Each year the British Academy elects to its fellowship outstanding UK-based scholars who have achieved distinction in any branch of the humanities and social sciences. It is the highest honour that the Academy confers on UK residents.
Helen Kennedy’s research focuses on how data, AI and automation are experienced by non-expert folk as part of their everyday lives, how they come into being, the contexts in which they are made and shaped, how and whether they can be fair and equitable, what good digital societies looks like and why the concept of ‘the digital good’ is so contested. She has secured over £9m in research funding, including for the current ESRC Digital Good Network and Public Voices in AI . Most of her research involves collaborating with non-academic stakeholders in order to enact positive social change.
Helen responded to hearing the news, saying: “It’s a huge honour to be elected a Fellow of the British Academy, and to be in such great company, including the incredible Honorary Fellows. I’m especially pleased that my election means that digital expertise and scholarship from the north of England are represented in the British Academy Fellowship.”
About the British Academy
The humanities and social sciences have a rich and unique contribution to make to the world we live in. The British Academy’s fellowship and award-holders represent breadth and excellence of expertise across these disciplines, and the Academy’s policy and research work is dedicated to applying that insight to policy issues for public benefit and societal wellbeing.