South Asian academics win UK’s £3-million 2023 Leverhulme Trust award

INDIAN-ORIGIN academics from the University of Oxford and a south Asian historian from King’s College London are among 30 winners of the UK’s £3-million 2023 Leverhulme Trust award, which recognises exceptional research across different fields.

Professor Amia Srinivasan from the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Oxford has been recognised for her work on epistemology, social and political philosophy, feminism, metaphilosophy and the history of philosophy.

Fellow Oxford University Professor, Ridhi Kashyap, from the Department of Sociology, has been honoured for her work on demography, social statistics, computational social science, digital and computational demography, and gender inequalities.

“Oxford is an exciting place to conduct research at the intersection of demography and computational social science. I look forward to continuing my research in both substantive and methodological directions and contributing to the advancement of digital and computational demography,” said Kashyap, on receiving the honour.

Amia Srinivasan (Photo: Oxford University)

Meanwhile, Dr Berenice GuyotRechard, historian of modern South Asia and the Indian Ocean at King’s College London, has been awarded for her work on the history of south Asia, international and transnational history, and the history of decolonisation.

“The prize will give me two years to write the story of how central India has been to the making of the international order as we know it – and that its sense of itself, as an exceptional nation with a leading role to play in the world, has deep roots,” she said. “‘The Glass Giant’ isn’t just going to be a book about diplomatic dealings, war rooms, or the decisions of viceroys, prime ministers, ambassadors, and generals: for me, the story of India’s global influence is as much about rookie diplomats, bored border guards, harassed indentured migrants, fleet-footed revolutionaries, anti-racist activists, and scientists on exchange visits. (So be prepared for a doorstopper of a book),” she said.

The prize is now in its 22nd year and aims to attract applications from exceptionally high-calibre researchers. Each award is worth £100,000 and may be used for any purpose that advances the prize winner’s research.

“The Leverhulme Trust is thrilled to award prizes to academics undertaking work on an impressive range of topics, from plant evolution to the history of capitalism, family law to theoretical statistics, and the philosophy of science to human trafficking,” said Professor Anna Vignoles, Director of the Leverhulme Trust. “We are very proud to support these researchers through the next stage of their careers.”

Vignoles said selecting the winners from over 400 nominations – chosen across six categories of biological sciences, history, law, mathematics and statistics, philosophy and theology, and sociology and social policy – gets tougher each year.

The prizes, created in the name of Philip, Third Viscount Leverhulme, recognise and celebrate the achievements of outstanding researchers whose work has already attracted international recognition and whose future careers are exceptionally promising.