Professor Nick Vaughan-Williams was conferred to the Fellowship of the Academy of Social Sciences in spring 2023. He is Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Head of the College of Social Sciences at the University of Birmingham where he sits on the University Executive Board. A Professor of International Politics with research interests in migration, borders, and security, he is listed in the Stanford ‘Top 2%’ of world-leading scientists. He chairs the Academy’s Forum for Leaders in Social Science and the Management Committee of the ESRC Midlands Graduate School Doctoral Training Partnership.
Professor Nick Vaughan-WilliamsFAcSS
Author or co-author of six books, Nick’s interdisciplinary research agenda examines the changing nature and location of borders and their lived impacts among migrants and citizens. Supported by grants from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), British Academy, and Leverhulme Trust, he combines innovative theoretical and empirical research to explore how bordering practices – understood as attempts to control human mobility by diverse state and non-state actors – are offshored, outsourced, and diffused throughout societies. A former recipient of the Philip Leverhulme Prize, his work foregrounds everyday experiences and vernacular narratives to assess border security from otherwise marginalised perspectives. His findings have been presented to the EU Commission, Frontex, the Maltese Presidency, the UK Cabinet Office, Home Office, and Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, and fed directly into the 2021 Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development, and Foreign Policy.
Why do the social sciences matter?
The role of social sciences is to understand and improve the way we live and experience our lives. This is mission critical if we are to address the grand challenges of the twenty-first century. By delivering data-driven and evidence-based policy recommendations, social scientists have a significant role to play in driving social change for a fairer and more sustainable world.
What inspires you about your work?
Now more than ever social scientists are in demand – by governments, international organisations, and businesses – to generate practical solutions to real-world problems. The intellectual challenge of meeting this demand, through my own work and in supporting that of other social scientists at the University of Birmingham and beyond, is both daunting and inspiring.
What is the most urgent issue social scientists need to tackle today and within the next three years?
It is widely accepted that in the twenty-first century humanity faces a series of intersecting global challenges: climate change, poverty, food insecurity, geopolitical conflict, population displacement, threats to democracy, and new pandemics. But before social scientists can tackle these effectively, we urgently need to make the case for the continued significance of the social sciences; we cannot take it for granted that students, taxpayers, university councils, businesses, and governments accept this starting point as a given.
What does being a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences mean to you?
I am extremely grateful and honoured to be conferred to the Fellowship. I admire the membership of the Academy and it means a lot to be a part of this community. Intellectually and strategically, the Academy’s Campaign for Social Science is of major significance in making the case for social sciences. Through the University of Birmingham’s Research Challenge Themes, in particular ‘Fairer World’, and the College of Sciences’ 2030 Strategy I hope to support this campaign.