Three University of Warwick academics elected as Fellows of the British Academy

The UK’s national academy for the humanities and social sciences, the British Academy, has elected Professor Jacqueline Hodgson, Professor Mark Knights and Professor David Lines to its fellowship in recognition of outstanding contributions in their fields.

The three Warwick academics join a prestigious community of over 1800 leading scholars in the UK and globally who have achieved distinction in the humanities and social sciences.

Professor Stuart Croft, Vice‑Chancellor and President, University of Warwick, commended their achievement, saying, “Congratulations to Professors Jacqueline Hodgson, Mark Knights, and David Lines on receiving the British Academy fellowship - one of the highest honours awarded for academic distinction.

“For Warwick to have three outstanding professors recognised for their contributions to the humanities and social sciences is a testament to their innovative scholarship. This is a proud day for everyone at Warwick and underlines our commitment to delivering world-leading education and research that has a positive impact on our communities”.

Jacqueline Hodgson is Professor of Law and formerly Deputy Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research. A Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences and elected member of the Council of JUSTICE, she has carried out more than three decades of research into the processes of criminal justice in Britain, France, and across Europe. Her current work explores the value of creative methodologies in generating empathy in the context of police-community engagement.

Commenting on her British Academy Fellowship, Professor Hodgson said: “I am honoured and thrilled to have been elected a Fellow of the British Academy. Working in a comparative and interdisciplinary context, I am excited at the opportunities for collaboration this offers, especially in the growing area of arts-based and creative approaches to social justice research.”

David Lines is Professor of Renaissance Philosophy and Intellectual History in Italian Studies (School of Modern Languages and Cultures). He works on learned culture, libraries, Aristotelianism, and the history of universities across Europe, c. 1350–1750. He has led an AHRC project and an ERC subproject on interpretations of Aristotle in the vernacular in Renaissance Italy. He is past Director of Warwick’s Centre for the Study of the Renaissance, is a foreign fellow of the Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti, and was recently a visiting professor at Villa I Tatti (The Harvard Center for Italian Renaissance Studies) in Florence.

Professor Lines commented: “I’m delighted with the election and am very much looking forward to contributing to the British Academy’s initiatives to further sound scholarship and garner public support for the humanities.”

Mark Knights is Professor of Early Modern British History. He is a historian of Britain and its empire in the period 1600-1850. Mark has a particular interest in the history of corruption, and this is also taking his research into the modern era. He has also explored the development of public opinion and the press; political discourse and the Enlightenment; the representative system and popular participation in politics; visual culture; and satire and laughter.

Professor Knights commented “I am very grateful to the British Academy for my election to a fellowship and really look forward to being part of a community that is working hard to further the interests of history, and the humanities and social sciences more generally, in what has become a very challenging time for many departments across the country.”

Welcoming the new Fellows for 2025, President of the British Academy Professor Susan J Smith said: “One of my first acts as the incoming President of the British Academy is to welcome this year’s newly elected Fellows. What a line-up! With specialisms ranging from the neuroscience of memory to the power of music and the structural causes of poverty, they represent the very best of the humanities and social sciences. They bring years of experience, evidence-based arguments and innovative thinking to the profound challenges of our age: managing the economy, enabling democracy, and securing the quality of human life.

“This year, we have increased the number of new Fellows by nearly ten percent to cover some spaces between disciplines. Champions of research excellence, every new Fellow enlarges our capacity to interpret the past, understand the present, and shape resilient, sustainable futures. It is a privilege to extend my warmest congratulations to them all.”

Founded in 1902, the British Academy’s current Fellows include the classicist Professor Dame Mary Beard, the historian and China expert Professor Rana Mitter and philosopher Professor Baroness Onora O’Neill. Previous Fellows include Sir Winston Churchill, Seamus Heaney and Beatrice Webb. The Academy is also a funder of both national and international research, as well as a forum for debate and public engagement.

ENDS

Notes to Editors

In 2025, a total of 58 UK Fellows, 30 International Fellows and 4 Honorary Fellows have been elected to the British Academy Fellowship. A full list of all new Fellows can be found here.

For more information please contact:

Ann Baylis

ann.baylis@warwick.ac.uk / 07876 876 937

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About the University of Warwick

Founded in 1965, the University of Warwick is a world-leading institution known for its commitment to era-defining innovation across research and education. A connected ecosystem of staff, students and alumni, the University fosters transformative learning, interdisciplinary collaboration and bold industry partnerships across state-of-the-art facilities in the UK and global satellite hubs. Here, spirited thinkers push boundaries, experiment and challenge convention to create a better world.

18 July 2025