Record number of women elected to the British Academy
Published: 22 July 2022
The British Academy has welcomed to its Fellowship a record number of female academics, including UofG's Professor Catherine Steel, in recognition of their achievements in the humanities and social sciences.
The British Academy has welcomed to its Fellowship a record number of female academics in recognition of their achievements in the humanities and social sciences.
Professor Catherine Steel, Professor of Classics, University of Glasgow is one of the 85 Fellows who have been elected to the Fellowship.
Professor Steel, who is a historian of Rome and is based at the School of Humanities | Sgoil nan Daonnachdan, said: "I am delighted and honoured by this recognition from the British Academy for my research on the Roman Republic, and I look forward to the opportunity to contribute to the Academy’s mission in supporting the Humanities and Social Sciences."
Fifty-two Fellows were elected from 24 universities across the UK. Of those, 29 (56%) are women – the highest proportion of women ever elected. The Fellowship has elected a further 29 Corresponding Fellows (55% female) from universities in North America, India, South Africa, Hong Kong, Lebanon and Tanzania, as well as four Honorary Fellows.
The newly elected Fellows represent a diverse range of specialisms, including the classice, disability and law African history to education and social stratification.
The new Fellows of the British Academy join a community of over 1,600 leading minds that make up the UK’s national academy for the humanities and social sciences. Current Fellows include the classicist Professor Dame Mary Beard, the historian Professor Rana Mitter and philosopher Professor Baroness Onora O’Neill, while current Honorary Fellows include Melvyn Bragg, Baroness Brenda Hale and Gary Younge.
Welcoming the new Fellows, Professor Julia Black, President of the British Academy, said: "I am delighted to welcome these distinguished and pioneering scholars to our Fellowship. I am equally delighted that we have so many new female Fellows. While I hope this means that the tide is finally turning for women in academia, there is still much to do to make the research world diverse and open to all.
“With our new Fellows’ expertise and insights, the Academy is better placed than ever to open new seams of knowledge and understanding and to enhance the wellbeing and prosperity of societies around the world. I congratulate each of our new Fellows on their achievement and look forward to working with them.”
First published: 22 July 2022
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