List of Purdue University people

Here follows a list of notable alumni and faculty of Purdue University.

=Notable alumni=

Academia

College chancellors, presidents and vice-presidents

* Peter Alfonso - Vice President for Research, University of North Dakota
* Robert Altenkirch - President of the New Jersey Institute of Technology
* Diane M. Cook - Vice President and Treasurer, University of Miami, Florida
* C. J. Chang - President of Chung Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
* Anthony Joseph DiGiorgio - President, Winthrop University
* Tony Frank - Senior Vice President and Provost, Colorado State University
* Arthur G. Hansen - former President of the Georgia Institute of Technology and Purdue University
* Edwin D. Harrison - former President of the Georgia Institute of Technology
* Blake Ragsdale Van Leer - former President of the Georgia Institute of Technology
* Kenneth L. Schwab - President of Centenary College of Louisiana
* Kenneth "Buzz" Shaw - Chancellor of Syracuse University
* James J. Stukel - former President of the University of Illinois
* Richard L. Mann - Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
* Renu Khator - Chancellor of the University of Houston System and President of the University of Houston
* Dorothy Leland - President, Georgia College & State University
* Hugo F. Sonnenschein - American economist and educational administrator, President of the University of Chicago
* Robert T. Sumichrast - Dean of the Terry College of Business, University of Georgia
* Sally Mason - President of the University of Iowa, former Provost of Purdue University
* Larry N. Vanderhoef - Chancellor of the University of California, Davis
* Kim A. Wilcox - Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, Michigan State University

Deans

* Arthur J. Bond - Dean of the School of Engineering and Technology at Alabama A&M University and civil rights activist
* Domenico Grasso - Dean of the College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences, University of Vermont
* Brig. Gen. David A. Wagie - Former Dean of the Faculty, United States Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo.
* Carolyn Y. Woo - Dean of the Mendoza College of Business, University of Notre Dame

Professors

*Kevin Granata - Adjunct Professor, Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics and Mechanical Engineering at Virginia Tech; victim of the Virginia Tech massacre
* Markus Kuhn - German computer scientist, researcher at the University of Cambridge Computer Laboratory
* G. V. Loganathan - Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Virginia Tech; victim of the Virginia Tech massacre
*Dr. Donna J. Nelson - chemistry professor and scientific workforce scholar (Postdoctorate 1980-1983)
*John C. Reynolds - American computer scientist
* Thomas B. Sheridan - Professor of Mechanical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, pioneer of robotics and remote control technology

cience and technology

Astronauts

* Neil Armstrong - first man to walk on the Moon
* John Blaha
* Roy D. Bridges
* Mark N. Brown
* John H. Casper
* Eugene Cernan - last man to walk on the Moon
* Roger Chaffee - killed in Apollo 1 accident
* Richard O. Covey
* Andrew J. Feustel
* Guy S. Gardner
* Virgil I. Grissom - second American in space, killed in Apollo 1 accident
* Gregory J. Harbaugh
* Michael J. McCulley
* Gary E. Payton
* Jerry L. Ross - holds the US record for spaceflights
* Mark L. Polansky
* Loren J. Shriver
* Janice E. Voss
* Charles D. Walker
* Mary E. Weber
* Donald E. Williams
* David A. Wolf

Researchers

* Edward Mills Purcell - Nobel Laureate in Physics in 1952
* Ben Roy Mottelson - Nobel Laureate in Physics in 1975
* Rita R. Colwell - environmental microbiologist and scientific administrator; Director National Science Foundation
* Harry K. Daghlian, Jr. - Physics, the first peacetime fatality of nuclear fission
* Ward Cunningham - inventor of the wiki concept
* Seymour Benzer - Physicist and Biologist, winner of the Wolf Prize in Medicine in 1991
* Elwood Mead - former Head, Bureau of Reclamation; oversaw the construction of Hoover Dam
* Ian Murdock - Founder of the Debian Project
* Russell Games Slayter - Chemical engineer, inventor of fiberglass

Arts and entertainment

* George Ade - humorist
* Ted Allen - one of the "Fab Five" on "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy"
* Eric Dill - musician, member of the band The Click Five
* Jim Gaffigan - comedian and actor
* Mass Giorgini - punk rock bassist for Screeching Weasel
* Harold Gray - creator of "Little Orphan Annie" comic strip
* John T. McCutcheon - cartoonist, recipient of a Pulitzer Prize in 1931
* Karen Marie Moning - novelist
*Mark O'Hare - writer and cartoonist who has worked on various Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network programs.
* George Peppard - actor, best known for his role as John "Hannibal" Smith on "The A-Team" and Paul Varjak in Breakfast at Tiffany's
* Booth Tarkington - novelist
* Jim Yukich- Grammy Award Winning Music Video and Television Director.

Business and industry

* Mike Gallagher - Managing Partner, SkillStorm
* Brett W. Able - Vice President and Chief Engineer, Dow Corning
* Stephen Bechtel, Jr. - Chairman Emeritus and Director of Bechtel Group, Inc.
* Michael J. Birck - Chairman and Founder of Tellabs, Inc.
* Anthony R. Bridge - Vice President-Engineering and Technology, United States Steel Corporation
* Susan Bulkeley Butler - first female partner at Accenture and author of "Become the CEO of You, Inc."
* Stephen Brand - Vice President of Business Development and Exploration for ConocoPhillips
* John A. Edwardson - Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, CDW
* Thomas J. Engibous - Chairman and former Chief Executive Officer, Texas Instruments
* Michael L. Eskew - Chairman and CEO, UPS
* Jeff Fisher - Senior Vice President, NVIDIA
* Jeffrey T. Foland - Senior Vice President, United Airlines
* Gen Fukunaga - President of FUNimation
* Patricia D. Galloway - Chief Executive Officer and Principal of Nielsen-Wurster
*Gerald D. Hines (BSME 1948) - Real estate developer and principal of Hines
* Jack A. Hockema - President and Chief Executive Officer, Kaiser Aluminum
* William P. Jones, Jr. - Vice President, Raytheon
* Keith J. Krach - President of 3points LLC; Co-founder of Ariba Inc., served as Chairman and CEO
* Karl J. Krapek - President, Pratt & Whitney
* Brian Lamb - Co-founder, Chairman, and CEO of C-SPAN
* John Landis - Senior Vice President, Schering-Plough
* Rita Lane - Senior Vice President, Motorola
* Frederick J. Palensky - Executive Vice President, Research and Development 3M
* John Purdue - Founder
* Orville Redenbacher - business leader and agriculturalist, of the popcorn fame
* George M. Scalise - President of the Semiconductor Industry Association
* Edmund Schweitzer - President of Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories
* S. Yvonne Scott - Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer, GATX
* Ruth Siems - home economist with General Foods, inventor of Stovetop Stuffing
* Philippe Tartavull - President and Chief Operating Officer, Hypercom Corporation
* James A. Thomson - President and Chief Executive Officer, Rand Corporation
* Mark Wey - President and founder of the consulting company [http://mwglobalsolutions.com/ MW Global Solutions]
* Jong Woo Park - President of Samsung Electronics, Digital Media Group
* Greg Wasson - President and Chief Operating Officer Walgreens Corporation

Government and law

* Joe L. Barton - U.S. Representative from 6th District of Texas (R)
* Birch Bayh - former United States Senator from Indiana (D)
* Brian Bosma - Speaker of the Indiana General Assembly
* Earl L. Butz - former Secretary of the United States Department of Agriculture (R)
* Chuck Conner - Acting Secretary of the United States Department of Agriculture
* Harry Allison Estep - Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania (R)
* Kirk Fordice - former Governor of Mississippi (R)
* Harry G. Leslie - former Governor of Indiana (R)
* Sun Liren - Chinese Nationalist General who excelled in the Burma Campaign during World War II
* Marwan Muasher - Deputy Prime Minister, Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
* Bart Peterson - former Mayor of Indianapolis, Indiana (D)
* Wayne Townsend - member of both houses of the Indiana legislature and the Democratic candidate for governor in 1984 (D)

ports

Administration

* Charles G. Armstrong - President and CEO of the Seattle Mariners

Baseball

* Jermaine Allensworth - former Major League Baseball player
* Bob Friend - former MLB pitcher
* Joe McCabe - Major League baseball player

Basketball

* Brian Cardinal - professional basketball player in the NBA
* Katie Douglas - basketball player in the WNBA
* Bob Kessler - two time All American, Big Ten Medal of Honor and went on to become head of Buick Motor Division, General Motors
* Brad Miller - two-time NBA All-Star, current center for the Sacramento Kings
* Rick Mount - basketball player
* Glenn Robinson - former NBA basketball player and 1994 NCAA Player of the Year
* Amy Ruley - North Dakota State University women's basketball coach
* John Wooden - Basketball Hall of Fame honoree as both player and coach
* Carl Landry - professional basketball player for the Houston Rockets

Football

* Mike Alstott - fullback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Purdue's all-time leading rusher
* Drew Brees - quarterback for the New Orleans Saints
* Dave Butz - 16 Year NFL Lineman with the Washington Redskins and selected to the all NFL 1980's Team
* Rosevelt Colvin - professional football player in the NFL with the Chicago Bears and NFL Champion New England Patriots
* Gary Danielson - former NFL quarterback
* Len Dawson - Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback with the Kansas City Chiefs, Super Bowl IV MVP
* Jim Everett - NFL quarterback
* Bob Griese - Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback with the Miami Dolphins
* Mark Herrmann - NFL quarterback with the Indianapolis Colts and San Diego Chargers
* Kyle Orton - quarterback, drafted by the Chicago Bears in 2005
* Mike Phipps - College Football Hall of Fame former NFL Quarterback
* Bernard Pollard - safety of the Kansas City Chiefs
* Darryl Stingley - Football player and NFL Wide Receiver with the New England Patriots
* Hank Stram - Pro Football Hall of Fame coach of the Kansas City Chiefs
* Taylor Stubblefield - NCAA Division 1 football career receptions leader
* Rod Woodson - 11-time Pro-Bowler and former NFL cornerback
* Anthony Spencer - linebacker drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in 2007.
* John Standeford - wide receiver of the Indianapolis Colts participated in Super Bowl XLI.
* Gilbert Gardner - linebacker of the Indianapolis Colts participated in Super Bowl XLI.
* Matt Light - left tackle of the New England Patriots from 1996-2000 participated in Super Bowl XXXVI, XXXVIII, XXXIX, and XLII

Olympics

* Ray Ewry - Ten-time Olympic champion

Other

* David A. Bednar - LDS Church Apostle; former President of BYU-Idaho
* Dick the Bruiser - Professional wrestling champion
* Ryan Newman - driver, Nascar Sprint Cup series; 2002 Nascar Winston Cup Rookie of the Year; 2008 Daytona 500 winner
* Chris Schenkel - American sportscaster: New York (football) Giants, NCAA college football, professional bowlers tour, professional boxing, horse racing, professional golf, and NBA basketball
* Jon Fitch - American Mixed Martial Artist

=Notable faculty=

Engineering

* Arden L. Bement Jr. - Professor of Nuclear Engineering, Director of the National Science Foundation, former Director of NIST
* Reginald Fessenden - Professor of Electrical Engineering, first wireless voice transmission
* Lillian Gilbreth - Professor of Industrial Engineering, efficiency expert
* A. Alan Pritsker - Professor of Industrial Engineering, pioneer in Simulation Modeling and creator of GERT and SLAM programs
* Rusi Taleyarkhan - Professor of Nuclear Engineering
* Mark Lundstrom - Professor of Electrical Engineering, known for ballistic transport
* Henry T. Yang - Professor of Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering, Chancellor of the University of California, Santa Barbara
* Supriyo Datta - Professor of Electrical Engineering, for understanding transport phenomena at nanoscale

cience and mathematics

* Shreeram Shankar Abhyankar - Professor of Mathematics, known for his contributions to singularity theory
* Jeffrey Bennetzen - Professor of Genetics
* Carl R. de Boor - assistant professor at Purdue University, won the John Von Neumann Prize from the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics in 1996
* Louis de Branges de Bourcia - Professor of Mathematics, proved the Bieberbach conjecture
* Herbert C. Brown - Nobel Laureate in Chemistry in 1979
*Alok R. Chaturvedi is a professor at the Department of Computer Sciences; the Director of Purdue Homeland Security Institute; and the technical lead for the Sentient World Simulation project.
* Paul Erdos - Professor of Mathematics, winner of the Wolf Prize in Mathematics in 1983/4
* Bernard J. Liska - American food scientist
* Albert Overhauser - Professor of Physics, discovered the Overhauser Effect
* Alan Perlis - Professor of Mathematics, the first person to win the Turing Award in 1966
* Michael G. Rossmann - Professor of Biological Sciences, Member of National Academy of Sciences, mapped human common cold virus, pointed out the Rossmann fold
* Julian Schwinger - Nobel Laureate in Physics in 1965
* Eugene Spafford - Professor of Computer Science and Director of CERIAS, computer security expert
* Jeffrey Vitter - Frederick L. Hovde Dean of Science
* Clarence Abiathar Waldo - Professor of Mathematics, noted for his role in defeating the Indiana Pi Bill of 1897

Other

* Louis Rene Beres - Professor of Political Science
* Robert X. Browning - Professor of Political Science
* Amelia Earhart - Women's career counselor, aviator
* William H. Gass - American novelist and short story writer
* Vernon L. Smith - Nobel Laureate in Economics in 2002
* Dorothy C. Stratton - First full-time dean of Women (1933 - 1942), Director of the SPARS during World War II
* Patricia Henley - American novelist and short story writer