The Academy of Social Sciences has welcomed 41 leading social scientists to its prestigious Fellowship - including Professor Stuart Macdonald of Swansea University.
The Academy's Fellowship comprises over 1,500 leading scientists from academia, public, private and third sectors. With expertise covering the breadth of the social sciences, their work helps address some of the major challenges being faced by our society and the world.
Selected through an independent and robust peer review by the Academy's Nominations Committee, Fellows are recognised for the substantial contributions they have made to industry, policy, and higher education.
Stuart Macdonald is a Professor in Law at Swansea University's Hillary Rodham Clinton School of Law; his research interests lie in criminal law and counterterrorism, particularly cyberterrorism and terrorists' use of the internet.
He is the Co-Director of the Cyber Threats Research Centre (CYTREC), which has been used in law enforcement training and to inform national and international law and policy. Its findings have been presented around the world to organisations, including the UK Home Office, the US State Department, Europol, and NATO Advanced Training Courses.
Professor Macdonald is also the lead organiser of the biennial Terrorism and Social Media Conference (TASM), helping bring together researchers, policymakers and practitioners from a number of different countries and disciplinary backgrounds.
Furthermore, he is the Coordinator of the global VOX-Pol Network, which provides comprehensive research, analysis, debate, and critique on the issues raised by online extremism and terrorism and responses to them.
In 2016, he received a Fulbright Cyber Security Award and holds a number of esteemed positions, including Senior Fellow of the Hedayah Center for Countering Violent Extremism.
On receiving the award from the Academy, Professor Macdonald said: "I would like to thank the Academy of Social Sciences for this award and look forward to contributing to the Academy's mission to promote social sciences in the UK for public benefit."
President of the Academy, Will Hutton, said: "At a time when the importance of the social sciences to addressing many pressing issues cannot be overstated, it's a pleasure to welcome these 41 leading social scientists to the Academy's Fellowship. Their contributions have furthered our understanding in tackling a wide range of societal challenges including mitigating health and economic inequalities, understanding the causes and effects of hate crime, the development of inclusive practices in education, and the future of cities. We look forward to working with them to further promote the vital role the social sciences play in all areas of our lives."
A full list of the new Fellows, listing their institutions and research areas, can be viewed here.