A leading researcher and law teacher at the university has been made a Fellow of the prestigious British Academy.

Professor Paul Roberts from the university’s School of Law was elected to the Fellowship in recognition of his outstanding contribution to his field.

The British Academy is the leading champion of the humanities and social sciences in the UK. A Fellowship is a mark of distinction because very few scholars in any academic subject are awarded it every year.

Professor Roberts joined the university as a lecturer in 1993 and was promoted to Professor of Criminal Jurisprudence in 2003. He is renowned worldwide for his publications on criminal justice, criminology, forensic evidence, criminal law and legal theory.

As well as undertaking research for the Crown Prosecution Service and advising the Forensic Science Regulator, Paul has lectured and given keynotes at conferences and universities all over the world. He is currently also Adjunct Professor of Law at CUPL, Beijing, a Visiting Fellow at Northumbria Law School, and was formerly Adjunct Professor in the Faculty of Law, University of New South Wales, Sydney.

Reacting to the Fellowship, Professor Roberts said: “It is a great honour to receive this mark of distinction, and I look forward to getting involved with the British Academy’s vital work in promoting and sustaining the UK’s world-class research in the arts, humanities and social sciences. I hope to contribute to ensuring that legal research and scholarship, in particular, continue to play a prominent role in the BA’s activities.”

Professor Paul Roberts on stage at an international procedural law conference in Medellin, Colombia.

Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the Faculty of Social Sciences, Professor Todd Landman, added: “‘Election to the British Academy is a fantastic achievement for Professor Roberts, who is a world leading expert on criminal jurisprudence, the use of evidence in law, and the protection of human rights. His research on statistics and evidence has been a particularly fascinating and crucial area of work in law that aligns well with much of the broader use of statistics in the social sciences.

For over 25 years, Professor Roberts has played a significant role in the success and development of the School of Law at the university and has contributed to its reputation and renown for high quality research and education. It is thus fitting that Professor Roberts has been recognised in this way, and I am extremely impressed and delighted with this announcement.”

Hetan Shah, Chief Executive of the British Academy, said: “The need for SHAPE (Social Sciences, Humanities and the Arts for People and the Economy) subjects has never been greater. As Britain recovers from the pandemic and seeks to build back better, the insights from our diverse disciplines will be vital to ensure the health, wellbeing and prosperity of the UK and will continue to provide the cultural and societal enrichment that has sustained us over the last eighteen months.”