It’s an honour to be elected Fellow of the British Academy and to champion Social Sciences, Humanities and the Arts for People and the Economy (SHAPE) at such an important time.”
Professor Katherine Brickell, Professor of Urban Studies
17 July 2026
King's academics elected to prestigious British Academy Fellowship
Professor Katherine Brickell and Professor Matthew Bell from King’s College London have been elected as British Academy Fellows in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the humanities and social sciences.
This year 92 distinguished scholars have been elected to the British Academy’s Fellowship this year in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the humanities and social sciences.
Professor Brickell’s research focuses on the debt tied to women’s experiences of precarious housing during times of austerity, the financialisation of social reproduction, and the cost of living and energy poverty crises. Her most recent books include Debt Trap Nation: Family Homelessness in a Failing State (2025), Home SOS: Gender, Violence and Survival in Crisis Ordinary Cambodia (2020), and The Handbook of Displacement (2020).
I am honoured and delighted to be elected a Fellow of the British Academy. The election is recognition of my contributions to research in European literature and ideas, and in particular my research on Goethe and the history of the human sciences. I am looking forward to contributing to the British Academy’s work in investing in research and influencing policy in the arts, humanities and social sciences.”
Professor Matthew Bell, a Professor of German and Comparative Literature
Professor Matthew Bell is a historian of the literature and ideas of modern Europe, especially Germany. He is renowned for his work on Goethe and the history of the human sciences. His intellectual biography Goethe: A Life in Ideas (Princeton University Press, 2025) was chosen as a New Statesman book of the year in December 2025.
The new Fellows of the British Academy represent a broad spectrum of expertise from macroeconomics and art history to ancient Greek philosophy and environmental archaeology. They join a community of over 1,800 scholars who share a commitment to advancing the humanities and social sciences.
Founded in 1902, the British Academy is the UK’s national academy for the humanities and social sciences. It’s Fellowship consists of over 1700 of the leading minds in these subjects from the UK and overseas.
Professor Susan J. Smith PBA, President of the British Academy, said:
“I am delighted to welcome our newest Fellows to the British Academy. Each has made an outstanding contribution to their field, and together they reflect the remarkable breadth and depth of scholarship across our disciplines.
"At a time when society is grappling with radical uncertainty in the face of technological, economic and environmental change, the humanities and social sciences have never been more important. Insights from economics, geography and political studies help us navigate geopolitical tensions, while literature, history and philosophy – to name a few of the disciplines the Academy represents – fuel our creative industries and help people to better understand themselves and each other.
"Our new fellows join a community of scholars with unparalleled expertise, dedicated to advancing research, fostering collaboration across disciplines and demonstrating the value of the humanities and social sciences. I am proud to give my warmest congratulations to them all on their election today.”
In this story
Professor of Urban Studies
Professor of German and Comparative Literature