News

A Nuffield alumna Susan J Smith (DPhil Geography 1979) will take over the Presidency of the British Academy in 2025, when current President Julia Black leaves to become the tenth Warden of Nuffield College.

Currently Emerita Honorary Professor of Social and Economic Geography at the University of Cambridge, where she also served as Mistress of Girton College from 2009 to 2022, Susan’s work focuses on housing, inequality, health and wellbeing.

On her new position as President-elect, Susan told the British Academy:

“It is a great privilege to succeed Julia Black as the next President of the British Academy. Under her leadership, supported by an active and engaged Fellowship, the Academy has become an increasingly vocal and inclusive advocate for the humanities, arts and social sciences; significantly strengthened the research base in these disciplines; and supported researchers and educators across all career levels, particularly the next generation of talent.

As President, I will be eager to build on this impressive legacy. At a time of acute difficulty for UK higher education, I am determined to maintain the position of the Academy as a loud and leading voice for the sector, defending our values and harnessing our energies to inform debate and catalyse change.

The humanities and social sciences are a beacon of hope in uncertain times: it is impossible to overstate their capacity to enrich people’s lives and address the pressing issues of our age.”

For more on the appointment of Susan J Smith as President of the British Academy, please see their news story.