Excellent academics recognised with fellowships

Two University experts have been awarded prestigious fellowships in recognition of excellence in their chosen fields.

Professor Alan Walker from the University’s Department of Sociological Studies has been made a Fellow of the British Academy. Meanwhile Dr Paul Reynolds from the University’s Department of Civil and Structural Engineering has been awarded a five-year Leadership Fellowship from the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).

Professor Walker is a world authority on the social aspects of ageing and directs the UK’s largest research programme in this field. He will now join only 900 other scholars in the British Academy who have achieved distinction in the humanities and social sciences. Professor Walker was one of 38 new Fellows nationally to be elected this year.

The fellowship bestowed upon Dr Reynolds will enable him to further study the control of vibrations caused by people in civil engineering structures. These problems have become increasingly common in recent years with high-profile structures like the London Millennium Bridge even being affected. The issue is more common in offices, where floors can vibrate when people walk on them. Though easy to notice the problems can be very difficult to fix. In future Dr Reynolds research will help architects design more efficient, economical and environmental friendly buildings using fewer materials. At the moment, such slender structures tend to have vibration problems or their design is limited by vibration considerations.

Professor Alan Walker said: “This is a great honour for me as the British Academy invites relatively few social scientists into its fellowship. I am very pleased that my work has been recognised in this way and I think that it is also a great tribute to the Department of Sociological Studies and the Faculty of Social Sciences, which have been huge sources of support for many years.”

Dr Paul Reynolds commented: “I am thrilled and honoured to receive this fellowship. My approach to future civil engineering structures is synonymous with technologies already adopted in other engineering-led sectors such as active noise control in aircraft, so the scope of the fellowship includes development of technologies that can be adopted by industrial stakeholders. I am looking forward to advancing my research in this area.”

To find out more about the British Academy, visit: http://www.britac.ac.uk/

To find out more about the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), visit: http://www.epsrc.ac.uk/Pages/default.aspx