Six Oxford academics elected 2026 Fellows of the British Academy
Six academics from the University of Oxford have been elected Fellows of the British Academy in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the humanities and social sciences.
The British Academy has elected leading researchers from across the University's Humanities and Social Sciences Divisions, including specialists in English, Modern Languages and Classics, as well as Law, International Relations and Education.
The newly elected Oxford Fellows are:
- Professor Nandini Das, Professor of Early Modern Literature and Culture, Faculty of English, and Fellow of Exeter College, University of Oxford
- Professor Carolin Duttlinger, Professor of German Literature and Culture, Faculty of Medieval and Modern Languages, and Ockenden Fellow in German, Wadham College, University of Oxford
- Professor Elizabeth Fisher, Professor of Environmental Law, Faculty of Law, and Corpus Christi College, University of Oxford
- Professor Patricia Owens, Professor of International Relations, Department of Politics and International Relations, and Tutorial Fellow of Somerville College, University of Oxford
- Professor Lucia Prauscello, Senior Research Fellow, All Souls College, University of Oxford
- Professor Pamela Sammons, Professor (Emeritus) of Education, Department of Education, and Emeritus Fellow of Jesus College, University of Oxford
Founded in 1902, the British Academy is the UK's national academy for the humanities and social sciences. It is a Fellowship of over 1,800 world-leading scholars from the UK and overseas. In 2026, 58 UK Fellows, 32 International Fellows and two Honorary Fellows have been elected.
Professor Susan J. Smith PBA, President of the British Academy, said:
'I am delighted to welcome our newest Fellows to the British Academy. Each has made an outstanding contribution to their field, and together they reflect the remarkable breadth and depth of scholarship across our disciplines.
'At a time when society is grappling with radical uncertainty in the face of technological, economic and environmental change, the humanities and social sciences have never been more important. Insights from economics, geography and political studies help us navigate geopolitical tensions, while literature, history and philosophy – to name a few of the disciplines the Academy represents – fuel our creative industries and help people to better understand themselves and each other.
'Our new fellows join a community of scholars with unparalleled expertise, dedicated to advancing research, fostering collaboration across disciplines and demonstrating the value of the humanities and social sciences. I am proud to give my warmest congratulations to them all on their election today.'
“I am honoured and delighted to be elected a Fellow of the British Academy. At a time when the humanities, and Modern Languages in particular, are under unprecedented strain, the British Academy is playing a vital role in advocating for the discipline, in higher education and beyond. I look forward to joining the Academy and to supporting its efforts to promote Modern Languages at UK universities as well as in schools.”
“I am deeply honoured and humbled to be taking on the responsibility of being a British Academy Fellow. I look forward to working with the Academy's vibrant collective of scholars to serve academia and wider public life.”
“I am delighted and deeply honoured to have been elected a Fellow of the British Academy. This recognition means a great deal because the Academy champions the humanities and social sciences as vital to understanding the world. I am also enormously grateful to colleagues, students and the wider scholarly community at Oxford and beyond who have supported my work.”
“I'm delighted and honoured to be elected a Fellow of the British Academy, and to have my contribution to research on educational effectiveness across four decades recognised. The research reveals the powerful impact of disadvantage on children's achievements and ways to promote equity. It has influenced educational policy in the UK and beyond. As well as highlighting the importance of the early years, it has investigated ways to support school improvement. More recently it has influenced the work of the University's Admissions and Access team at Oxford, and supported the development of online resources for schools at Oxford University Press.”
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