Professor Tony Brown elected as International Fellow of the British Academy
Professor Tony Brown is among the Southampton academics who have been named Fellows of the British Academy for their contributions to humanities and social sciences.
A Professor of Physical Geography in the School of Geography and Environmental Science, as well as holding a position at Tromsø University Museum in Norway, Professor Brown has been elected as an International Fellow.
International Fellows are scholars outside the UK who have attained high international standing in a field of study within the humanities and social sciences.
Professor Brown has developed research into the use of sedimentary ancient DNA in environmental archaeology, with a focus on integrating environmental archaeology with both the humanities and the sciences.
As a palynologist, he has also been one of the developers of forensic palynology and worked on several high-profile cases. He has received several Chief Constables letters of commendation and was partially seconded to UN-ICTY Bosnian Exhumation Team from 1997-2003.
Prof. Brown said: "I am particularly happy to be elected a Fellow of the British Academy because I do not have the standard archaeological and humanities profile and so it shows how the British Academy is increasingly appreciating the full breadth of archaeology as a discipline."
The British Academy, founded in 1902, is the UK’s national body for the humanities and social sciences. It is also a funder of both national and international research, as well as a forum for debate and public engagement.
In 2026, a total of 58 UK Fellows, 32 International Fellows and two Honorary Fellows were nominated for election to the British Academy Fellowship.
Alongside Professor Brown, Professor Jane Falkingham CBE and Professor Will Jennings from the University of Southampton were elected as part of the 2026 cohort.
They will become part of a community of nearly 2,000 academics which, across its history, has included leading minds Dame Frances Yates and Sir Winston Churchill.
Professor Susan J. Smith PBA, President of the British Academy, said: “I am delighted to welcome our newest Fellows to the British Academy. Each has made an outstanding contribution to their field, and together they reflect the remarkable breadth and depth of scholarship across our disciplines.
"Our new fellows join a community of scholars with unparalleled expertise, dedicated to advancing research, fostering collaboration across disciplines and demonstrating the value of the humanities and social sciences.”