas Bata University in Zlín, Czech Republic, and has been academic vice dean and professor at Xidian University in Xi’an, China. He was a distinguished visiting professor at Fu Jen Catholic University in Taipei in 2006, at the Indian Institute of Technology in Kanpur in 2007, and at IBMEC in Rio de Janeiro in 2009–10. For many years he has lectured at the Faculty of Architecture, University of Naples.
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Israel Charny
- Occupations
- clinical psychologistfamily therapistpsychotherapistuniversity teacher
- Biography
-
Israel W. Charny was an Israeli psychologist and genocide scholar. He was the editor of two-volume Encyclopedia of Genocide, and executive director of the Institute on the Holocaust and Genocide in Jerusalem.
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James A. Pawelczyk
- Occupations
- professorastronautswimmer
- Biography
-
James Anthony Pawelczyk is an American physiology and kinesiology researcher who flew aboard the NASA STS-90 Space Shuttle mission as a payload specialist.
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Lawrence Grossberg
- Occupations
- writersociologist
- Biography
-
Lawrence Grossberg is an American scholar of cultural studies and theories of culture. He helped introduce and define cultural studies—an interdisciplinary intellectual study of the intersections of culture and power through practices of contextuality, complexity, and contingency—into the United States. His theoretical works attempt to bring together the constructionists of Stuart Hall, Martin Heidegger, Michel Foucault, and Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari.
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Linda Rosenthal
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
-
Linda B. Rosenthal represents District 67 as a Democrat in the New York State Assembly, which includes parts of Manhattan's Upper West Side and Clinton/Hell's Kitchen neighborhoods.
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Esther M. Conwell
- Occupations
- physicistengineer
- Biography
-
Esther Marley Conwell was a pioneering American chemist and physicist, best known for the Conwell-Weisskopf theory that describes how electrons travel through semiconductors, a breakthrough that helped revolutionize modern computing. Her work enabled the microelectronics industry, long-distance communications networks, advanced photocopying, solar cells, and light-emitting diodes.
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Sean A. Pybus
- Years
- 1957-.. (age 69)
- Occupations
- military personnel
- Biography
-
Sean Averell Pybus is a retired United States Navy vice admiral who last served as the deputy Commander, United States Special Operations Command from 2014 to 2016. He previously served as the Commander, Naval Special Warfare Command from 2011 to 2013.
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Arun Sundararajan
- Years
- 1971-.. (age 55)
- Occupations
- university teachereconomist
- Biography
-
Arun Sundararajan is the Harold Price Professor of Entrepreneurship and Professor of Technology, Operations, and Statistics at the Stern School of Business, New York University. For 2010–12, he is the Distinguished Academic Fellow at the Center for IT and the Networked Economy, Indian School of Business. Sundararajan is an expert on the economics of digital goods and network effects. He also conducts research about network science and the socioeconomic transformation of India.
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Alejandro Zaffaroni
- Occupations
- businesspersonbiochemist
- Biography
-
Alejandro Zaffaroni was a Uruguayan serial entrepreneur who was responsible for founding several biotechnology companies in Silicon Valley. Products that he was involved in developing include the birth control pill, the nicotine patch, corticosteroids, and the DNA microarray.
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David T. Kearns
- Occupations
- businessperson
- Biography
-
David Todd Kearns was an American businessman who was chairman and CEO of Xerox Corporation and served as the first United States Deputy Secretary of Education from 1991 to 1993.
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Charles Augustus Strong
- Occupations
- psychologist
- Biography
-
Charles Augustus Strong was an American philosopher and psychologist. He spent the earlier part of his career teaching in the United States, but after his wife died, in 1906 he settled with their daughter in Italy, near Florence. Between 1918 and 1936 he wrote most of his works there.
