Professor Marsha Henry, Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton Chair in Women, Peace, Security and Justice at the Mitchell Institute; Professor Alfredo Saad Filho, Professor of International Political Economy at the School of History, Anthropology, Philosophy and Politics; and Phil Scraton, Emeritus Professor at the School of Law will join 60 other social scientists in the latest cohort.

Elected by peer review on the basis of excellence in their fields, the new Fellows are from a diverse range of backgrounds, spanning 39 UK organisations, including 29 higher-education institutions, as well as think-tanks, non-profits and business organisations, and from countries beyond the UK including Australia and China.

Commenting on her Fellowship, Prof Marsha Henry said:

“I am honoured to receive this fellowship and hope it highlights further that just and inclusive research and teaching are essential parts of contemporary university life.”

Prof Alfredo Saad Filho said:

“I am greatly honoured. These are difficult times for the social sciences worldwide, and the work of the Academy nurturing new ideas and supporting the advance of evidence-based knowledge can help academics and citizens to intervene constructively in debates and in policymaking. This contribution is essential for a democratic society.”

Emeritus Professor Phil Scraton said:

“It is an honour to receive the fellowship in recognition of the impact of my scholarship and teaching; most significantly, as an academic activist, for my critical social research alongside individual and community campaigns for social justice and societal change.”

Significant contributions

Selected for their contributions in a range of areas including educational inequalities, place-based economic development, human-rights protection, the regulation of new technologies, and welfare reform, the new group highlights the importance and relevance of social sciences in tackling major challenges facing society today.

As well as excellence in research and professional applications of social science, the new Fellows have also made significant contributions to industry, policy and higher education.

President of the Academy, Will Hutton FAcSS, said:

“It’s a pleasure to welcome these 63 leading social scientists to the Academy’s Fellowship. Their research and practical applications have made substantial contributions to social science and wider society in a range of areas from international trade policy and inclusive planning systems through to innovative entrepreneurship and governing digital technologies.

“We look forward to working with them to promote further the vital role the social sciences play in all areas of our lives.”

The Academy’s Fellowship comprises 1,700 leading social scientists from academia, the public, private and third sectors.

Media

Media inquiries to Una Bradley u.bradley@qub.ac.uk