New British Academy Fellows

Four University academics elected as Fellows of the British Academy.

Each year, the British Academy elects to its Fellowship scholars who have achieved distinction in any branch of the humanities and social sciences. They join a community of more than 1,700 distinguished academics.

This year, 52 new Fellows were elected from 21 universities across the UK, along with a further 30 International Fellows.

We are proud to see four familiar faces among them:

Professor Norman Doe

Professor Norman Doe is Professor of Law at the School of Law and Politics, the founding Director of the Centre for Law and Religion.

He said: “I am surprised and delighted to have been elected a Fellow of the British Academy. Coming just four months of having been appointed honorary King’s Counsel, this election by the British Academy is further much welcomed recognition of all the Centre for Law and Religion, which I am honoured to direct, has achieved over so many years. Being a Fellow of the British Academy will also enable me to enhance further my own specialism, namely, on the history of ecclesiastical law and on modern comparative canon law. To the British Academy, and to my colleagues at the Centre for all their hard work for such a long time, I am extremely grateful”.

Professor Sophie Gilliat-Ray

Professor Sophie Gilliat-Ray is Professor in Religious and Theological Studies at the School of History, Archeology and Religion. She is also Head of the Centre for the Study of Islam in the UK.

She said: “I feel immensely honoured to have been elected as a British Academy Fellow and would like to thank those who supported the nomination.  This kind of professional external recognition by my peers is obviously a personal privilege, but it comes with an obligation to support the broader community of scholarship in the field of British Muslim Studies, and the Muslim communities and organisations with which we collaborate and form partnerships.  I very much hope that my appointment as a Fellow will enable me to further the development of my field, and the scholars with whom I work.”

Professor David James

Professor David James is Professor of Sociology of Education at the School of Social Sciences , and was founding Director of the ESRC Wales Doctoral Training Partnership.

He said: “It’s a great honour to have been elected as a Fellow of the British Academy.  I want to thank the various national and international scholars whose generous assessments of my work have made this achievement possible. I am equally grateful to colleagues in Cardiff University: since joining the institution in 2011 I have enjoyed and benefited from their support, collegiality and kindness. Given the pressures facing us all in higher education, such things are essential to remaining positive and productive as teachers and researchers”.

Professor Justin Lewis

Professor Justin Lewis is Professor of Creative Economy at our Centre for the Creative Economy, Director of Clwstwr, and Director of Media Cymru.

He said: “I’m delighted and honoured to be elected a Fellow of the British Academy: they do excellent work engaging with policy makers on the importance of the arts, humanities and social sciences to social and economic life in the UK, and I look forward to being part of that effort...”

Welcoming the new Fellows for 2024, President of the British Academy Professor Julia Black said:

“Since the Academy was created in 1902, our Fellows have been the lifeblood of the organisation, representing the very best of our disciplines – and we would not have the impact we have without their expertise, time and energy. I very much look forward to working closely with our new Fellows; the breadth and depth of their expertise adds so much to the Academy.”