Warwick Economics alumna awarded Honorary Degree

Warwick Economics alumna awarded Honorary Degree

Bisha K Ali (BSc Economics 2010), an acclaimed writer and producer for Netflix and Marvel Studios, and winner of a 2024 BAFTA Award for her work on Black Mirror – for which she also received a Primetime Emmy nomination in 2025 – was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Letters at the Department of Economics degree ceremony on 21 January 2026.

Professor Caroline Elliott delivered the oration, highlighting key moments in Bisha’s career, from her early work as a data scientist to her work as a successful screenwriter and producer of widely praised television series.

Bisha launched her scriptwriting career in 2012 and went on to write major shows like Sex Education, Loki, and Ms Marvel, shaping Kamala Khan’s character (first Muslim superhero) through her own experience growing up in England as the daughter of Pakistani-born parents.

In 2021, she collaborated with Netflix and Sky to found the Screenwriters’ Fellowship, which she describes as ‘an attempt to move towards a more inclusive industry’. She continues her involvement with the fellowship that supports six outstanding screenwriters from the UK’s Black, Asian and other racial and ethnic backgrounds, offering bursaries to provide time and space to work on original ideas, mentorship and a first TV credit.

Since 2023, she has been the executive producer of the sixth and seventh series of the Netflix smash hit, Black Mirror, co-writing award-winning episodes of both series.

In her honorary degree acceptance speech, Bisha Ali reflected on her 2010 graduation and the fear she felt about stepping into the real world following the global financial crisis. She said:

“It turns out fear is a constant. No matter when you graduate that fear is going to be there. The world is a scary place. But there are a few things that got me through, so I want to share them with you:

"The first one is resilience. It’s a muscle... The second is curiosity about people, about the material world, about our collective history of human beings. Every single thing that I’ve accomplished started with curiosity for others and about myself. What are the dreams that are beyond your wildest dreams? The questions how, why and why not always lead you to something precious... There’s gratitude; remaining grateful and aware of all that luck has given me. I’m grateful for my time at this university…”

Addressing the graduates she added:

"The world is scary, but you are formidable. Build community, be curious and be good to each other. Good luck!"

We congratulate Bisha on the Honorary Doctor of Letters degree and wish her further successes in the future.

Photo from left to right: Advocate Bience Gawanas, Chancellor of the University of Warwick; Bisha K Ali, Professor Caroline Elliott, Department of Economics at Warwick

Related content:

Full ceremony footage can be found here: Winter Graduation 21 January 2026, 3pm

University of Warwick to award honorary degrees to leading figures in medicine, the arts and industry - including Bisha K. Ali's profile