Academy of Social Sciences welcomes two Northumbria Professors to its Fellowship

Two leading researchers from Northumbria University have been elected to the Fellowship of the Academy of Social Sciences in recognition of decades of research excellence and their contributions to social science for public benefit.

Professor Daniel Nettle, a world leading social and behavioural scientist, and Professor Simon Winlow, who is one of Britain’s foremost criminologists, are among 45 leading social scientists who have today been recognised for their contribution to tackling the varied challenges facing society. They join an international community of individuals who have been selected, via an independent peer review process, which recognises the impact of their work.

In Northumbria’s Department of Social Work, Education and Community Wellbeing, Professor Nettle is driving the case for public policy reform to reduce poverty and inequality as a leading member of the Common Sense Policy Group and the associated Basic Income Health project. His ideas and work underpinned the recently published book Act Now. Professor Nettle has also written eleven other, widely translated, books including specialist monographs and a textbook.  

Professor Nettle’s research is often centred on innovative, socially embedded projects, such as his work on Tyneside Neighbourhoods. He also led the pioneering changing cost of living study that showed that increases in financial insecurity had immediate impacts on anxiety and depression. This endorses the notion that material security has a causal effect on mental health and suggests that alleviation of deprivation and tackling financial insecurity and unpredictability are a means of promoting public health. 

Professor Nettle served as President of the European Human Behaviour and Evolution Association from 2013 to 2016. He has also given a series of keynote and named lectures internationally and served on the editorial boards of leading journals Science, Proceedings of the Royal Society B, Evolution and Human Behavior, and Evolution, Medicine and Public Health.  

Professor Nettle, who is also a Researcher at Institut Jean Nicod in Paris, said: “I am very proud to be elected as a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences. This recognises my efforts over many years to bring psychology into the social sciences and the social sciences into psychology. In particular, it complements and reflects the work I am doing with colleagues at Northumbria on community and individual wellbeing, in the context of political and economic forces."

Dr Joanne Atkinson, Head of Department of Social Work, Education and Community Wellbeing, said: “Daniel is an incredible asset to the department of Social Work, Education and Community Wellbeing, his generosity in terms of time, effort and expertise is making a difference to so many academics, instilling confidence and building the quality of research which in turn makes a real difference to people’s lives.” 

In Northumbria’s Department of Social Sciences, Professor Winlow works as a critical criminologist with research expertise in both sociology and criminology. He has written about social class, identity, leisure, masculinity, and consumption, and is perhaps best known as an ethnographer, immersing himself in communities to study their customs, behaviours and interactions.

Professor Winlow has published widely on violence, criminal markets and cultures, and social, political and economic change. His tenth research monograph, The Politics of Nostalgia, will be published later this year.

He served a three-year term as Vice President of the British Society of Criminology and was the founding director of the Society’s Critical Criminology Network. He leads the renewed National Deviancy Conference movement, is co-creator of the ultra-realism theoretical framework in criminology and established the Teesside Centre for Realist Criminology. 

Professor Winlow, who is currently working on a Leverhulme Major Research Fellowship, said: “It’s a huge honour to have my contribution to the social sciences recognised in this way. The Academy of Social Sciences champions the vital role social sciences play in education, government and business, and I will be a determined advocate for the social sciences in my ongoing work with policymakers, politicians, stakeholders and the community at large.”

Professor Pamela Davies, Head of the Department of Social Sciences, said: “I am absolutely delighted that Simon’s contribution to the social sciences has been recognised in this way. His long-term and ongoing commitment to sensitively and thoughtfully unpicking and demystifying some of the most harmful and injurious features of our social world and the challenges facing communities, society, places and economies today is resolute. His colleagues in the Department of Social Sciences join me in applauding Simon’s distinguished place in the Academy and look forward to celebrating with him.”

The Academy’s Fellowship comprises over 1,600 leading social scientists from academia, the public, private and third sectors. The new Fellows have been elected from 34 UK organisations, comprising 31 Higher Education Institutions, as well as think tanks, research institutes and nonprofits.

Will Hutton FAcSS, President of the Academy, said, “It’s a pleasure to welcome these 45 leading social scientists to the Academy’s Fellowship. Their substantial contributions to social science and wider society have furthered our understanding of the social and environmental factors related to population health, changing cultures of inequality, children and young people’s experiences of gaming and gambling, the importance of diversity and inclusion in organisations, and how businesses can contribute to the sustainable development goals, amongst many others. We look forward to working with them to further promote the important role the social sciences play in our daily lives.”  

Professor Nettle and Professor Winlow are the latest Northumbria academics elected to the Fellowship, which has most recently included Professor Matthew Johnson, Professor Gitanjali Nain Gill and Professor Alistair Scott. 

Professor Louise Bracken, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research and Knowledge Exchange) at Northumbria University, said: “The award of Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences is a mark of distinction, celebrating the fundamental and sustained contribution Daniel and Simon have made to the fields of social and behavioural sciences, and criminology. This is a well-deserved honour and I am thrilled for them both. The award underlines the quality of researchers that we have at Northumbria.”