Desmond King elected to American Philosophical Society
Nuffield Professorial Fellow and Andrew Mellon Professor of American Government, Desmond King has been elected a member of the American Philosophical Society, in honour of 'extraordinary accomplishments' in his field.
Desmond is one of only six new members admitted to the Society within 'Class 3: Social Sciences' this year. He joins a prestigious group of over one thousand scholars from a wide variety of academic disciplines - and is one of only 165 international members.
The membership recognises Desmond's academic work understanding American politics, with specialisation in welfare and public policy, racial inequality, illiberal social policy and political development.
The American Philosophical Society is the oldest learned society in the United States and was founded in 1743 by Benjamin Franklin for the purpose of 'promoting useful knowledge.' The honouring and engagement of distinguished scientists, humanists, social scientists, and leaders in civic and cultural affairs through elected membership and opportunities for interdisciplinary, intellectual fellowship, is one way in which the Society sustains its mission.
Today the Society has 1,012 elected members, from more than two dozen foreign countries. Only 5,783 members have been elected since 1743; the Society generally elects fewer than thirty resident members annually. Since 1900, 269 members have received the Nobel Prize.
This story originally appeared on the Department of Politics and International Relations news pages. A news item was also published on the University of Oxford's website.