Kate Pickett named Professor for the Public Understanding of Social Science
Posted on Thursday 28 May 2026
The landmark title has traditionally been used in areas such as mathematics and biology, but comes at a time when global leaders are warning of a surging inequality emergency.
Coinciding with this, Professor Pickett was also chosen as one of just 40 global experts on a Consultative Council to a new UN-endorsed International Panel on Inequality (IPI).
Modelled closely on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Professor Pickett and a body of international experts have already recommended a two-year programme of priorities - to monitor trends, synthesize current research, establish new research, and hand world governments concrete policy blueprints to combat social disparities.
Professor Pickett is best known as the co-author of the international bestseller The Spirit Level, a seminal study which shifted the global economic conversation by proving that severe inequality physically and socially damages everyone within a society, including the wealthy. She is a co-founder, and patron, of the Equality Trust, which campaigns to reduce economic and social inequality.
Better society
She also serves as the Director of the Born in Bradford Center for Social Change at University of York, linked to Born in Bradford, a major project tracking the health and wellbeing of thousands of children in West Yorkshire.
Professor Pickett said: "Leading experts championing the sciences to explain our health and the mysteries of our universe has been hugely effective, but human society has its own complexities that also need to be more widely understood.
“Elevating the social sciences to this level of public prominence shows that York is invested in understanding human behavior, systemic inequality, and developing social policies that are meaningful to how we go about our lives.
“It is a truly exciting role and I look forward to working with local and international communities, other researchers, and policymakers to co-create a better society for us all.”
The announcement follows the launch of her new book, The Good Society: And How We Make It, which draws on three decades of her research to argue that fixing public services requires prioritizing those who have the least.
The book argues that confronting poverty and systemic wealth gaps is the prerequisite to solving wider societal crises.
Social division
Vice-Chancellor of the University of York Professor Charlie Jeffery, said: “Professor Pickett is known and respected worldwide not just for her research, but also in developing, and lobbying for, the policy interventions that will combat the disadvantages faced by some of the most vulnerable people in our society.
“As a University dedicated to public good, we know this role will allow Professor Pickett to use her expertise in new and exciting ways that will propel us closer to a fairer and more prosperous society.”
Professor Pickett will next be seen at the York Festival of Ideas event ‘Democracy on Trial’ on Sunday, 7 June, where Professor Pickett and a panel of experts will debate whether new thinking is needed to reinvigorate democracy, before handing over to a citizens’ jury to decide if democracy is too flawed to save or whether it can be reclaimed.
