Members of the School of History are international leaders of research, and, for their efforts, they have often garnered prizes, awards and distinctions. This recognition is awarded not only for innovative and excellent research, but also for sustained contributions to our profession – and sometimes to adjacent disciplines – in subject associations, as editors of journals, and as members of the many peer review bodies that underpin historical research in the UK and abroad.
All members of the School are Fellows of the Royal Historical Society. We have several Fellows of the British Academy and of the Academia Europea, as well as Fellows of the Medieval Academy of America. The contribution of some colleagues to the cultures of particular countries has been recognised by decorations such as the French Palmes académiques and the Royal Danish Academy. Members of the School, have delivered prestigious series of lectures (Wiles, Tanner, Sherman), and have won international prizes for lifelong contributions. The environment of collegial striving, which is both individual and collective, is supportive of colleagues at all stages of their academic careers.
The School encourages its members to take part in professional enterprises, such as editorial boards of journals (like Past and Present and Twentieth Century British History). All members of the School are involved in the lively research seminars of the University of London at the Institute of Historical Research. They co-convene seminars and create new ones: most recently, the seminar of the history of liturgy co-created by Dr Eyal Poleg, and the seminar of the history of the U.S. Presidency, co-created by Professor Mark White.
The School’s excellence in historical research and in the nurture of doctoral students, has led it to develop a number of distinctive exchange schemes around emergent research. There are annual meetings with Northwestern University, the University of Basel, the University of Freiburg, and the University of Delaware. These are opportunities for our PhD students to gain experience in different research cultures, to present work and gain comment on it. It also allows for the planning of collaborations and mutual engagement between more established scholars, in a congenial environment.