Departmental news

Congratulations to Raad Khair Allah who has received an IASH Postdoctoral Digital Humanities Fellowship from the University of Edinburgh!

Professor Reinhard Maurer has received Germany’s most valuable research award. He was nominated by the University of Göttingen in conjunction with the Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences.

A new book by Bishnupriya Gupta published by Cambridge University Press has been launched at the British Academy in London.

An Economic History of India: Growth, Income and Inequalities from the Mughals to the 21st Century offers a major new economic history of India from the reign of Akbar in the sixteenth century to India’s post-independence integration into the global economy.

Over 50 delegates attended the launch to hear from a range of social science experts on the important role the new book plays in understanding India’s economic position in the world.

Describing a professional relationship spanning 25 years, Mark Harrison, Emeritus Professor of Economics at the University of Warwick and fellow of the British Academy introduced Bishnu’s influential work on Asian and Indian history. He described its significance in uncovering old myths and establishing new facts over a period of 500 years.

Bishnu then talked about the journey her research took to truly understand the effect of colonialism in India. She highlighted the need to take a long view, and a particular need to write about the impact of colonisation on the average person. How did they fare under British rule? How did they respond to globalisation? And who benefitted from the railways?

“To understand any period in history you need to understand what went before and what came after”

Tirthankar Roy, Professor in Economic History at the London School of Economics followed. He described the importance of understanding economic history to show growth and inequality – not just for specialists but for everyone.

Finally, Ilari Mäkelä, science communicator and podcast producer, discussed the questions the book raises around the great divergence debate, grounding history in the experience of real people, and social bias in policy implementation – particularly educational investment.

Bishnupriya Gupta said:

“I am happy to be able to bring this work to publication. The book has been based solely on evidence and data, and spanning economic, sociological and cultural study. I hope it answers the fundamental question - how do we know what we think we know?”

About the Author

Bishnupriya Gupta is Professor of Economics at University of Warwick and CAGE Research Director. She has published widely on industrial development in colonial India, gender norms in India and is a key contributor to the debate on the Great Divergence.

• An Economic History of India: Growth, Income and Inequalities from the Mughals to the 21st Century can be purchased from Cambridge University Press
• Listen to CAGE Research Director, Bishnupriya Gupta discuss her work on colonialism and the economic history of India for the On Humans podcast What about India? Moghuls, British and the Causes of Poverty

Professor Siddartha Khastgir, Head of Safe Autonomy at WMG at The University of Warwick, has been appointed as a member of the Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CCAV)Expert Advisory Panel (EAP).

Along with another 11 panel members, Professor Khastgir will advise and inform on the implementation programme and policies within the UK's Automated Vehicles (AV) Act.

Warwick Law School’s Professor Vanessa Munro was highly commended for her research impact in the recent Warwick Research Celebration, which recognised colleagues who have excelled in different aspects of research.

At the heart of our Department’s welcoming and inclusive community are our exceptional Student Mentors. These dedicated volunteers play a vital role in supporting new students as they transition into university life - offering guidance, sharing experiences, and helping to foster a sense of belonging from day one.

Through their empathy, approachability, and commitment, our mentors create a safe and supportive environment where students feel comfortable asking questions and building connections. The Mentor Scheme not only strengthens our academic community but also helps students form lasting friendships and networks within the Department.

Each year, we celebrate the outstanding contributions of our mentors at the Mentor Award Celebrations—an opportunity to recognise those who have gone above and beyond in their roles. Students were invited to nominate mentors who made a meaningful impact, and we are delighted to announce the winners of the Mentor Awards 2024/25:

Dr Alex Baker et al have published the first example of a synthetic sugar detection test for snake venom, offering a new route to rapid diagnosis and better antivenoms.

Warwick Law School's Dr Carolina Alonso Bejarano has secured a Senior Fellowship in the Center for Advanced Studies in Reflexive Globalisation at Humboldt University in Germany, to work on her manuscript project, Legal Roots, Colonial Routes: Genealogies of the Un/Citizen in Hometown, USA.

Prof Dave Haddleton reports on the testosterone gap in HRT and progress towards change in The Conversation.

Dr Charlotte Woodhead will deliver an interactive outreach session on ‘Discovering our Intangible Cultural Heritage: Law in Context’ at the Resonate Festival on Saturday 31 May 2025. The session forms part of The Resonate Festival of Arts & Culture – Day Out taking place in the Faculty of Arts and the Oculus Buildings at the University of Warwick.