Professorial Fellow awarded Honorary Doctorate from the European University Institute
Melinda Mills, Nuffield Professorial Fellow and Director of the Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science, has been awarded a prestigious Honorary Doctorate from the European University Institute (EUI) in Florence, Italy.
This distinction is a testament to Melinda Mills’ pioneering work across the social sciences, particularly in the areas of family inequality, fertility, methodological innovation, and her trailblazing contributions to sociogenomics, which bridges genetics and the social sciences.
In his laudation, Juho Härkönen, Professor at EUI, praised Melinda Mills for her "innovative and impactful research", noting:
“Interdisciplinary research is in high demand and crucial for understanding today’s complex problems.”
Melinda Mills used the occasion to reflect on the challenges of pushing disciplinary boundaries, highlighting the structural obstacles that interdisciplinary scholars often face:
“Interdisciplinary research is often praised for its potential to address ‘big picture’ problems and complex challenges, yet the academic structures in which it operates are not designed to support it easily.”
She expressed her deep gratitude to the EUI for its recognition and openness to diverse forms of scholarship.
This honour places Melinda Mills among a distinguished group of past recipients. As part of the celebration, she delivered a keynote lecture titled 'From Friction to Flourishing: Navigating the risks, rewards and long-term advantages of interdisciplinary research'.
Read more about Melinda's lecture at the EUI event page, and watch the full award ceremony (Mills’ award begins at minute 34) on YouTube – EUI Conferring of Honorary Degrees 2024.
To read more, visit the Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science website.