This is a list of notable people associated with Carleton University, such as faculty members and alumni.

Lineage and establishment

Chancellors

• 1952–1954 Harry Stevenson Southam
• 1954–1968 Jack Mackenzie
• 1969–1972 Lester B. Pearson
• 1973–1980 Gerhard Herzberg
• 1980–1990 Robert Gordon Robertson (Emeritus 1992–)
• 1990–1992 Pauline Jewett
• 1993–2002 Arthur Kroeger (Emeritus 2002–2008)
• 2002 Ray Hnatyshyn
• 2003–2008 Marc Garneau
• 2008–2011 Herb Gray
• 2011–2017 Charles Chi
• 2018– Yaprak Baltacioğlu

Presidents

• 1942–1947 Henry Marshall Tory
• 1947–1955 Murdoch Maxwell MacOdrum
• 1955–1956 James Alexander Gibson (pro tempore)
• 1956–1958 Claude Bissell
• 1958–1972 Davidson Dunton
• 1972–1978 Michael Kelway Oliver
• 1979 James Downey (pro tempore) 1 January – 15 May
• 1979–1989 William Edwin Beckel
• 1989–1996 Robin Hugh Farquhar
• 1996–2005 Richard J. Van Loon
• 2005–2006 David W. Atkinson
• 2006–2008 Samy Mahmoud (pro tempore), from 20 November 2006
• 2008–2017 Roseann Runte
• 2017–2018 Alastair Summerlee (interim)
• 2018–2023 Benoit-Antoine Bacon
• 2023–current Jerry Tomberlin (interim)

Chairs of the Board of Governors

• 1942–1949 Philip D. Ross, Honorary Chairman
• 1942–1947 Henry Marshall Tory
• 1947–1952 Harry Stevenson Southam
• 1952–1960 J.E. Coyne
• 1960–1962 E.W. Richard Steacie
• 1962–1965 C.C. Gibson
• 1965–1972 David A. Golden
• 1972–1974 James Lorne Gray
• 1974–1976 Russ J. Neill
• 1976–1978 Hyman Soloway
• 1978–1980 George A. Fierheller
• 1980–1982 Denis A. Ross
• 1982–1984 Clifford Thomas Kelley
• 1984–1985 Jean Teron
• 1985–1987 Claude Edwards
• 1987–1989 Ross Cruikshank
• 1990–1992 Donald Yeomans
• 1992–1993 Sam Hughes
• 1993–1995 Maureen O'Neil
• 1995–1997 Ivan Fellegi
• 1997–2000 Robert Laughton
• 2000–2002 Allen Lumsden
• 2002–2005 Jocelyn Ghent Mallett
• 2005–2006 Margaret Bloodworth
• 2006–2008 David M. Dunn
• 2008–2010 Jacques Shore
• 2010–2012 Gisele Samson-Verreault
• 2012–2014 Ronald Jackson
• 2014–2016 Anthony (Tony) Tattersfield
• 2016–2018 Christopher Carruthers
• 2018–2020 Nik Nanos
• 2020–2022 Dan Fortin
• 2022–current Greg Farrell

Notable alumni and faculty

Academics

• Emma Anderson, professor at University of Ottawa
• Aslam Anis, professor of health economics at the UBC Faculty of Medicine
• Andrew Brook, Chancellor's Professor of Philosophy and Cognitive Science
• Madhu Dikshit, cardiovascular biologist and N-Bios laureate^[1]
• Ivan Fellegi, former Chief Statistician of Canada
• Peter Grünberg, Nobel laureate in Physics 2007^[2]
• Erin Johnson, professor of theoretical chemistry at Dalhousie University
• Lawrence M. Krauss, physics professor at Arizona State University and popular science author
• Michael I. Krauss, professor at George Mason University School of Law
• Randal Marlin, Carleton philosophy professor specializing in the study of propaganda
• Robin Neill, economic historian
• Ryan North, writer and computer scientist
• Norm O'Reilly, professor at University of Guelph
• John Porter, former professor of sociology
• Edwin G. Pulleyblank, professor at the University of British Columbia
• Kenneth B. Storey, current professor of biology
• Lyal S. Sunga, expert in international human rights, humanitarian law and international criminal law
• William Sweet, professor of philosophy, Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada

Entertainers

• Melody Anderson, retired actress, social worker
• Jeremy Gara, band drummer of Arcade Fire
• Elizabeth Hanna, undergraduate major in philosophy and later graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada; voice actor and speech-language pathologist
• Mervyn G.H. Hinds, Chicago blues musician, known as Harmonica Hinds
• K-OS (Kheaven Brereton), musician
• Kayhan Kalhor, Grammy award–winning musician
• Norm Macdonald, comedian, actor
• Mia Martina, pop singer, bestselling author
• Hamza Haq, actor

Entrepreneurs

• Suhayya Abu-Hakima, co-founder and CEO of AmikaNow! and Amika Mobile Corporation^[3]
• David Azrieli, architect, 10th richest man in Canada
• Conrad Black, former businessman
• Trevor Matthews, founder and CEO of Brookstreet Pictures
• Eric Sprott, founder of Sprott Asset Management
• Shane Smith, co-founder and CEO of Vice
• Jamie Salter, founder and CEO of Authentic Brands Group^[4]

Journalists

• Rosemary Barton, political journalist and host of Power & Politics on CBC News Network
• Keith Boag, chief political correspondent for CBC News
• Rita Celli, host for Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
• Andrew Chang, television journalist^[5]
• Petronila Cleto, Filipino journalist, film critic and social activist
• James Duthie, TSN host and Journalist
• Matthew Fraser, former Editor-in-Chief of National Post
• Edward Greenspon, former Editor-in-Chief of The Globe and Mail
• Greg Ip, economic journalist, The Wall Street Journal^[6]
• Peter Jennings, journalist and news anchor for ABC News, two-time Peabody Award winner, awarded a Litterarum doctor, honoris causa in 1997
• Arthur Kent, Emmy award–winning war correspondent
• Carolyn Mackenzie, broadcaster^[7]
• Robert MacNeil, journalist, Officer of the Order of Canada
• Sheila MacVicar, Emmy and Peabody Award–winning journalist
• Gavin McInnes, writer, founder of Vice
• Nahlah Ayed, Middle East correspondent for the CBC
• Paul Watson, Pulitzer Prize–winning photojournalist

Politicians

• Lester Bowles Pearson, former chancellor, professor, Prime Minister of Canada, Nobel Peace Prize laureate
• Gary Anandasangaree, Member of Parliament, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations
• Niki Ashton, Member of Parliament, New Democratic Party leadership candidate
• Lindsay Blackett, first black Cabinet minister in Alberta
• Patrick Boyer, Member of Parliament
• Marco Mendicino, Member of Parliament, former Minister of Public Safety
• Ben Carr, Member of Parliament
• Gord Brown, Member of Parliament
• Mike Colle, Member of Provincial Parliament
• Alex Cullen, Member of Provincial Parliament, Ottawa City Councillor
• Hans Daigeler, Member of Provincial Parliament
• Barry Devolin, former Member of Parliament
• Paul Dewar, former Member of Parliament
• Ward P.D. Elcock, Deputy Minister of Defence, former Director of Canadian Security Intelligence Service
• Catherine Fife, Member of Provincial Parliament, President of the Ontario Public School Boards Association
• Rob Ford, former Mayor of the City of Toronto, studied political science for a year
• Larisa Galadza, Canadian Ambassador to Ukraine
• Evelyn Gigantes, Member of Provincial Parliament
• Pauline Jewett, Member of Parliament, professor and Chancellor of Carleton University
• Leo Jordan, Member of Provincial Parliament
• Wilbert Keon, Senator, heart surgeon
• Catherine Kitts, Ottawa City Councillor
• Branden Leslie, Member of Parliament
• John Manley, former Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister of Canada
• John Milloy Member of Provincial Parliament, Minister
• Claudia Mo, Member of Hong Kong Legislative Council
• John Nater, Member of Parliament
• Yasir Naqvi, Member of Parliament, former Member of Provincial Parliament
• Tom Nevakshonoff, Member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
• Paul Okalik, former premier of Nunavut
• Ernie Parsons, Member of Provincial Parliament
• Michael Prue, Member of Provincial Parliament
• Scott Reid, Member of Parliament
• Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke, former Prime Minister of Somalia
• Norm Sterling, Member of Provincial Parliament
• Marit Stiles (born 1969), Member of Provincial Parliament
• Jenna Sudds, Member of Parliament, Minister of Families, Children, and Social Development
• Barbara Sullivan, Member of Provincial Parliament
• Judy Wasylycia-Leis, former Member of Parliament
• Jim Watson, Member of Provincial Parliament, Mayor and City Councillor of Ottawa
• Omar Zakhilwal, former Professor of Economics, Afghan Finance Minister and Chief Economic Advisor to the President of Afghanistan
• Abdul Momin Ismail, former Chief Minister of Brunei and member of the Legislative Council

Sportspeople

• Derek Holmes, IIHF Hall of Fame inductee
• Waneek Horn-Miller, Olympian and activist
• Linda Thom, Olympic gold medal-winning shooter
• Brian Wilks (born 1966), NHL hockey player

Writers

• Shirley Barrie, playwright
• Chris Bailey, writer and productivity consultant
• Daniel Francis, writer and historian
• Sara Gruen, fiction author known best for award-winning novel Water for Elephants
• J.J. McAvoy, writer
• Peter Worthington, Editor-in-Chief of the Toronto Sun

Others

• Ngaire Blankenberg, former director of the National Museum of African Art
• Louise Charron, Puisne Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada
• Tong Daochi, former secretary of the Chinese Communist Party of Sanya Committee
• Lorna deBlicquy, pioneering woman aviator
• Michelle Douglas, human rights activist
• Lorne Elias, inventor of the explosives vapour detector EVD-1
• Allan Gregg, pollster, political pundit
• Gregory Henriquez, architect, Governor-General's Medal for Architecture
• Abdul Rahman Jabarah, alleged al-Qaeda member killed in 2003
• Jim Judd, Director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service
• Warren Kinsella, lawyer, author, musician, political consultant, lobbyist and commentator
• Chalmers Jack Mackenzie, former chancellor, first president of Atomic Energy of Canada Limited
• Kenneth Chan Kai-tai, Hong Kong actor and television host for Cable TV Hong Kong channel
• Karim Rashid, industrial designer
• Amy Miller, filmmaker
• Michelle Mohabeer, filmmaker
• Howard Nuk, industrial designer (former VP of Design at Samsung and Co-founder at Palm)
• Cristine Rotenberg, crime statistics analyst and nail art YouTube personality
• Wayne Smith, Chief Statistician of Statistics Canada
• Harley Swedler, architect
• Katie Tallo, filmmaker and writer
• Susan Wood, Canadian literature scholar, pioneer of feminist science fiction studies

Notable honorary degree recipients

• Daniel Alfredsson, former Ottawa Senators captain
• Murray Sinclair, Chairman of the Indian Residential Schools Truth and Reconciliation Commission (2009–2015), awarded a Legum Doctor, honoris causa in 2015^[8]
• Robert Thirsk, Canadian astronaut and engineer; awarded D.Eng., honoris causa in 2019^[9]
• Paul Martin, 21st Prime Minister of Canada (2003–2006); awarded Legum Doctor, honoris causa in 2019^[10]
• Dag Hammarskjöld, United Nations Secretary-General (1953–1961), Nobel Peace Prize laureate; awarded a Legum Doctor, honoris causa in 1954^[8]
• U Thant, United Nations Secretary-General (1961–1971); awarded a Legum Doctor, honoris causa in 1962^[8]
• Kurt Waldheim, United Nations Secretary-General (1972–1981); awarded a Legum Doctor, honoris causa in 1972^[8]
• Tommy Douglas, 7th Premier of Saskatchewan; led the first socialist government in North America and introduced universal public health care to Canada; awarded a Legum Doctor, honoris causa in 1980^[8]
• Javier Pérez de Cuéllar, United Nations Secretary-General (1982–1992); awarded a Legum Doctor, honoris causa in 1985^[8]
• Mikhail Gorbachev, General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union; awarded a Legum Doctor, honoris causa in 1993^[8]
• Boutros Boutros-Ghali, United Nations Secretary-General (1992–1997); awarded a Legum Doctor, honoris causa in 1995^[8]
• Romano Prodi, 79th Prime Minister of Italy; awarded a Legum Doctor, honoris causa in 2001^[8]
• Kofi Annan, United Nations Secretary-General (1997–2007), Nobel Peace Prize laureate; awarded a Legum Doctor, honoris causa in 2004^[8]
• Michaëlle Jean, Governor General of Canada (2005–2010); awarded a Legum Doctor, honoris causa in 2012^[11]
• David Johnston, Governor General of Canada (2010–2017); awarded a Legum Doctor, honoris causa in 2016^[8]
• Peter Mansbridge, Canadian Broadcaster; awarded a Legum Doctor, honoris causa in 2014^[9]
• Tomson Highway, Indigenous playwright and novelist; awarded Doctor of Fine Arts, honoris causa in 2013^[9]
• Muhammad Yunus, Bangladeshi social entrepreneur, banker, economist and civil society leader; awarded a Legum Doctor, honoris causa in 2010^[9]
• Herman Van Rompuy, 49th Prime Minister of Belgium (2008–2009) and then as the first permanent President of the European Council (2009–2014); awarded a Legum Doctor, honoris causa in 2017^[9]
• Helen Clark, 37th Prime Minister of New Zealand (1999–2008) and Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (2009–2017); awarded a Legum Doctor, honoris causa in 2012^[8]
• Sheilah L. Martin, Canadian Judge, awarded Legum Doctor, honoris causa in 2021^[9]
• Buffy Ste-Marie, Indigenous musician; awarded Legum Doctor, honoris causa in 2008^[9]
• André Picard, Canadian journalist; awarded Legum Doctor, honoris causa in 2017^[12]
• Wanda Thomas Bernard; Canadian Senator; awarded Legum Doctor, honoris causa in 2021^[9]

Other people