Newcastle University Alumni

With artificial intelligence developing at lightning speed, and becoming more and more commonplace in our everyday lives, what does this mean for our children? 🤔

This AI Awareness Day, Law graduate and Kids First AI founder Abi Hannah shares her vision for educating children to use artificial intelligence safely and responsibly.

💬 She said:

"If AI becomes a shortcut or default rather than a scaffold, we risk children never developing the frustration tolerance or metacognitive skills that come from working through hard things.

“If we don't embed ethical standards during this formative period, we'll spend the next decade retrofitting safeguards onto systems that were never designed with children in mind.”

Read Abi's blog 👉 https://bit.ly/3QgddYH

With exam season now over, campus is feeling peculiarly quiet! 🤫

So we took the opportunity to have a stroll around campus and capture some of our favourite spots 📸

Are there any parts of campus you'd particularly like to see featured by us in the future? Let us know in the comments 👇

Meet Newcastle graduate Azat Kaimoldiyev (MA Human Geography Research, 2017) 🎓

Having received multiple offers to study in the UK, Azat told us his decision to join Newcastle came in a dream. He lived just a stone's throw away from St. James' Park and fondly remembers sleepless nights at the Robinson Library! 📚

After leaving campus, Azat returned to Kazakhstan to continue his research and ascended to become Director of the Human Resource Management Department at Zhubanov University. In this role, Azat has achieved one of his most memorable career milestones so far: establishing a branch of Heriot-Watt University at Zhubanov University - even recruiting the branch's first employees!

Since then, Azat has been awarded the Presidential Bolashak Scholarship to begin his doctoral studies at the University of Bristol, and is currently a third-year doctoral student.

💬 He told us:

"The year I spent at Newcastle University gave me a great deal. I made new friends and gained an understanding of how higher education systems operate in Western countries which has helped me build a career in higher education."

Best of luck in your studies, Azat! 🤗

If you have news you'd like to share with your fellow Newcastle alumni, please fill in this form 👉 https://bit.ly/4bdmTuQ

We recently sat down with two Newcastle University Business School graduates who came to campus through the Basketball and Business Excellence scholarship 🏀⛹️

Class of 2025 graduate Austin Sacks juggled competing in professional basketball with his MSc in International Business Management. Since graduating, he's joined the NBA G-League team, the San Diego Clippers 👏

💬 He told us:

"The basketball programme helped me grow both personally and professionally by teaching me accountability, leadership, and how to perform under pressure. Playing overseas also exposed me to different cultures and environments, which helped me become more adaptable and open-minded."

Fellow basketball scholar Tom Horvat (MSc Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Sustainability, 2024) is now building a successful career in property management in the United States 🏘️

💬 Speaking of his experience on campus, Tom said:

"It’s a unique opportunity to live in another country while continuing to play the sport you love at a high level. Experiences like this don’t come around often, and it was incredibly rewarding both personally and professionally for me."

Read the full interview 👉 https://bit.ly/4fMJPne

It's likely that you walked past this monument every day as a student, but do you know what it represents? 🤔

Standing 24 metres high on the junction of Percy Street and St. Mary's Place, the Haymarket Monument (formally known as the South African War Memorial) commemorates Northumbrian solders who died in the Second Boer War - which ended on this day in 1902 📅

Designed and sculpted by the Newcastle-born artist Thomas Eyre Macklin, the statue was unveiled in 1908 and today marks the entrance to the Haymarket Metro Station.

Did you know the history behind this popular student meeting point?

This we're celebrating Class of 1977 graduate Professor Richard Knowles, who has been awarded the prestigious Lauréat d’honneur by the International Geographical Union 👏

Richard's Geography career began here on campus in the mid-1960s, when he joined as an undergraduate student. After completing a PhD at Newcastle too, Richard went on to become the founding Editor of the Journal of Transport Geography and has taught at the universities of Salford and Huddersfield.

The Lauréat d’honneur Award recognises individuals who have achieved exceptional distinction and rendered outstanding service to the work of the International Geographical Union and to the advancement of international geography 🏆

💬 One of only four Brits to receive this honour since its inception in 1976, Professor Knowles told us:

"I am deeply honoured, humbled and delighted to be granted the award of the 2026 Lauréat d’honneur. I would like to pay tribute to research colleagues present and past at numerous universities around the world, including Newcastle, for their research collaboration and friendship".

Have you got news to share with your alumni community? Get in touch 👉 https://bit.ly/4bdmTuQ

This weekend the Class of 2026 celebrated the launch of the Fine Art degree show on campus! 👏

The Degree Show is one of the highlights of the University calendar and this year, Giles Bailey, Head of Fourth Year, says it is going to be one of the best ever.

💬 “It has been so inspiring to see this thoughtful and innovative body of work come together,” he says. “ The building is full of mind-bending energy and beautifully crafted artworks, making it a real joy to explore."

Congratulations to all our student artists who have contributed. We're looking forward to welcoming you to our alumni community officially in July 🎓

The Fine Art Degree Show runs Monday - Saturday, 10am - 5pm at the Hatton Gallery and Boiler House at Newcastle University until 5 June 2026. It will then head to Candid Arts Trust, London, from 10 to 14 July. See you there? 📅

Full details available in this press release 👉 https://bit.ly/4dMuWik

This we're celebrating Newcastle University graduate and academic Dr Anoop Nayak who has recently been honoured by the Royal Geographical Society 👏

Anoop, who completed his PhD on campus and is now Professor of Social and Cultural Geography, received the 2026 Murchison Award, which is awarded to "publications judged to have contributed most to geographical science in preceding recent years."

💬 He said: “I’m thrilled to receive the Murchison Award, which came as a genuine surprise to me. It’s a real accolade to have my published work in geography recognised by the Royal Geographical Society."

Anoop was one of 27 people recognised for their outstanding contributions to geography, with the list also featuring Newcastle University's Dean of Social Justice, Professor Rachel Pain 🙌

📰 Read the full story: https://bit.ly/4dofAA4