Reader in Psychology Awarded Mid-Career Fellowship by the British Academy
Posted on 8 May 2019
The British Academy has awarded £3.5million in Mid-Career Fellowships to 30 outstanding academics whose research will contribute towards public understanding of the humanities and social sciences. The Fellowships are designed to support talented individual researchers; alleviating teaching commitments and giving them time to focus on a major piece of research.
Dr Rob Jenkins has been awarded the fellowship to support his research proposal ‘Weekly fluctuations in decision making and behaviour’, which examines the implications of a recent discovery that willingness to take risks changes systematically through the week.
Risk tolerance decreases from Monday to Thursday and rebounds on Friday, and this effect is strong enough to influence behaviour at the population level. Consequently, the outcomes of individual and group decisions (eg political referendums) can depend on the day of the week on which the decisions are taken. The purpose of the proposed research is to map the range of conditions over which the weekly risk cycle holds, and to understand what drives it.
Welcoming the new Mid-Career Fellows, President of the British Academy Sir David Cannadine, said:
“I am delighted to welcome this group of exceptional scholars to the British Academy. The research funded under the Mid-Career Fellowships scheme is always fascinating, engaging and relevant, and this year’s projects are no exception.
“We wish the Mid-Career Fellows every success and look forward to seeing the results of their work.”
The awards provide opportunities for scholars who have already established a significant track record as an excellent communicator and ‘champion’ in their field, and who are normally within no more than 15 years from the award of their doctorate.
To be eligible, Mid-Career Fellows are required to demonstrate a commitment to public engagement and to communicate their project to a broad audience.
Find out more about the fellowships.