Birkbeck, University of London

Birkbeck, University of London
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Name	Birkbeck, University of London
Established	1823
Type	Public research university
Chancellor	The Princess Royal (as Chancellor of the University of London)
Vice chancellor	Wendy Thomson (as Vice-Chancellor of the University of London)
President	Dame Joan Bakewell
Head	David Latchman
City	London
Country	England, United Kingdom
Campus	Bloomsbury
Affiliations	University of London, ACU, Universities UK

Birkbeck, University of London. Founded in 1823, it is a constituent college of the federal University of London renowned for its specialist focus on evening higher education, enabling working people to study. The institution is a major research university, with particular strengths across the arts, humanities, social sciences, and sciences, and its academic staff are actively involved with organizations like the British Academy and the Royal Society. Birkbeck's main campus is located in the historic Bloomsbury district of central London, adjacent to institutions such as the British Museum and Senate House.

History

The institution originated as the London Mechanics' Institute, established at a meeting at the Crown and Anchor Tavern in the Strand, with support from figures like Jeremy Bentham and George Birkbeck. It was part of the wider mechanics' institute movement aimed at providing education for the working class. Renamed Birkbeck Literary and Scientific Institution in 1866, it became a school of the University of London in 1920, following the University of London Act 1926. Key figures in its development included H. G. Wells, who served as president of the Birkbeck Students' Union, and it played a significant role during the Second World War, with many students serving in the Home Guard. The college moved to its current Bloomsbury site in the 1950s, incorporating the former premises of the British Pharmacological Society.

Academics

Birkbeck is organized into five schools: the School of Arts, the School of Business, Economics and Informatics, the School of Law, the School of Science, and the School of Social Sciences, History and Philosophy. It is particularly noted for research in areas such as neuroscience, crystallography, psychology, and economics, with its researchers contributing to major projects like the Human Genome Project and the Large Hadron Collider. The college is a member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities and consistently performs highly in the Research Excellence Framework. It offers a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, as well as programmes through the University of London International Programmes. Many courses are accredited by professional bodies including the British Psychological Society and the Solicitors Regulation Authority.

Campus and facilities

The primary campus is centred on Malet Street in Bloomsbury, with the main building designed by Charles Holden. Key facilities include the Birkbeck Library, which is part of the University of London Library system, and the Birkbeck Cinema, used for teaching and public screenings. The Birkbeck Institute for the Moving Image is a major research centre housed there. The Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences is based at the adjacent Gordon Square, while the Department of Biological Sciences utilizes laboratories in the Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology on Gower Street. The college also has a presence in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park as part of the East London innovation district.

Student life

The Birkbeck Students' Union provides representation and organizes societies, sports clubs, and events, with many activities scheduled for evenings and weekends. The union is affiliated with the National Union of Students. Given the student body's typical profile, there is a strong focus on supporting mature learners, career-changers, and part-time students, with services offered by the Birkbeck Careers Service and the Birkbeck Counselling Service. Students have access to the facilities of the University of London Union and can participate in the University of London Boat Club. The annual Birkbeck Arts Week showcases research and creative work through public lectures, performances, and exhibitions.

Notable people

Nobel laureates associated with Birkbeck include Peter Higgs (Nobel Prize in Physics), Dennis Gabor (Nobel Prize in Physics), and Ronald Coase (Nobel Prize in Economics). Notable academics have included J. D. Bernal, a pioneer in X-ray crystallography, historian Eric Hobsbawm, and philosopher Slavoj Žižek. In politics and public life, alumni include former Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, Malaysian politician Anwar Ibrahim, and Director-General of the BBC Greg Dyke. Literary figures include writer and critic Anita Brookner and poet John Burnside. In the arts, graduates include Turner Prize winner Grayson Perry and actress Dame Glenda Jackson.

Category:University of London Category:Universities in London Category:1823 establishments in England