The former Director General and Chief Executive of Porton Down, the Ministry of Defence’s Science and Technology Laboratory, has been given an honorary degree by the University of Bradford.

Graham Pearson, who grew up in Ilkley and attended Woodhouse Grove School, was presented with his degree on the first day of graduation ceremonies in the university’s Great Hall yesterday.

Mr Pearson held his role at Porton Down, which for more than a century has been one of the UK’s most secretive military research facilities, for 11 years from 1984, helping develop the UK’s chemical and biological defence systems.

He started his career in the Scientific Civil Service after gaining first class honours in chemistry at St Andrew’s University, and was also an Honorary Visiting Professor of International Security between 1996 and 2017 in Bradford.

In that role, he facilitated Bradford’s Peace Studies Department’s involvement in the Review Conferences of the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention in Geneva. He is also a renowned author, which his textbook on the search for Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction, described as the definitive source of information on this topic.

Mr Pearson said: “I’m really delighted to receive this award because after being born in Horsforth I actually grew up on the edge of Ilkley Moor, I loved walking and exploring the moors.

“It is a great honour to be here and I’m delighted to be accepting this award.”

Also honoured yesterday was former university Dean and director Nadira Mirza.

She has dedicated her career to improving the life chances of disadvantaged young people, especially women, which stems from her time as a youth working in 1970s London.

She believes in the transformative nature of education, and has been instrumental in widening participation and access to higher education, and under Ms Mirza’s leadership Bradford became the top English university for widening participation.

She said: “I feel very humbled and honoured by this.

“I feel that I’ve given 21 years of my life and my career to this city and the University of Bradford and despite all the changes and difficulties in the sector, giving honours like this is really fantastic in recognising things that people have achieved.

“It’s made me think about the fact that people really appreciate what I’ve done and I’ve been so busy all my career, I’ve never stopped to think about what I do, I just keep doing it.”