British Academy awards record number of Postdoctoral Fellowships to women

The British Academy has awarded a record 85 Postdoctoral Fellowships to outstanding early-career scholars, an unprecedented two-thirds (64%) of whom are women.

More awards have been made in the 2016-17 cohort thanks to a £10m boost in funding from the government’s Global Talent Fund for an extra 40 fellowships, enabling the British Academy to make the most awards in the scheme’s 30-year history. 

British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowships enable early-career academics in the humanities and social sciences to conduct a significant piece of publishable research over a period of three years.

From exploring developments in humanoid robotics and artificial intelligence in Japan, as studied by Dr Mateja Kovacic, to uncovering the unfinished history of Black British artists in the late twentieth century, as examined by Dr Elizabeth Robles, this year’s Postdoctoral Fellows are at the cutting edge of new research in the humanities and social sciences.

Chief Executive of the British Academy, Alun Evans, said:

“We are delighted to welcome the largest ever cohort of Postdoctoral Fellows.

“It is particularly exciting to recognise the achievements of so many women at early-career level. This is a promising trend - both for our disciplines and academia as a whole – as Postdoctoral Fellows often go on to stellar academic careers.”

Read more about the latest Postdoctoral Fellowship projects.