A Lancaster University Professor has been honoured for excellence in the field of higher education.

Professor of Higher Education Paul Trowler is one of 40 outstanding social scientists who have been conferred Fellowship of the Academy of Social Sciences this autumn.

Professor Trowler, from the Department of Educational Research, is among the top 20 most cited scholars at Lancaster University. He is well known for his work across many areas of higher education.

Newly elected Fellows are highly accomplished individuals recognised for excellence in their fields and their wider contributions to the social sciences for public benefit.

This autumn’s cohort represent a great balance of practitioners and academics. Many are making exceptional efforts to tackle the urgent issues currently facing the UK in areas such as the economy, communities, the environment, places, and beyond.

They are drawn from varied backgrounds, disciplines and institutions from across Britain and overseas

The Academy’s Fellowship is made up of distinguished individuals from academic, public, private and third sectors, across the full spectrum of the social sciences.

Through leadership, scholarship, applied research, policymaking, and practice, they have helped to deepen the understanding of, and address, some of the toughest challenges facing our society and the world.

All Academy Fellows are conferred following independent and robust peer review by the Academy’s Nominations Committee.

They are selected on the basis of the substantial contributions they have made to policy and practice, and for going above and beyond the normal requirements of their roles.

They will work with the Academy to champion the social sciences and deepen understanding of their vital role in shaping contemporary human world.

Professor Trowler said: “It’s a real honour to have my research recognised in this way. I’d like to thank those at Lancaster University and the Department of Educational Research who have provided such a wonderful platform to pursue this work since the 1990s.”

Academy of Social Sciences President Will Hutton said: "The Academy of Social Sciences is delighted to welcome an excellent range of highly distinguished social scientists to join our ranks - as the work of social science become ever more important. We look forward to engaging with them in our work."

The Academy of Social Sciences is the national academy of academics, practitioners and learned societies in the social sciences. The sector’s leading independent voice in the UK, we champion the vital role social sciences play in education, governments and business.

View the full list of autumn 2022 Fellows