Keele announces honorary graduates for summer graduation ceremonies

An F1 doctor, an internationally renowned biophysicist, and a leading Japanese expert on cherry blossom trees are among the guests set to receive honorary degrees at Keele University’s summer graduation ceremonies this year. 

The University is awarding six honorary degrees at its summer graduation ceremonies this year, honouring six inspirational people in recognition of their exceptional achievements in their respective fields.  

They will be presented with their awards alongside thousands of students who are set to graduate in ceremonies from July 13th to 17th at the University’s Chapel, and will join a distinguished community of Keele Honorary Degree recipients.  

Professor Kevin Shakesheff, Vice-Chancellor of Keele University, said: “Our honorary degrees have always recognised pioneers in their fields, and exceptional people whose ideas, achievements and leadership inspire change on a global scale. This year is no different, and we are delighted to welcome these influential people to the Keele community from such varied walks of life.” 

This year’s honorary degree recipients are: 

Dr Ian Roberts, Doctor of Science 

As the FIA’s Medical Delegate and Chief Medical Officer for Formula 1, Dr Ian Roberts is regularly on standby during races, ready to jump in the FIA Medical Car with a professional driver and rush to the scene of an accident at a moment’s notice. 

When Romain Grosjean crashed heavily into barriers on the first lap of the Bahrain Grand Prix in 2020, his car ripped in half and burst into flames. Considered one of the most miraculous escapes in Formula 1’s history, Ian was among those first on the scene and received the FIA President Award and international praise for his bravery and reaction after helping to pull Grosjean to safety. Ian has helped ensure the safety of F1 drivers at more than 250 Grand Prix races and received the HRH Prince Michael of Kent Award of Merit in 2022 for his exceptional work in motorsport safety and medicine. 

Before his career in motorsport medicine, which began with his appointment as the chief medical officer for Silverstone with responsibility for the British Grand Prix, Ian worked as a rotational Registrar in the NHS between 1993 and 1998. This included regularly working at Stoke-on-Trent's North Staffordshire Royal Infirmary and City General Hospital sites, and he also completed a Master of Medical Sciences degree with Keele University between 1996 and 1998. 

Professor Eva Nogales, Doctor of Science 

Professor Eva Nogales earned her physics degree from the Autonomous University of Madrid and her biophysics doctorate from Keele University. She is a Distinguished Professor in Biochemistry, Biophysics and Structural Biology at the University of California, Berkeley, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator, and senior scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. 

Professor Nogales’ research is focused on defining the molecular bases of cellular activity by describing the structure, dynamics and interactions of cellular components essential for eukaryotic life.  

She has received awards from scientific societies in the US, including the Microscopy (MSA), Biophysics (BPS), Cell Biology (ASCB), Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) and Protein Societies. She is member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a foreign member of EMBO and the Royal Academy of Exact Sciences of Spain. In 2020 she was president of the American Society for Cell Biology. Nogales received the Grimwade Medal from the University of Melbourne (2019), the Shaw Prize in Life Sciences and Medicine (2023), the CSIC Medal for Extraordinary Scientific Merit, the highest honor awarded by the National Science Council of Spain (2024). In 2025 she became a Foreign Member of the Royal Society. 

Joanna Killian OBE – Master of the University 

Joanna is an experienced, dedicated public servant, who has built a career and voluntary life focussed on supporting communities, families and individuals across the country. 

Her priority has always been to protect and improve the lives of the most vulnerable in society – especially children and young people, those who are street homeless and individuals living with complex mental health issues. Joanna is a strong advocate of Local Government and the invaluable role that dedicated local politicians and officers play in their communities, economies and wider public services.  

Joanna has been Chief Executive for two County Councils, Essex and Surrey, as well as the Local Government Association. She was appointed as a Commissioner for Liverpool City Council too. She was a Trustee and Chair for St Mungo’s, a London based charity focused on supporting rough sleepers, and has been a Partner with KPMG. 

Francesca Hegyi OBE – Master of Arts

Francesca Hegyi OBE is Chief Executive of the Edinburgh International Festival. She has worked in culture, the arts and major events for more than 25 years. 

Francesca began her career in the museums sector before becoming Head of Regions and International at the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council. 

In 2005, she joined the London Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Here she was responsible for the framework for the UK-wide cultural programme, leading fundraising and commercial partnerships for the Cultural Olympiad and London 2012 Festival - a £126 million programme which worked with more than 40,000 artists. 

As Executive Director of Hull 2017 UK City of Culture, Francesca oversaw a programme of events which reached over 95% of Hull residents, created over 800 jobs and added more than £300 million to the local economy. She was awarded an OBE in the 2018 New Year Honours list for this work. 

Having previously studied and worked in Edinburgh, Francesca returned to the city to join the Edinburgh International Festival in February 2019. 

Since March 2021, she has served as Deputy Chair of the Creative Industries Council. 

Masatoshi Asari – Master of Science 

Mr Masatoshi Asari is a flowering cherry specialist and breeder in the Matsumae region of Hokkaido. He was born in 1931 in the town of Nanae, in the south west corner of Hokkaido.  

He was a teacher in an elementary school in Hakodate, Hokkaido, where he taught the children how to grow cherry trees on the island. His hybridisation work has resulted in the raising of more than 100 new cultivars, most of which are still not readily available in the west. These cultivars are all denoted by the prefix Matsumae-. 

Currently at Keele there are a range of different Matsumae cultivars which feature as part of the university’s internationally renowned flowering cherry collection.  

The importance of these new cultivars is that they been made in the north of Japan where the climate range is more akin to Western Europe.  

He has now retired but is still living as a specialist on flowering cherry trees. He has been given the title “Sakura Mori”; or “protector of the cherry trees”. 

Chris Sanders – Master of Science 

Chris Sanders was born in Worcester and educated at Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School in Hartlebury, Worcestershire. After leaving school in 1960, he spent four years working in the horticultural industry and two years in full time training at Pershore College of Horticulture, Worcs. before gaining a Masters degree in Horticulture from the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) in 1969. He spent 16 years as General Manager of John Hill & Sons, Spot Acre Nurseries near Stone, Staffordshire, where his interest in Flowering Cherries first began. In 1982 he joined John Ravenscroft at Bridgemere Nurseries, first as Production Manager, later becoming Production Director. 

In 1993 he was instrumental in organizing the importation from Japan of the scions of 58 new cultivars of Flowering Cherry, all bred by Mr Masatoshi Asari in Matsumae, Hokkaido. These were successfully grafted at Bridgemere and nearly all are represented in the National Collection at Keele. Some are now widely grown throughout the UK and Europe. Chris made five visits to Japan to study Flowering Cherries and first met Mr Asari in May 2016. 

In 1999, he was made an Associate of Honour by the RHS for services to horticulture and retired in 2002. He is still actively involved in writing, teaching, show-judging and serving on various RHS committees. 

In 2014 the RHS bestowed on him their highest award, the Victoria Medal of Honour, which can only be held by a maximum of 63 people at any one time.