ACU Professor Pauline Allen recognised by prestigious British Academy

In July 2016 Professor Pauline Allen, Professor of Early Christian studies in the Institute for Religion and Critical Enquiry in the Faculty of Theology and Philosophy, was elected a corresponding Fellow of the British Academy (FBA) (FBA).

Professor Dermot Nestor, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Theology and Philosophy extended his congratulations and said, “That such an honour should be bestowed upon Professor Allen, one of the University’s most celebrated and decorated scholars, is both fitting and appropriate.”

Along with Professor Peter Bellwood, Emeritus Professor of Archaeology at Australian National University, Professor Allen was one of only two Australians honoured by election in 2016, in a total of 66 new fellows. She was elected in the Theology and Religious Studies section.

The British Academy was established in 1902 and is the United Kingdom’s peak national body for the humanities and social sciences, having a role in funding and contributing to public policy debate. The more than 1,300 fellows represent the most distinguished scholars in the relevant fields. A maximum of 42 British fellows are elected each year and up to 20 corresponding fellows each year.

Other fellows elected in the Theology and Religious Studies section include Lord Williams of Oystermouth (former Archbishop of Canterbury), Emeritus Professor Sebastian Brock (Oxford), Professor Peter Schäfer (Princeton), Emeritus Professor Wayne Meeks (Yale), Professor Martin Goodman (Oxford), Emerita Professor Frances Young (Birmingham), Emeritus Professor Andrew Louth (Durham), Emeritus Professor Timothy Barnes (Toronto), Professor Judith Lieu (Cambridge), Emerita Professor Gillian Clark (the section chair, Bristol), Professor William Horbury (Cambridge), Emeritus Professor Richard Bauckham (St Andrews), Emeritus Professor James Dunn (Durham), Professor Simon Schama (Columbia).

Professor Allen now joins an elite group of other Australians who have been so honoured.

Congratulations Professor Allen on this significant achievement.