Leading Birmingham social scientists become Academy of Social Sciences Fellows

Professors Rebecca Riley, Siddhartha Bandyopadhyay, and Gerasimos Tsourapas have become three of the 63 newest Academy of Social Sciences Fellows.

The 2025 elections take the number of University of Birmingham staff who are Fellows of the Academy of Social Sciences to 46.

The  Academy’s Fellowship comprises 1,700 leading social scientists from academia, the public, private and third sectors, whose expertise covers the breadth of the social sciences. Their practices and research address some of the major challenges facing communities, society, places and economies today. Fellows are permitted to use the letters ‘FAcSS’ after their name.

Rebecca Riley is Professor of Enterprise, Engagement, and Impact and Co-Director of City-Region Economic Development Institute (City-REDI). She is also the Director of the Local Policy Innovation Partnership Hub. Professor Riley has been helping practitioners and policy-makers make decisions and develop solutions for over 20 years, and has delivered over 200 research and information projects to the public and private sectors across economic, social and environmental policy areas.

Professor Riley said: “Being admitted to the Academy marks not just an individual achievement, but a shared promise: that social science continues to illuminate paths forward for communities, cities, and nations navigating complex change."

Siddhartha Bandyopadhyay is Professor of Economics at Birmingham Business School, heads the cross-disciplinary Centre for Crime, Justice and Policing, and will head one of the UKRI-NPCC Policing Centres of Excellence to drive collaboration among academia and policing. His recent research looks at factors affecting crime, health and its intersection and the political economy of policy making.

Professor Bandyopadhyay commented: “It’s an honour to become a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences. I believe social scientists will play a major role in shaping responsible governance in a world where technology helps transform our lives but needs guardrails, and I look forward to working with the Academy in promoting our multi-disciplinary insights to shape a fairer future.”

Professor Gerasimos Tsourapas recently joined the University of Birmingham as 125th Anniversary Chair and Professor of International Relations. His research explores the intersections of migration, international relations, and global governance, with a particular focus on the Middle East and the Global South. He is Editor-in-Chief of Migration Studies and leads ERC-funded research on migration diplomacy, alongside multi-year projects on refugee return, transnational authoritarianism, and migrant securitisation.

Professor Tsourapas added: “Being elected to the Academy is both an honour and a responsibility. It recognises the central place of international migration in global politics, and I am committed to working with colleagues across the social sciences to strengthen our collective voice in addressing the challenges and opportunities that human mobility brings.”

The 2025 Fellows have been elected from 39 UK organisations, comprising 29 Higher Education Institutions, as well as think tanks, non-profits, business, and from countries beyond the UK, including Australia and China.