New sustainability-focused scholarships will be established and student entrepreneurship enhanced thanks to a US $4.15 (£3.2) million donation from tech pioneer, former Netflix executive and Durham alumnus Dr Neil Hunt.
The new donation, made with Dr Hunt’s partner Julie Raymond, will fund PhD scholarships aligned with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the Hunt-Raymond Innovation Programme, which will support student entrepreneurship.
It will also support science students to gain industry experience, establish a Futures in STEM initiative to support young people from low-income backgrounds to study Computer Science at Durham, and support his old college, Collingwood.
I am passionate about using technology to achieve good for society, and widening access to tech, for women and for people from disadvantaged backgrounds. To be able to support Durham University’s outstanding work in these areas is a privilege. I look forward to seeing the great results that will come in the years ahead.
The new donation will build on the work of the Hunt Programme, established five years ago to inspire the next generation of technology leaders, to help more women access leadership roles in the tech sector and establish new scholarships for students from low-income backgrounds.
Previous initiatives included the Anne-Marie Imafidon (AMI) Women in Technology programme, scholarships in Computer Science, global internships through Collingwood College, and a pioneering Careers and Internships programme for computer science students.
Dr Hunt was an undergraduate and then postgraduate student at Durham University until 1985. After graduating, he became Netflix’s first Chief Product Officer in 1999 and helped make the streaming service one of the world’s most recognisable brands.
Since leaving Netflix in 2018, he has been involved in founding, funding and advising several start-up businesses with a strong social purpose. We were very pleased to bestow an honorary degree upon Dr Hunt in 2019.
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