Sydney academics elected Fellows of the Academy of the Social Sciences

University of Sydney Professors Michele Ford, Geoffrey Gallop, Hans Pols, Ben Saul and Jakelin Troy have been announced today as Fellows of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia (ASSA).

This year 34 new Fellows were elected to the Academy, which brings together over 700 of Australia’s leading researchers and professionals across the social science disciplines. Fellows are elected by their peers based on a sustained and internationally distinguished contribution to their field.

Michele Ford is a Professor of Southeast Asian Studies in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences and Director of the Sydney Southeast Asia Centre. Her work focuses on global labour governance and the nexus between the international labour movement and trade union movements in Southeast Asia. She currently leads an ARC Linkage Project on trade union responses to gender-based violence in Cambodia’s construction industry.

“It’s a great honour to be elected to ASSA. I am a strong believer in the importance of disciplinary service and being an ASSA Fellow will provide new opportunities for me to contribute,” she said.

Geoff Gallop AC was the Director of Sydney University’s Graduate School of Government from 2006 to 2015. From 1986 to 2006 he was a Member of Western Australia’s Legislative Assembly and Premier from 2001 to 2006. Currently he is the chair of the Research Committee for the New Democracy Foundation and a member of the Geneva-based Global Commission on Drug Policy. Among his current interests is deliberative democracy and its potential or otherwise to assist in promoting trust in relations between the government and the people.

“My working life has seen me spend half of it in academia and the other half in party and parliamentary politics. I’ve always sought to bring the findings of academic research to public policy development and implementation. I feel privileged to have been elected to the Academy and look forward to participating in its work.”

Hans Pols is a Professor in the School of History and Philosophy of Science within the Faculty of Science. Professor Pol’s research is focused on psychiatry and mental health. He has been involved in several projects concentrating on improving mental health services in both Australia and Indonesia.

“I’m currently focused on the recent history of community mental health in Australia, working with a multi-disciplinary team including four peer workers or experience experts,” he said.

“I am delighted to be elected as a fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia! There are many wonderful scholars in Australia, and exchanging ideas and engaging in discussions with them I have always found truly inspiring.”

Ben Saul is Challis Chair of International Law at Sydney Law School. Professor Saul is internationally recognised as a leading expert on global counter-terrorism law, human rights, the law of war, and international crimes. His work has engaged and influenced international courts, the United Nations, governments, and civil society. He is an Associate Fellow of Chatham House in London, and a former Chair of Australian Studies at Harvard Law School.

Acknowledging his election to the Academy, Professor Saul said: “I am pleased that the contribution of Australian scholars to international law is recognised, and that the University of Sydney supports and enables internationally competitive research.”

Jakelin Troy is Director of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Research at the University of Sydney and a Professor of Linguistics in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. She is a Ngarigu woman whose research and academic interests focus on languages, particularly endangered Aboriginal and 'contact languages', language education, linguistics, anthropology, and visual arts. Currently, her research is focused on documenting, describing and reviving Indigenous languages.

Congratulations also to Dr Sophie Webber who was announced last week as one of four recipients of the 2022 Paul Bourke Awards for Early Career Research by the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia. Dr Webber is a human geographer in the Faculty of Science whose work focuses on the political economies of climate change and international development assistance.

Hero image: L-R: Professor Emeritus Geoffrey Gallop, Professor Michele Ford, Professor Ben Saul, Professor Jakelin Troy and Professor Hans Pols.