19 April 2018
King's College London professor Paul Gilroy elected to American Academy of Arts
King's College London's Professor of American and English Literature, Paul Gilroy, has been elected as a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. The Academy honours exceptional scholars, leaders, artists, and innovators and engages them in sharing knowledge and addressing challenges facing the world.
King’s College London’s Professor of American and English Literature, Paul Gilroy, has been elected as a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. The Academy honours exceptional scholars, leaders, artists, and innovators and engages them in sharing knowledge and addressing challenges facing the world.
“This is a pleasing and unexpected development,” said Professor Gilroy. “I left the US thirteen years ago so it’s delightful that my work is respected there and people continue to find it useful. Recognition coming from peers and colleagues is one of the best things in academic life.”
Professor Gilroy has been selected to join 212 individuals across a wide range of disciplines. The Academy, which was founded in 1780, has a stellar list of former members, including, Benjamin Franklin (1781), Charles Darwin (1874), Albert Einstein (1924) and Martin Luther King, Jr (1966).
“Membership in the Academy is not only an honour, but also an opportunity and a responsibility,” said Jonathan Fanton, President of the American Academy. “Members can be inspired and engaged by connecting with one another and through Academy projects dedicated to the common good. The intellect, creativity, and commitment of the 2018 Class will enrich the work of the Academy and the world in which we live.”
The new class will be inducted at a ceremony in October 2018 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, at which the newly elected members will sign the Book of Members, adding their signatures to those of Academy members who came before them.