Alfred Denny

Alfred Denny was a British biologist and zoology teacher closely associated with Firth College, the institution that later became the University of Sheffield. According to the Alfred Denny Museum's history, he joined Firth College as a lecturer in biology in 1884 and was appointed Professor of Biology in 1888.

When the University of Sheffield was established in 1905, Denny became its first professor of biology. That same year he founded what is now known as the Alfred Denny Museum, building a teaching collection of specimens from across the animal kingdom so students could learn directly from real examples.

His influence lasted well beyond his own career. The museum remains part of the University of Sheffield's heritage, and even the Alfred Denny Building was named in honor of the university's first professor of zoology, reflecting the lasting mark he left on science teaching in Sheffield.