Notable Alumni of the University of Alabama in Huntsville

The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) has a rich history of producing accomplished graduates who have made significant contributions in various fields, from science and engineering to the arts and public service. This article highlights some of the university's most notable alumni, showcasing their diverse achievements and the impact they have had on their communities and the world.

A Legacy of Academic Excellence

UAH officially became an autonomous university within The University of Alabama System on June 16, 1969. UAH originated as the University of Alabama Huntsville Center, which held its first classes on Jan. 6, 1950, with 137 students. Today, UAH is a Carnegie R1 top-tier research university with eight colleges, more than 100 areas of study and 17 high-tech research centers. UAH has had 10 presidents since the first was appointed in 1970. Dr. Charles L. Karr is UAH’s tenth president.

Science and Engineering Pioneers

Nancy Jan Davis: Astronaut

Nancy Jan Davis is a former American astronaut and engineer. A veteran of three space flights, Davis logged over 673 hours in space. She is now retired from NASA.

Lawrence J. DeLucas: Biochemist and Astronaut

Lawrence J. DeLucas is an American biochemist and former astronaut. He flew on the Space Shuttle Columbia mission STS-50 in 1992.

Roy Spencer: Climatologist

Roy Spencer is a climatologist and principal research scientist at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. He is known for his work on satellite temperature monitoring of the Earth's atmosphere.

Barbara Askins: Inventor and Chemist

Barbara S. Askins is an American chemist. She is best known for her invention of a method to enhance underexposed photographic negatives. This development was used extensively by NASA and the medical industry, and it earned Askins the title of National Inventor of the Year in 1978.

Junuthula N. Reddy: Engineer and Professor

Junuthula N. Reddy is a Distinguished Professor and inaugural holder of the Oscar S. Wyatt Endowed Chair in Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M University. He graduated with Doctor of Philosophy in applied mechanics from the University of Alabama in Huntsville in 1974.

Werner J. A. Dahm: Fluid Dynamics Expert

Werner J. A. Dahm is a renowned expert in fluid dynamics and aerospace engineering.

Destin Sandlin: Engineer and Science Communicator

Destin Wilson Sandlin is an American engineer and science communicator who produces the video series Smarter Every Day on his YouTube channel of the same name, which was launched in 2007.

Monserrate Roman: Microbiologist

Monserrate Román, also known as "Monsi," is a Puerto Rican scientist at NASA. She is the Chief Microbiologist for the Environmental Control and Life Support System project.

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T. J. Chung: Mechanical Engineer

T. J. Chung is a distinguished figure in mechanical engineering.

Travis S. Taylor: Scientist and Author

Travis S. Taylor is a scientist and author known for his work in the fields of aerospace engineering and optical sciences.

Violet Edwards: Public Servant

Violet Edwards was elected Madison County's first Black woman commissioner.

Mustafa A.G. Abushagur: Deputy Prime Minister of Libya

Mustafa A.G. Abushagur is a Libyan politician, professor, and engineer who served as Deputy Prime Minister of Libya.

Owen K. Garriott: Astronaut

Owen K. Garriott was an American electrical engineer and NASA astronaut. He flew on Skylab 3 and Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-9).

Read also: Legacy of Fordham University

Michael D. Griffin: Engineer and Physicist

Michael D. Griffin is an American engineer and physicist who has held several high-profile positions in the U.S. government and aerospace industry.

Walter Woltosz: Innovator

Walter Woltosz, who was inducted into the Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame in 2008, worked in the aerospace industry in Huntsville in the 1970s and later in California into the 1980s.

Leaders in Arts and Humanities

William Christenberry: Photographer, Painter, and Sculptor

William Christenberry (1936-2016) was a renowned photographer, painter, and sculptor known for his photographs influenced by James Agee and Walker Evans’ Let Us Now Praise Famous Men. He was also known for paintings, sculptures and multi-media constructions using the Ku Klux Klan as subject matter.

Bethany Collins: Visual Artist

Bethany Collins has held solo exhibitions at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, The Center for Book Arts in New York, Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, Birmingham Museum of Art and more.

Frank Fleming: Sculptor

Frank Fleming (1940-2018) was known for his fanciful sculptures in ceramic and bronze.

Edith Frohock: Painter and Printmaker

Edith Frohock (1917-1997) was the first woman to receive the MFA degree in art at UA. She specialized in painting, printmaking, and artist’s books and was the first instructor to teach book arts in the South.

Janice Hathaway: Surrealist Artist

Janice Hathaway transforms her photographs into multi-image collages as archival prints. A solo exhibition of her work was presented in the Eugenio Granell Fundación in Santiago de Compostela, Spain.

Darius Hill: Multimedia Artist

Darius Hill is a multimedia artist, working in sculpture, printmaking, drawing and other media. He has been chair of the Visual Arts Department at the Alabama School of Fine Arts for two decades.

Dale Wilson Kennington: Painter

Dale Wilson Kennington (1935-2017) was a painter known for her interior scenes with figures in a realist style.

Ed McGowin: Artist

Ed McGowin, known for his Name Change project, has had more than sixty solo exhibitions including the Museum of Modern Art of the City of Paris and the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.

Jim Neel: Sculptor and Photographer

Jim Neel, primarily a sculptor and photographer, retired as professor of art at Birmingham-Southern College in 2024.

Paul Outlaw and Jennifer Catron: Performance and Installation Artists

The performance and installation art of Paul Outlaw and partner Jennifer Catron has been recognized by Art in America, the Wall Street Journal, TIME, the New York Times, Hyperallergic, Vogue, Flavorwire and many other national media venues.

Barbara Gillette Price: Art Educator

Barbara Gillette Price came to Tuscaloosa with her husband, new art faculty Melville Price, in 1958. She received the BFA and MA in studio art from The University of Alabama.

Wayne Sides: Photographer

At UA, Wayne Sides concentrated in photography under professors Jim Barnes and Gay Burke. Sides gained regional recognition in the late 1970s for his powerful photographs of the Ku Klux Klan.

Scott Stephens: Printmaker

Known as a master printmaker and “an inveterate promoter of graphic art in Alabama,” Scott Stephens, now professor of art and chair at the University of Montevallo Department of Art, works in large-format printmaking and historic photographic processes.

Mary Eula Stephenson: Photographer

Mary Eula Stephenson (1905-1974) majored in art at The University of Alabama and graduated in 1927. In 1930, Mary Stephenson married Olan Mills, moved to Tuscaloosa and together co-founded one of “America’s most significant twentieth-century portrait photography businesses,” according to the Encyclopedia of Alabama.

William Walmsley: Printmaker

William Walmsley (1923-2003) was a world-renowned printmaker and the inventor of fluorescent lithography.

Thornton Willis: Painter

Thornton Willis (1936-2025) was a noted abstract expressionist painter who was part of the New York School of painting and termed one of the “Third Generation” of American Abstract Expressionists.

H. E. Francis: Author

H. E. Francis was an acclaimed author.

Athletes and Coaches

Cameron Talbot: Ice Hockey Player

Cameron Talbot is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender for the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Wyatt Russell: Actor and Former Ice Hockey Player

Wyatt Hawn Russell is an American actor and former ice hockey player.

Jay Woodcroft: Ice Hockey Coach

Jay Woodcroft is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach and former player.

Matti Järvinen: Ice Hockey Player

Matti Järvinen is a Finnish professional ice hockey center.

Scott Munroe: Ice Hockey Player

Scott Munroe is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender.

Davide Nicoletti: Ice Hockey Player

Davide Anthony “Dave” Nicoletti is a Canadian-born Italian former professional ice hockey defenceman.

Other Notable Alumni

Marta Grande: Politician

Marta Grande is an Italian politician. As a member of the Five Star Movement, she has been the chair of the Committee on Foreign and European Union Affairs of Italy's Chamber of Deputies from 2018 to 2022.

Ojih Odutola: Contemporary Artist

Ojih Odutola is a contemporary artist known for her multimedia drawings on paper.

Becca Peixotto: Archaeologist

Rebecca Peixotto is an American archaeologist who is best known for her contribution to the Rising Star Expedition as one of the six Underground Astronauts.

Jeffrey S. Weigel: Meteorologist

Jeffrey S. Weigel is a meteorologist.

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