Leading academics from education, psychology, geography, and African studies have become Academy of Social Sciences Fellows.
Professors Heather Flowe, Reza Gholami, Insa Nolte, and Jessica Pykett have been elected as Fellows of the Academy of Social Sciences in the latest cohort of 74 new appointees.
The 2026 elections take the number of University of Birmingham academics who are Fellows of the Academy of Social Sciences to 51. Fellows are permitted to use the letters ‘FAcSS’ after their name.
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 societies and communities across the world today.
Heather Flowe is Professor of Psychology and a leading expert in memory, focusing on memory retrieval processes in legal contexts, such as police interviews. Professor Flowe has developed procedures that are integrated into legal systems around the world such as VR 3D Interactive lineups, and her guidance has featured in Crown Prosecution Service documents and international guidelines from the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
I look forward to working with colleagues across the Academy to advance research that strengthens public trust in evidence, improves investigative practice, and supports fairer justice systems.
Professor Flowe is the Deputy Head of College for the College of Life and Environmental Sciences at the University of Birmingham, and holds other leadership positions at the University, including the Co-Director of the Centre for Crime Justice and Policing (Victims and Trauma). She is a member of several external funding panels for UKRI and ESRC, and is a chartered psychologist.
On her election to the Academy of Social Sciences, Professor Flowe said: “I am honoured to be elected a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences. Social science plays a vital role in helping societies make better decisions about justice, safety, and human rights. I look forward to working with colleagues across the Academy to advance research that strengthens public trust in evidence, improves investigative practice, and supports fairer justice systems.”
Reza Gholami is Professor of Sociology of Education at the University of Birmingham and Executive Editor of the journal Educational Review. His research is internationally recognised and focuses on questions of belongingness, diversity, inter-communal relations, and community engagement in education within the context of ongoing educational disparities affecting racial, ethnic, and religious minorities. His current project is funded by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation and explores issues of belonging among primary school children through drama-based methods.
It is a great honour to be elected as a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences and to have the recognition of my peers. I believe that the social sciences are uniquely positioned to effect positive change in education...
Professor Gholami said: “It is a great honour to be elected as a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences and to have the recognition of my peers. I believe that the social sciences are uniquely positioned to effect positive change in education because of their ability to bring rigorous theoretical and methodological approaches together with justice-oriented, multi-stakeholder action. This is what excites me about being a social scientist, and I look forward to collaborating with colleagues and the Academy to strengthen our impactful work.”
Insa Nolte is Professor of African Studies and Head of School of History and Cultures. Her research focuses on the role of ethnicity, gender and religion in the history of Nigeria.
Professor Nolte’s current research focuses on the social and political relationships between members of different religions in southwest Nigeria, where Traditionalists, Muslims and Christians have lived together and married each other for several generations. She is interested in the historical patterns of gendered and religious preferences, and in the accommodation of religious difference within family and community life.
I am delighted to have been elected a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences. Social science is central to our understanding of the world, and of Africa as its most youthful continent.
On the news of her fellowship, Professor Nolte commented: “I am delighted to have been elected a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences. Social science is central to our understanding of the world, and of Africa as its most youthful continent. I look forward to working with colleagues in the Academy who are committed to research that foregrounds global collaboration and knowledge production.”
Jessica Pykett is Professor of Social and Political Geography in the School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences. Her research advances understanding of how new forms of expertise about how the mind, brain and emotions influence governance practices. She is Co-Director of the University’s Centre for Urban Wellbeing, which connects civil society organisations, policy makers and researchers to generate interdisciplinary research on the community dimensions of wellbeing inequalities in cities.
I’m delighted to have been elected to the Academy of Social Sciences for contributions made to addressing the societal challenges that we need to face together.
Professor Pykett’s research challenges conventional thinking across sectors and disciplines to set out a distinctive agenda on psychological and emotional governance, urban wellbeing, ethics advisory systems, the societal impacts of neurotechnology and embodied computing. She has advised governments around the world on the responsible use of data, evidence and measurement. Her recent research has been supported by AHRC, ESRC, Leverhulme Trust and NERC.
Professor Pykett commented: “I’m delighted to have been elected to the Academy of Social Sciences for contributions made to addressing the societal challenges that we need to face together. I’ve been privileged to work with many outstanding researchers, practitioners and educators to form strong collaborative relationships and bring new social science knowledge to bear on the changing nature of governance. I am committed to tackling geographical injustices, exposing technosolutionism, and breaking down barriers to research leadership.”
The 2026 Fellows have been elected from 39 UK organisations, comprising 35 Higher Education Institutions, as well as think tanks, non-profits, civil service, and from countries beyond the UK including Australia, the Czech Republic, Finland, and Ireland.
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Professor of Psychology
Professor Heather Flowe is a leading expert in episodic memory, focusing on memory retrieval processes in legal contexts.
Professor of Social and Political Geography
Professor Pykett explores governance, emotion, and public policy through social and political geography, with a focus on neuroscience, urban wellbeing, and sociodigital futures.
Professor of African Studies
Biographical and contact details for Insa Nolte, Professor of African Studies at the University of Birmingham.
Professor of Sociology of Education
Professor Gholami's research, which is internationally recognised, focuses on questions of belongingness, diversity, inter-communal relations and community engagement in education.
