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176 notable alumni U.S. News #16

Notable Alumni of Vanderbilt University

Notable alumni of Vanderbilt University include Al Gore (45th Vice President of the United States), Muhammad Yunus (Nobel Peace laureate and microfinance pioneer) and Yun Ch'iho (Korean independence activist and diplomat).

College data and admissions

Alumni list

Politics and law

Business

Science and academia

  • Edward Emerson Barnard 1857–1923

    Astronomer and astronomical photographer

    Honorary degree · Class of 1887

  • Stanford Moore 1913–1982

    Biochemist, 1972 Nobel Prize in Chemistry co-recipient

    Bachelor of Arts · Chemistry

    Also attended: University of Wisconsin-Madison

  • John Michael Jumper 1985–

    AlphaFold developer, 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry laureate

    Bachelor of Science

    Also attended: University of Chicago

  • Herman Daly 1938–2022

    Ecological economist and former World Bank senior economist

    Doctor of Philosophy · Class of 1967

    Also attended: Rice University

  • Michael L. Gernhardt 1956–

    NASA astronaut, flew four Space Shuttle missions

    Also attended: University of Pennsylvania

  • Ernest William Goodpasture 1886–1960

    Pathologist who studied infectious diseases

    Also attended: Johns Hopkins University

  • Steven E. Jones 1949–

    Physicist known for muon-catalyzed fusion research

    Also attended: Cornell University, Brigham Young University-Provo

  • John Ridley Stroop 1897–1973

    Psychologist who created the Stroop effect test

  • Richard M. Weaver 1910–1963

    Conservative scholar who taught English at University of Chicago

    Also attended: University of Kentucky, Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College, Harvard University

  • Yvonne Young Clark 1929–2019

    Mechanical engineer, pioneer for Black women engineers

    Master of Science · Industrial engineering and management · Class of 1972

    Also attended: Howard University

  • Tinsley R. Harrison 1900–1978

    Physician, editor of Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine

    Also attended: Johns Hopkins University, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor

  • David Stuart 1965–

    Mayanist and epigrapher

    Also attended: Princeton University

  • Tom Maniatis 1943–

    Molecular biologist, Columbia University professor

    Doctor of Philosophy

    Also attended: University of Colorado Boulder

  • Charles Plosser 1948–2025

    Economist, former president of the Philadelphia Fed

    Also attended: University of Chicago

  • Sylvia Bozeman 1947–

    Mathematician and Spelman College professor emerita

    Master of Science · Mathematics

    Also attended: Alabama A & M University, Emory University

  • Akosua Adomako Ampofo

    Ghanaian professor of gender studies

  • Ewa Thompson 1937–

    Professor emerita of Slavic Studies at Rice University

  • T. C. Chao 1888–1979

    Chinese Protestant theologian and educator

    Child: Zhao Luorui (University of Chicago)

  • Faisal Basri 1959–2024

    Indonesian economist and politician

    Master of Arts · Class of 1988

Arts and media

Sports

  • Shawn Johnson East 1992–

    Gymnast, 2008 Olympic balance beam champion

  • Darius Garland 2000–

    NBA basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers

    Father: Winston Garland (Missouri State University)

  • Festus Ezeli 1989–

    Former NBA player, 2015 champion with Warriors

  • DeMarre Carroll 1986–

    Former NBA player and assistant coach

    Also attended: University of Missouri-Columbia

  • Jeffery Taylor 1989–

    Swedish-American basketball player, 31st pick in 2012 NBA draft

    Attended until 2012

    Father: Jeff Taylor (Texas Tech University)

  • John Amaechi 1970–

    English former NBA player and psychologist

    Also attended: The Pennsylvania State University

  • Bobby Reynolds 1982–

    Tennis player, Auburn men's tennis head coach

  • Lily Williams 1994–

    Professional racing cyclist

  • Will Perdue 1965–

    Former NBA player, four-time champion

  • Damian Jones 1995–

    Basketball player, 2016 NBA first-round pick

  • David Price 1985–

    Former MLB pitcher, first overall pick in 2007

  • Jeff Turner 1962–

    Former NBA player and broadcaster

  • Scotty Pippen Jr. 2000–

    NBA player for the Memphis Grizzlies

    Father: Scottie Pippen (University of Central Arkansas)

  • Julie Ditty 1979–2021

    Professional tennis player

  • Chelsea Stewart 1990–

    Former Canada women's national soccer team defender

    Also attended: University of California-Los Angeles

  • Luke Kornet 1995–

    NBA player for the San Antonio Spurs

    Father: Frank Kornet (Vanderbilt University)

  • Aaron Nesmith 1999–

    NBA player for the Indiana Pacers

  • John Jenkins 1991–

    Basketball player, 23rd pick in 2012 NBA draft

  • Wade Baldwin 1996–

    Professional basketball point guard

  • Fernanda Contreras 1997–

    Mexican former professional tennis player

  • Saben Lee 1999–

    Professional basketball player for Žalgiris Kaunas

  • Clyde Lee 1944–

    Former pro basketball player and Vanderbilt All-American

  • Walker Buehler 1994–

    MLB pitcher for the Dodgers, Red Sox, Phillies and Padres

  • Sonny Gray 1989–

    Major League Baseball pitcher

  • Nera White 1935–2016

    Hall of Fame basketball player

  • Cheyna Matthews 1993–

    Former professional footballer for Jamaica

    Attended until 2013

    Also attended: Florida State University

  • Walter Glasgow 1957–

    American sailor

    Also attended: Rice University

  • Matt Freije 1981–

    Former professional basketball player

  • Andrew Ogilvy 1988–

    Australian basketball player, played at Vanderbilt

  • Dansby Swanson 1994–

    MLB shortstop for the Chicago Cubs

    Spouse: Mallory Swanson (University of California-Los Angeles)

  • Pedro Álvarez 1987–

    Dominican-American former professional baseball player

  • Brandt Snedeker 1980–

    Professional golfer, 2012 FedEx Cup winner

  • Joan Pennington 1960–

    Swimmer, two golds and a silver at 1978 Worlds

    Also attended: The University of Texas at Austin

  • Mariella Fasoula 1997–

    Greek basketball player

    Also attended: Boston College

    Father: Panagiotis Fasoulas (North Carolina State University at Raleigh)

  • Casey Hayward 1989–

    Former NFL cornerback

  • Curt Casali 1988–

    Former MLB catcher

  • Austin Martin 1999–

    Minnesota Twins outfielder in MLB

  • Carson Fulmer 1993–

    MLB pitcher formerly with the Chicago White Sox

  • Kyle Wright 1995–

    Former Atlanta Braves pitcher

  • Kumar Rocker 1999–

    MLB pitcher for the Texas Rangers

  • Zach Cunningham 1994–

    NFL linebacker drafted by the Houston Texans

  • Jordan Rodgers 1988–

    Former quarterback and sports commentator

    Sibling: Aaron Rodgers (Butte College, University of California-Berkeley)

  • John Augenstein 1997–

    American professional golfer

  • Mike Yastrzemski 1990–

    MLB outfielder

  • Jay Cutler 1983–

    Former NFL quarterback, long with the Chicago Bears

    Spouse: Kristin Cavallari (Loyola Marymount University)

Other fields

From Wikidata “educated at” records (including people who attended without graduating), ordered by the number of Wikipedia language editions. Degrees and years follow Wikidata and are left out where it has none.

Alumni network

Colleges that share the most alumni with Vanderbilt University (people who attended both).