The Professor Stephen Hawking Fellowship is a prestigious annual fellowship of the Cambridge Union Society in the University of Cambridge. Awarded to an individual who has made an exceptional contribution to the STEM fields and social discourse,[1] it is unique amongst comparable accolades in that it is conferred by the students of the University (through the Union), rather than the University itself.[2]
| Hawking Fellowship | |
|---|---|
 Stephen Hawking, the namesake and inaugural fellow | |
| Awarded for | Exceptional contributions to STEM and social discourse |
| Location | Cambridge, England |
| Presented by | Cambridge Union |
| First awarded | 2017 |
| Currently held by | OpenAI (2023) |
| Website | Official website |
Established to celebrate Hawking’s achievements and the close relationship between him and the students of Cambridge, Professor Hawking accepted the inaugural fellowship and delivered the lecture in his last public appearance before his passing.[3][4] Each honouree visits the Union to commence their tenure as fellow, delivering what is known as ‘The Hawking Lecture’.
Past Fellows
| Year | Fellow | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Stephen Hawking | |
| 2018 | Jony Ive | [5][6] |
| 2019 | Bill Gates | [7][8][9] |
| 2020 | Jane Goodall | [10][11] |
| 2021 | Katalin Karikó | [12] |
| 2022 | Brian Cox | [13][14][15] |
| 2023 | OpenAI[a] | [16][17] |