Election to the Academy of Social Sciences is one of the most significant honours available to researchers in the field in the UK. This year, two academics from Lancaster University have earned that distinction. Professor Suzanne Ost, of the Law School, and Dr Aaron Winter, Senior Lecturer in Sociology, are among 74 social scientists recognised for excellence in their disciplines and for work that delivers genuine public benefit.
Their appointments matter beyond personal celebration. They illustrate what the modern social sciences in the UK actually do: examine legal and political systems, economic structures, human behaviour and complex social dynamics — and turn that analysis into evidence that policymakers, practitioners and communities can use. For prospective students, early-career researchers and anyone interested in how research shapes society, the stories behind these two Fellowships offer a clear picture of where a career in the social sciences can lead. If you are considering that path yourself, explore Lancaster University’s undergraduate and postgraduate social sciences programmes to see how your own interests might develop.
What Fellowship of the Academy of Social Sciences Means
The Academy of Social Sciences is the national academy for academics, practitioners and learned societies across the social science disciplines in the UK. Fellowship is conferred, not applied for: candidates are nominated and elected by their peers on the strength of their work. Election signals two things at once — excellence in research and professional practice, and substantial contribution beyond academia, whether in policy, public service, industry or civil society.
That dual test is what makes the honour distinctive. Many awards recognise scholarly output alone. The Academy asks what the research is for. The 74 new Fellows announced this year were chosen because their practice and findings help address major challenges facing communities, society, places and economies — from healthcare ethics to racism, extremism, inequality and social change. It is a reminder that in the UK, the social sciences are judged not only by publications and citations, but by the difference they make.
Professor Suzanne Ost: Law, Ethics and the Protection of Vulnerable People
Professor Ost’s research moves across two demanding fields. The first is healthcare law, medical law and bioethics, with particular attention to assisted dying, exploitation in healthcare, sexual boundary breaches between doctors and patients, and the effect of criminal law on healthcare practice and bioethical decision-making. The second concerns unknowing victims of crime, legal and societal responses to child sexual abuse material, and the sexual grooming, exploitation and abuse of children.
Both fields place her work at points where law, medicine, ethics and public opinion collide — precisely where careful social science is most needed. Questions such as how jurisdictions should legislate on assisted dying, or how legal systems should respond to online child sexual abuse material, cannot be settled by legal doctrine alone. They require an understanding of public attitudes, institutional behaviour and the lived experience of vulnerable people. That interdisciplinary approach is central to how the social sciences operate at their best.
From Research Findings to Real-World Policy
Professor Ost’s election as a Fellow rests in large part on the influence her expertise has had outside the university. She is a Council Member of the Nuffield Council on Bioethics, the leading UK body advising on ethical questions in biology and medicine. She served as Expert Adviser to Jersey’s Assisted Dying Review Panel in 2025–2026, and previously as Expert Adviser to the Citizens’ Juries on Assisted Dying convened by Jersey and by the Nuffield Council in 2021 and 2024.
These roles show a clear route from academic analysis to public decision-making. Citizens’ juries, review panels and advisory councils depend on evidence that is rigorous, independent and intelligible to non-specialists. Explaining her motivation, Professor Ost said: “The value of social science research to society and the wider world has never been greater. Addressing many of the most pressing challenges of our time requires insights from disciplines that examine legal and political systems, economic structures, human behaviour and complex social dynamics.” She added that she is “deeply committed to demonstrating the real-world impact of social science research through policy engagement, engaging with diverse publics, and contributing to evidence-based solutions to societal challenges.”
For students weighing a research career in law, bioethics or criminology, the lesson is direct: specialise in questions that matter to real institutions, and make your findings available to the bodies that need them. If you would like guidance on research routes in these fields, learn more about postgraduate research opportunities and how to apply.
Dr Aaron Winter: Race, Racism and the Mainstream of Democratic Politics
Dr Winter’s research addresses some of the most contested subjects in contemporary politics: race and anti-racism, their relationship with the mainstream in liberal democratic societies, and the limitations of counterextremism and counterterrorism responses. His work asks difficult questions about how far-right ideas move from the margins into ordinary political debate — and what conventional responses to extremism miss.
His published record reflects that focus. His books include Historical Perspectives on Organised Crime and Terrorism (Routledge, 2018), Reactionary Democracy: How Racism and the Populist Far Right Became Mainstream (Verso, 2020), later translated into Spanish, and Researching the Far Right: Theory, Method and Practice (Routledge, 2020). Beyond books, he has published in leading journals such as Identities: Global Studies in Culture and Power, Ethnic and Racial Studies and the Journal of Political Ideologies.
Public Engagement as Core Academic Practice
What distinguishes Dr Winter’s profile is the reach of his engagement beyond the university. He has written for The Independent, openDemocracy and The Big Issue, and appears regularly in the media. He is a trustee of the Runnymede Trust, the UK’s leading race equality think tank, and of the Sociological Review Foundation. He is Co-Editor-in-Chief of Identities, co-editor of the Manchester University Press book series Racism, Resistance and Social Change, and sits on the editorial board of Ethnic and Racial Studies. He has previously served the discipline through roles including convenor of the Race and Ethnicity Study Group at the British Sociological Association.
Receiving the Fellowship, Dr Winter was clear about the moment: “As an academic committed to understanding and addressing social problems and public engagement, I am honoured to have been conferred as a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences… I cannot think of a more urgent time to do so when the far right is on the rise, inequalities are increasing and the Social Sciences — which are so well placed to help understand and address these — are under attack.”
His career illustrates a second lesson for aspiring researchers: public engagement is not a distraction from serious scholarship but an extension of it. Writing for broad audiences, advising organisations and serving editorial and professional bodies all build the contribution beyond academia that honours such as this Fellowship are designed to reward.
Why Public Benefit Sits at the Centre of UK Social Sciences
Read together, the two appointments explain much about the direction of the social sciences in the UK. Universities are increasingly asked to demonstrate the value of their research to taxpayers, employers and communities. The Academy’s criteria answer that question directly: excellent social science is expected to reach beyond the seminar room into policy, public service and civil society.
The practical examples are easy to find in the work of these two academics. Assisted dying legislation currently under debate in parts of the UK depends on evidence about public attitudes, safeguards and international experience — the exact territory Professor Ost has advised on. Responses to the growth of far-right movements depend on research that explains how mainstream and extremist politics interact — the territory Dr Winter has mapped. Neither question can be answered by intuition. Both require systematic study of institutions, behaviour and power, which is precisely what the social sciences provide.
There is also a defensive argument here. As Dr Winter notes, the social sciences face political and financial pressure in several countries. The clearest response is a steady record of public benefit: research that helps legislatures draft better laws, helps charities target their work, and helps the public understand complex events. Recognition schemes such as the Academy Fellowships exist partly to document that record.
Lessons for Aspiring Social Scientists
For students and early-career researchers inspired by these appointments, the paths taken by Professor Ost and Dr Winter offer practical guidance worth following.
Choose Questions with Real Stakes
Both academics work on subjects where the answers matter to identifiable audiences: legislators drafting assisted dying laws, doctors navigating ethical boundaries, policymakers countering extremism, and communities affected by racism. Applied focus does not narrow a career; it gives research direction and purpose — and it makes funding, collaboration and impact far easier to achieve.
Work Across Disciplinary Boundaries
Professor Ost operates at the intersection of law, ethics, criminology and sociology. Dr Winter draws on political science, sociology and history. The most pressing societal problems do not respect departmental lines, and neither should researchers. When selecting degree programmes, students should look for courses and departments that encourage this kind of interdisciplinary thinking.
Invest in the Profession and the Public
Editorial roles, trusteeships, policy advice and media commentary all featured in the portfolios behind these two Fellowships. Contributing to learned societies and to public debate builds networks, sharpens communication and demonstrates the broader contribution that bodies such as the Academy look for. If you want to see how researchers combine these activities in practice, explore research at Lancaster University and the work of its social science faculties.
Studying Social Sciences at Lancaster University
The two new Fellows sit within a broader research environment. Lancaster University’s Faculty of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences brings together Law, Sociology, Politics, Linguistics and related departments, supported by interdisciplinary research centres examining social futures, data and inequality. For prospective students, the presence of academics whose work informs national policy and public debate is a practical marker of quality: teaching in such departments is shaped by people who are actively defining their fields.
Whether at undergraduate or postgraduate level, studying the social sciences means learning to gather and interpret evidence about human behaviour and social institutions, and to communicate findings clearly to varied audiences — skills valued across government, business, the charity sector and academia alike. Book a place at an open day or virtual tour to see the departments, meet academics and judge the environment for yourself.
Conclusion
Fellowship of the Academy of Social Sciences is earned through years of rigorous research and sustained public contribution. Professor Suzanne Ost and Dr Aaron Winter have each demonstrated that combination — excellence in scholarship paired with a tangible commitment to public benefit, whether through bioethics advice that shapes legislation or public scholarship that clarifies the rise of the far right. Their recognition reflects well on them, on the social sciences at Lancaster University, and on a discipline whose value to UK society has rarely been more visible. If their work has sparked your interest, submit your application or sign up for updates today — and take the first step towards a career in which research genuinely serves the public.
