Professor Joe Brownlie CBE, Emeritus Professor of Veterinary Pathology at the Royal Veterinary College, is to receive a Doctor of Laws.

He qualified as a veterinary surgeon from the Bristol Veterinary School in 1967, going on to achieve a PhD and latterly working at the Institute of Animal Health for 26 years.

He joined the Royal Veterinary College in 1995 as Professor of Veterinary Pathology where he’s carried out ground-breaking work which has led to the development of a vaccine for bovine viral diarrhoea (BVD), a crippling mucosal disease in cattle.

Professor Brownlie has also worked on exotic and emerging diseases which represent a major threat to human and animal health. He’s published over 130 papers and presented internationally at over 225 meetings.

BBC News’ Deputy Political Editor James Landale will receive a Doctor of Laws for his journalistic achievements, which have seen him report on many of the important political events of the last two decades.

He graduated with a first class honours degree in Politics from the University of Bristol in 1990 before studying for a Masters in International Relations. During his student days, James became the first editor of student newspaper Epigram, which is now an integral part of the University and last year celebrated its 250th edition.

James secured a job at The Times, where he worked for a decade and became their Assistant Foreign Editor before leaving in 2003 to join the BBC.

He’s now a familiar face as Deputy Political Editor, offering analysis of political events, accompanying ministers on foreign trips and presenting from party conferences. James has also been a guest presenter on The Andrew Marr Show and hosted the Westminster Hour on Radio 4.

An honorary degree is a major accolade, awarded in recognition of outstanding achievement and distinction in a field or activity consonant with the University’s mission.