Dame Gillian Patricia Kempster Beer, known professionally as Gillian Beer, is a distinguished British literary critic and academic. She served as the President of Clare Hall, University of Cambridge, from 1994 to 2001, and held the prestigious position of King Edward VII Professor of English Literature at the University of Cambridge from 1994 to 2002.

Her academic work has been influential, and she has been recognized as a Fellow of the British Academy (FBA). Beer has also held the position of Andrew Mellon Senior Scholar at the Yale Center for British Art, furthering her contributions to literary studies and the arts.