thumb|George Birkbeck by [[Samuel Lane (painter)|Samuel Lane. Oil, 1830.]]
thumb|The George Birkbeck family mausoleum at [[Kensal Green Cemetery, London]]
George Birkbeck (; 10 January 1776 – 1 December 1841) was an English physician, academic, philanthropist, pioneer in adult education and a professor of natural philosophy at the Andersonian Institute. He is the founder of Birkbeck, University of London and was head of the Chemical Society. He is one of the creators of the earliest chemistry laboratory for undergraduates at University College London, and is also known for the creation of mechanics' institutes in Scotland and London. He was President of the Medical and Chirurgical Society of London in 1825.
Early life and education
Birkbeck was born on 10 January 1776 to a Quaker family in Settle, West Riding of Yorkshire. His mother was Sarah and his father, William, was a merchant and banker.
Birkbeck went to Sedbergh School and then studied medicine at Leeds and London before completing his training as a doctor at the University of Edinburgh Medical School in 1799 with an MD degree.
In 1804 he set up in practice in the City of London and became acquainted with George Grote, Henry Brougham, and "many other men of liberal ideas". In 1809 he assisted in founding the London Institution.