List of University of California, San Diego people

Notable alumni

Art and architecture

• Lizet Benrey, BA, contemporary artist
• Micha Cárdenas, MFA, 2009, contemporary artist
• Joyce Cutler–Shaw, MFA, 1972, multidisciplinary artist
• Moyra Davey, MFA, 1988, contemporary artist
• Micol Hebron, did not graduate, contemporary artist
• Hung Liu, MFA, 1986, contemporary artist
• Elle Mehrmand, MFA, 2011, contemporary artist
• Jesse Mockrin, MFA, 2011, contemporary artist
• Margaret Noble, BA, 2002, conceptual artist and sound artist
• Dan Santat, BS, 1998, author and illustrator, winner of 2015 Caldecott Medal

Athletics

• Geoff Abrams, MD, 2006, tennis player
• Mark Allen, BS, 1980, six-time Ironman Triathlon World Champion, inducted into the Ironman Hall of Fame; named the world's fittest man by Outside magazine
• Billy Beane, BA, 1985, general manager of the Oakland Athletics
• Randy Bennett, BS, 1986, Saint Mary's College of California men's basketball head coach
• Lynn Kramer, BS, 1989, champion slalom racer and 2024 Skateboarding Hall of Fame inductee
• Alon Leichman, BS, 2016, Olympian, member of the Israel national baseball team, and assistant pitching coach for the Cincinnati Reds
• Jie Li, BA, 2006, winner of the US ING Cup, Open, Costen, Texas Open and many other championships
• Shlomo Lipetz, BA, 2005, Israeli baseball player
• Bob Natal, BS, 1987, MLB catcher, Montreal Expos, Florida Marlins National League
• Mike Saipe, Major League Baseball pitcher
• Julie Swail, BA, 1995, Olympian ; UC Irvine head coach
• Shay Whitcomb, BA, 2019, MLB infielder

Business

• Garrett Gruener, BS, 1976, co-founder of Ask Jeeves
• Gary E. Jacobs, BA, 1979, businessman and minority owner of the Sacramento Kings
• Greg Papadopoulos, BA, 1979, executive VP and CTA of Sun Microsystems
• Robert J. Pera, MS, 2002, founder of Ubiquiti Networks, owner of the Memphis Grizzlies
• Michael Robertson, BS, 1989, founder of MP3.com, Lindows.com, and SIPphone
• Philip Rosedale, BS, 1992, founder and CEO of Linden Lab, creator of virtual 3D world Second Life
• Jason Snell, BA, 1992, editorial director of Mac Publishing and editor of Macworld
• Nick Woodman, BA, 1997, founder and CEO of GoPro

Computer science

• Bill Atkinson, BS, 1974, co-developer of the Macintosh computer
• Ryan Dahl, BS, 2003, inventor and original author of Node.js
• Michael I. Jordan, PhD, 1985; Distinguished Professor of EECS at UC Berkeley
• David E. Shaw, BS, 1972, founder of D. E. Shaw & Co.
• Guy "Bud" Tribble, BS, 1975, principal architect of the original Macintosh computer and co-founder of NeXt, Inc.

Film, theatre, and television

• Beth Accomando, BA, 1982, film critic
• Ngozi Anyanwu, MFA, 2013, television actor and Humanitas Award-winning playwright
• Yareli Arizmendi, MFA, 1992, actor in Like Water for Chocolate
• James Avery, BA, 1976, stage, screen and television actor who co-starred with Will Smith on the TV show Fresh Prince of Bel Air
• Rachel Axler, MFA, 2004, Emmy Award-winning writer for The Daily Show and Parks and Recreation
• David Barrera, MFA, 1994, ALMA Award-nominated actor for 24
• Quincy Tyler Bernstine, MFA, 1999, Obie Award-winning actor, Tony Award nominee
• Marsha Stephanie Blake, MFA, 2001, Emmy Award-nominated actor for When They See Us
• Hart Bochner, BA, 1979, film actor, notably of Breaking Away
• Robert Buckley, BS, 2003, actor, best known for One Tree Hill
• Danny Burstein, MFA, 1990, Tony Award-winning actor, three-time Grammy Award nominee
• Zoë Chao, MFA, 2011, actress and star of several televisions shows and films
• Ricardo Chavira, MFA, 2000, actor, notably of Desperate Housewives
• Charlet Chung, BA, 2006, voice actor, notably of Overwatch
• Steve Cosson, MFA, 2001, Obie Award-winning artistic director of The Civilians
• Benicio del Toro, did not graduate, actor, notably of Traffic
• Maria Dizzia, MFA, 2001, Tony Award nominee In the Next Room (or The Vibrator Play)
• Emily Donahoe, MFA, 2004, Obie and Helen Hayes award-winning actor
• Mary Catherine Garrison, MFA, 1999, series regular on Somebody Somewhere
• Johnny Ray Gill, MFA, 2010, series regular on Underground and BrainDead
• Michael Greif, MFA, 1985, director of Rent and former artistic director of La Jolla Playhouse, three-time Tony Award nominee
• Matt Hoverman, MFA, 1996, Daytime Emmy Award-winning writer
• Zora Howard, MFA, 2017, Pulitzer Prize for Drama finalist for STEW
• Daniel Humbarger, BA, 2006, stand-up comedian
• Naomi Iizuka, MFA, 1992, author of over two dozen plays, including Language of Angels
• Chane't Johnson, MFA, 2001, television and film actor; coach of Denzel Whitaker
• Ty Granderson Jones, MFA, 1982, film and television actor with credits including Con Air
• Mike Judge, BS, 1985, animator and director best known for Beavis and Butt-Head, Office Space, King of the Hill, and Silicon Valley; graduation speaker for the class of 2009
• Anne Kauffman, MFA, 1999, Obie Award-winning director
• Sagan Lewis, MFA, 1977, series regular on St. Elsewhere
• Melanie Marnich MFA, 1998, writer for Big Love, Jerome Fellowship from The Playwrights' Center, and Golden Globe winner
• Jefferson Mays, MFA, 1991, Tony Award winner, I Am My Own Wife
• Silas Weir Mitchell, MFA, 1995, character actor and star of Grimm
• Owiso Odera, MFA, 2005, actor on The Originals, Lortel Award nominee
• Toby Onwumere, MFA, 2015, star of Sense8
• Joy Osmanski, MFA, 2003, most notable credits include Duncanville and Santa Clarita Diet
• Neil Patel, MFA, 1991, Broadway designer of Side Man, winner of Obie and Helen Hayes awards
• Jeanne Paulsen, MFA, 1978, Tony Award nominee, The Kentucky Cycle
• Dileep Rao, BA, 1995, film actor in Avatar, Inception
• PJ Raval, BA, filmmaker
• Maria Striar, MFA, 1995, founder and artistic director of Clubbed Thumb
• Caridad Svich, MFA, 1988, Obie Award for Lifetime Achievement
• Michael Swaim, BA, 2007, actor, comedian, filmmaker, podcaster
• Milana Vayntrub, BA, 2008, actress, comedian, and writer
• Kellie Waymire, MFA, 1993, best known for Star Trek: Enterprise and roles on Six Feet Under, and One Life to Live
• John Wesley, MFA, 1977, actor known for roles on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Martin
• Wong Fu Productions filmmaking trio: Wesley Chan, Ted Fu, and Philip Wang, BA, 2006
• Jimmy O. Yang, BS, 2009, actor and stand-up comedian, best known for Silicon Valley and Patriots Day
• Lauren Yee, MFA, 2012, Whiting Award winner, produced at Playwrights Horizons and Atlantic Theatre Company
• Paloma Young, MFA, 2006, Tony Award winner, ''Peter and the Starcatcher''

Journalism

• Mona Kosar Abdi, BA, 2011, multimedia journalist with WSET ABC 13, the Al Jazeera Media Network
• Katie Hafner, BA, 1979

Law and politics

• Jessica Caloza, BA, California state assemblywoman
• Nicola T. Hanna, BA, JD, 1984, U.S. attorney for the Central District of California
• Steve Peace, BA, 1976, California state senator, 40th Senate District, chair of the Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee; producer of the 1970s cult film Attack of the Killer Tomatoes
• Timothy J. Roemer, BA, 1979, former Indiana congressman and current president of the Center for National Policy
• John Shoven, BA, 1969, Hoover Institute senior fellow

Literature

• Debito Arudou, MPIA, 1990, author and activist
• Greg Benford, Ph.D., 1967, Nebula Award winner
• David Brin, MS, 1978; Ph.D., 1981, Nebula and Hugo Award Winner; science fiction author, notably of Uplift; physicist
• Robert Todd Carroll, Ph.D., 1974, publisher of The Skeptic's Dictionary and fellow for Committee for Skeptical Inquiry
• Susann Cokal, BA, 1986, author, Michael L. Printz Award Honor winner
• Angela Davis, MA, 1968, radical activist and philosopher
• Suzette Haden Elgin, PhD, 1973, science fiction author
• Raymond E. Feist, BA, 1977, author
• Nancy Holder, BA, 1976, Bram Stoker Award winner
• Khaled Hosseini, MD, 1993, Afghan-American novelist and physician; his 2003 debut novel, The Kite Runner, was a #1 New York Times bestseller
• Aaron Krach, BA, 1994, writer
• Virgil Nemoianu, Ph.D., 1971, essayist, literary critic, philosopher of culture
• Rex Pickett, BA, 1976, author of Sideways
• Kim Stanley Robinson, BA, 1974; Ph.D., 1982, two-time Nebula and Hugo Award winner
• Alan Russell, BA, 1978, Lefty Award winner and bestselling crime fiction author
• Vernor Vinge, Ph.D., 1971, Hugo Award-winning science fiction author, computer scientist, and mathematician
• Andy Weir, Astounding Award for Best New Writer-winning science fiction author and computer programmer best known for The Martian and Artemis
• Kirby Wright, BA, 1983, poet and writer

Music and entertainment

• Mark Applebaum, Ph.D., 1996, composer, former professor of music at Stanford University
• Milo Aukerman, Ph.D., 1992, lead singer of punk rock band Descendents
• Em Beihold, BA, 2020, singer and songwriter
• Chaya Czernowin, Ph.D., 1993, composer, Walter Bigelow Rosen Professor of Music at Harvard University
• Steven Dehler, BA, 2010, model, actor, and dancer
• Paul Dresher, MA, 1976, composer, guitarist, and improviser
• Nathan East, BA, 1978, bass guitarist
• David Felder, Ph.D., 1983, composer, SUNY Distinguished Professor at the University at Buffalo
• Jon Foreman, did not graduate, guitarist of rock band Switchfoot
• Tim Foreman, did not graduate, bassist of rock band Switchfoot
• Ben Gleib, BA, 2000, actor and comedian
• Maria Ho, BA, 2005, professional poker player
• David Evan Jones, Ph.D., composer, professor of Music, and Porter College Provost at UC Santa Cruz
• Kelly Kim, BA, 1998, professional poker player
• Anthony Neely, BS, 2008, mandopop singer
• Paul Phillips, BS, 1996, professional poker player
• Nicky Youre, BA, 2021, singer and songwriter

Public service

• George R. Blumenthal, Ph.D., 1972, chancellor of the University of California, Santa Cruz
• Kurt M. Campbell, BA, 1980, United States deputy secretary of state
• Dana Shell Smith, BA, 1992, United States Ambassador to Qatar, 2014–2017

Science, technology, medicine, and mathematics

• Margaret Allen, MD, 1974, first female heart transplant surgeon
• James Benford, 1966 MS, 1969 Ph.D
• Bruce Beutler, BS, 1976, Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
• Angela N. Brooks, BS, 2018, University of California, Santa Cruz Women in Science and Engineering Award
• Chu Ching-wu, Ph.D., 1990, U.S. News & World Reports Researcher of the Year
• Brian Druker, BS, 1977; MD, 1981, oncologist/chief investigator, developed a new drug for leukemia treatment
• Zachary Fisk, PhD, condensed matter physicist
• David Goeddel, BS, 1972, first full-time scientist and director of Genentech's molecular biology department; co-founder, president and CEO of Tularik, Inc.
• William Heidbrink, BA, plasma physicist
• Gerald Joyce, Ph.D., 1984, scientist, Salk Institute; inventor of the in vitro evolution technology; director of the Genomics Institute of the Novartis Research Foundation
• Peretz Lavie, Israeli expert in the psychophysiology of sleep and sleep disorders, 16th president of the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, dean of the Rappaport Faculty of Medicine
• Antony Garrett Lisi, Ph.D., 1999, theoretical physicist awarded FQXi grant
• Joellen Louise, Ph.D., 1999, professor in the Department of Geosciences at the University of Arizona and amici in Massachusetts v. EPA, which established the EPA's authority to regulate greenhouse gases
• Philip S. Low, Ph.D., 2007, Canadian inventor, computational neuroscientist, and mathematician
• Philip S. Low, Ph.D., 1975, professor of Chemistry and researcher whose work has supported numerous drug discoveries
• M. Brian Maple, Ph.D., 1969, David Adler Lectureship Award in the Field of Materials Physics
• Eleanor Mariano, BS, 1977, former director, White House Medical Unit; first Filipino American to reach the rank of rear admiral in the U.S. Navy
• Naomi Miyake, Ph.D., 1982, cognitive psychologist recognized for her contributions to the science of learning
• Walter Munk, Ph.D., 1947, oceanographer
• Bruce Ovbiagele, MAS, 2012, physician, academician, editor, and hospital leader
• George Perry, Ph.D., 1979, researcher in Alzheimer's disease
• Michael Petach, notable work revolved around developing cryocoolers and the traveling-wave thermoacoustic electric generator, a technology that enhances the efficiency of power generation for spacecraft
• LaVerne E. Ragster, Ph.D., 1980, marine biologist; 4th president of the University of the Virgin Islands
• Fred Ramsdell, BS, 1983, Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
• Rae Robertson-Anderson, Ph.D., associate professor at University of San Diego
• Jed E. Rose, Ph.D., 1978, professor in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University, co-inventor of the nicotine patch, president and CEO of the Rose Research Center
• Kathleen (Kate) Rubins, B.S., 1999, NASA astronaut, first person to sequence DNA in space
• Joellen Louise Russell, oceanographer and climate scientist
• Maurizio Seracini, BS, 1973, founded the Editech srl, Diagnostic Center for Cultural Heritage in Florence
• Liz Specht, Ph.D., research scientist specializing in chemical engineering and synthetic biology
• Edward Tobinick, MD, 1974, patented a use of subcutaneous TNF-α to treat intractable back pain
• Susumu Tonegawa, Ph.D., 1968, Nobel Prize recipient for physiology or medicine for his work on antibody diversity
• Craig Venter, BA, 1972; PhD, 1975, president of Celera Genomics, the first private firm to decode the human genome
• Steven E. Wilson, BA, 1974; MS, 1977; MD, 1984, director of corneal research, staff cornea and refractive surgeon, Cleveland Clinic; inventor of topical losartan treatment for corneal scarring/fibrosis

Distinguished faculty

• Hannes Alfven, Electrical Engineering, "father of modern magnetohydrodynamics", eponym of Alfven waves, Nobel Prize in Physics, 1970
• David Antin, Visual Arts, poet and performance artist
• Eleanor Antin, Visual Arts, feminist artist of The Angel of Mercy
• Percival Bazeley, Medicine, member of the Salk Polio vaccine team
• Kenneth Bowles, Computer Science, known for work in initiating and directing the UCSD Pascal project
• Benjamin H. Bratton, Visual Arts, sociologist, architectural and design theorist
• Sydney Brenner, Salk Institute, Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, 2002
• Sheldon Brown, Visual Arts, director of Experimental Game Lab, co-director of Center for Research in Computing and the Arts
• Keith Brueckner, Physics, theoretical physicist, [List of members of the List of members of the National Academy of Sciences (Applied physical sciences)|National Academy of Sciences (Physics)|National Academy of Sciences (Physics)] member, and a founder of the UCSD Department of Physics
• Geoffrey R. Burbidge, Physics, professor known mostly for his alternative cosmology theory, which contradicts the Big Bang theory
• Margaret Burbidge, Astronomy, first to study and identify quasars; Carnegie Fellowship winner, 1947
• Craig Callender, Science Studies, philosopher of science
• Micha Cárdenas, Visual Arts and Critical Gender Studies, artist and theorist, collective member of Lui Velazquez
• Lin Chao, Biology, known for his early work on the evolution of bacteriocins, his demonstration of Muller's ratchet in the RNA Virus Phi-6
• Jiun-Shyan Chen, engineering professor
• Shu Chien, Bioengineering, bioengineering pioneer and National Medal of Science laureate
• Lakshmi Chilukuri, distinguished microbiologist, provost of Sixth College
• Eric Christmas, Theatre, prolific film actor
• Patricia Churchland, Philosophy, neurophilosopher and MacArthur Fellowship recipient, 1991
• Paul Churchland, Philosophy, philosopher of mind and philosopher of science, proponent eliminative materialism
• Harold Cohen, Visual Arts, English-born artist, creator of AARON
• Francis Crick, Salk Institute, Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, 1962
• Paul Crutzen, Chemistry, atmospheric chemist, Nobel Prize in Chemistry, 1995
• Charles Curtis, Music, avant-garde cellist
• Chaya Czernowin, Music, Israeli composer, former professor of composition
• Anthony Davis, Music, opera composer, jazz pianist
• Diana Deutsch, Psychology, known for research on the psychology of music including the octave illusion
• Bram Dijkstra, English, known for books on the femme fatale icon in popular culture
• Russell Doolittle, Chemistry, known for research on molecular evolution
• Mark Dresser, Music, double bass player and improviser, winner of the Fulbright Fellowship, 1983
• Renato Dulbecco, Salk Institute, helped launch the Human Genome Project, Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, 1975
• Jeffrey Elman, Cognitive Science, psycholinguist and pioneer in the field of neural networks
• Robert F. Engle, Economics, Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, 2003
• Robert Erickson, Music, composer; his composition "Sierra" is the state anthem of California
• Ronald M. Evans, Salk Institute, discovered steroid and nuclear receptors; Lasker Award winner
• Manny Farber, Visual Arts, film critic and painter
• Gilles Fauconnier, Cognitive Science, inventor of the modern-day theory of conceptual blending
• George Feher, Physics, Wolf Prize in Chemistry, National Academy of Sciences member, biophysicist
• Brian Ferneyhough, Music, composer, founder of New Complexity movement
• David Noel Freedman, Religion, general editor of the Anchor Bible Series
• Y.C. Fung, Bioengineering, "father of bioengineering"
• Fred Gage, Salk Institute, neuroscientist and stem cell biologist; discovered human adult neural stem cells
• Clark Gibson, Political Science, expert on African politics and electoral fraud
• Maria Goeppert-Mayer, Physics, Nobel Prize in Physics, 1963
• Joseph Goguen, Computer Science, helped originate the OBJ family of programming languages
• Adele Goldberg, Linguistics
• Marvin Leonard Goldberger, Physics, National Academy of Sciences (Physics) member, former dean of Natural Sciences, and former president of Caltech
• Lawrence S.B. Goldstein, Cellular and Molecular Medicine, first to characterize kinesin molecular motors; head of UCSD stem cell research program
• Jean-Pierre Gorin, Visual Arts, film director, best known for his work with the French New Wave
• Fan Chung Graham, Mathematics, mathematician, Akamai Professor in Internet Mathematics working in the area of spectral graph theory, extremal graph theory and random graphs
• Ronald Graham, Computer Science and Engineering, mathematician, one of the principal architects of the rapid development worldwide of discrete mathematics
• Clive W.J. Granger, Economics, Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, 2003
• Deborah Hertz, History, author of Jewish High Society in Old Regime Berlin, Herman Wouk Chair in Modern Jewish Studies
• Gretchen Hofmann, Ecology, ecologist whose work on the effects of changing seawater acidity and temperature on marine life has drawn wide attention
• Edwin Hutchins, Cognitive Science, developed distributed cognition and cognitive ethnography; MacArthur Grant, 1985
• Harvey Itano, Pathology, biochemist known for his work on the molecular basis of sickle cell anemia and other diseases
• Gabriel Jackson, History, Fulbright scholar, historian, author, and former department chairman
• Irwin M. Jacobs, Electrical and Computer Engineering, chairman of Qualcomm
• Fredric Jameson, Comparative Literature, literary critic and Marxist political theorist
• Henrik Wann Jensen, Computer Science, developed first technique for efficiently simulating subsurface scattering in translucent materials; winner of an Academy Award for Technical Achievement in 2004 from the Academy of Motion Picture and Sciences
• Chalmers Johnson, History, author; president and co-founder of the Japan Policy Research Institute
• David K Jordan, Anthropology, provost of Warren College, Alumni Association Distinguished Teaching Award 2008 recipient
• Madlyn M. Kahr, art historian, professor emeritus at UCSD
• Allan Kaprow, Visual Arts, painter, assemblagist and pioneer in establishing the concepts of performance art
• Harvey Karten, Neuroscience, National Academy of Sciences member, neuroscientist
• Charles David Keeling, Oceanography, first alerted the world to the anthropogenic contribution to the "greenhouse effect" and global warming; discoverer of the Keeling Curve
• Walter Kohn, Physics, Nobel Prize in Chemistry, 1998, notable for the Kohn-Sham equations
• Barbara Kruger, Visual Arts, conceptual artist and collagist
• Ronald Langacker, Linguistics, creator of cognitive grammar
• William Lerach, guest lecturer, taught securities and corporate law; a leading securities lawyer in the US; his life was the subject of Circle of Greed: The Spectacular Rise and Fall of the Lawyer Who Brought Corporate America to its Knees
• George E. Lewis, Music, jazz trombone player, MacArthur Fellowship winner, 2002
• Lei Liang, Music, composer, winner of the Grawemeyer Award, Rome Prize, Pulitzer Prize finalist, and recipient of the Guggenheim Fellowship
• Arend Lijphart, Political Science, elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1989; president of the American Political Science Association 1995–1996; recipient of the Johan Skytte Prize in Political Science, 1997
• Yu-Hwa Lo, Electrical and Computer Engineering
• George Mandler, Psychology, experimental psychologist, founder of UCSD Department of Psychology
• Jean Matter Mandler, Psychology, specialist in cognitive development, winner of the Eleanor Maccoby Outstanding Book Award from the APA
• Babette Mangolte, Visual Arts, French cinematographer
• Lev Manovich, Visual Arts, New Media theorist, director of Software Studies Initiative
• M. Brian Maple, Physics, National Academy of Sciences member, physicist
• Herbert Marcuse, Philosophy, mentor to Angela Davis, author of Eros and Civilization and One-Dimensional Man
• Harry Markowitz, Finance, Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, 1990
• Andrew Mattison, Psychiatry, co-author of The Male Couple, co-founder of the University of California Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research
• Mathew D. McCubbins, Political Science, Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
• William McGinnis, Molecular Biology, former dean of the School of Biological Sciences, Member of the National Academy of Sciences USA
• Elliot McVeigh, Bioengineering, Medicine, and Radiology, director of Cardiovascular Imaging Lab, Researcher at Cardiovascular Imaging Lab and Faculty
• Mario Molina, Chemistry, Nobel Prize in Chemistry, 1995
• Eileen Myles, Literature, poet, Guggenheim Fellowship winner, and author of Afterglow
• Donald Norman, Cognitive Science and Psychology, co-founder and first chair of Cognitive Science; author of User Centered System Design; VP of Apple; National Academy of Engineering
• Pauline Oliveros, Music, composer, central figure in the development of post-war electronic art music
• George Emil Palade, Medicine, Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine, 1974 and winner of the National Medal of Science
• Linus Pauling, Chemistry, Nobel Prize in Chemistry, 1954
• Albert P. Pisano, National Academy of Engineering member, dean of the Jacobs School of Engineering, specialist in microelectromechanical systems
• Richard Popkin, Philosophy, onternationally acclaimed scholar on Jewish and Christian millenarianism and messianism
• Samuel Popkin, Political Science, pollster who played a role in the development of rational choice theory
• Miller Puckette, Music, creator of Puredata Programming Language and co-director of Center for Research in Computing and the Arts
• Vilayanur S. Ramachandran, Neuroscience and Psychology, author of several books including Phantoms in the Brain
• Claire L. Ramsey, associate professor emerita and author
• Jef Raskin, Computer Science, founder of the Apple Macintosh project
• Roger Revelle, Oceanography, scholar, namesake of Roger Revelle College, and former president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Roger Reynolds, Music, Pulitzer Prize for Music, 1989
• Sally Ride, Physics, former astronaut, first American woman in space
• Marshall Rosenbluth Physics, developer of the Metropolis algorithm, member of the National Academy of Sciences, called the "pope of plasma physics"
• Rosaura Sánchez, Literature, author and literary critic
• Herbert Schiller, Communication, media critic, sociologist, and scholar
• Terry Sejnowski, Biological Sciences, winner of the Wright Prize and fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
• Kartik Seshadri, Music, sitar player, director of the Indian Classical Music Ensemble
• Lu Jeu Sham, Physics, National Academy of Sciences member, Kohn-Sham equations, Guggenheim Fellowship, 1983
• Ravi Shankar, Music, sitar player, collaborated with violinist Yehudi Menuhin and George Harrison
• Susan Shirk, International Relations and Pacific Studies, former deputy assistant secretary of state during the Clinton administration
• Nicholas Spitzer, Biology, founding editor of BrainFacts.org, fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and National Academy of Sciences member
• Larry Squire, Psychiatry, Neurosciences, and Psychology, leading investigator of the neurological bases of memory
• John G. Stoessinger, Political Science, author, recipient of the Bancroft Prize for The Might of Nations
• Avrum Stroll, Philosophy, scholar in the fields of epistemology and the philosophy of language; author of over a dozen books
• Suresh Subramani, Biological Sciences, Guggenheim Fellowship recipient and former Executive Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs
• Harry Suhl, Physics, National Academy of Sciences (Physics) member; Guggenheim Fellowship, 1968
• Leó Szilárd, Salk Institute, physicist who contributed to the Manhattan Project; founded the Council for a Livable World
• JoAnn Trejo, professor of pharmacology, National Academy of Medicine member
• Roger Tsien, Chemistry, Nobel Prize in Chemistry, 2008; Wolf Prize in Medicine, 2004; known for discovering green fluorescent protein
• Chinary Ung, Music, Grawemeyer Award-winning composer
• Harold Urey, Chemistry, Nobel Prize in Chemistry, 1934
• Benjamin Elazari Volcani, Scripps Institute, microbiologist; discovered life in the Dead Sea; pioneered biological silicon research
• Joseph Wang, Nanoengineering, ISI's world's most cited engineer, ISI's world's most cited chemist
• Les Waters, Theatre, former artistic director of the Actors Theatre of Louisville
• Kenneth Watson, Physics, National Academy of Sciences (Physics) member
• K. Wayne Yang, Ethnic Studies, with Eve Tuck, author of "Decolonization is not a metaphor"
• Herbert F. York, Physics, university chancellor; Enrico Fermi Award, 2000
• Efim Zelmanov, Mathematics, Fields Medal recipient, known for his work on combinatorial problems in nonassociative algebra and group theory
• Bruno H. Zimm, Chemistry and Biochemistry, National Academy of Sciences member, biophysicist, and leading polymer chemist