University of Bath Professor Julie Barnett has been elected to the Fellowship of the Academy of Social Sciences in recognition of her substantial contributions to social science for public benefit.

Julie is a Professor of Health Psychology in Bath’s Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, and a leading expert in risk – how it is viewed by the public, communicated and managed. She has served as Associate Dean (Research) for her Faculty and more recently as Associate Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research).

Her recent work focuses on issues relating to public health ranging from loneliness and social prescribing through to the management of food allergy. Among her current roles, she is part of the leadership team of the Healthy Later Living Network and is social science lead in the Centre of Excellence in Water-Based Early-Warning Systems for Health Protection (CWBE), which is working to develop warning systems to prevent future disease outbreaks.

Julie said: “It is a real honour to be elected to the Fellowship of the Academy of Social Sciences. It’s amazing to be recognised alongside people whose work has had such meaningful impact.

“It’s really important for me to acknowledge the colleagues I’ve worked with right across my career, at Bath and beyond. It’s been great to be part of a faculty and a university that continues to grow in stature and impact.”

She added: “Psychology research helps to address important challenges that are rarely single discipline issues. I’ve always sought to work with people in different fields. For example, in CWBE, working with colleagues in chemistry, electrical engineering, mathematics and life sciences, is helping us to take a real One Health approach to deliver new tools that will bring benefits to human, animal and environmental health.”

Deborah Wilson, Dean of Bath's Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, said: "Julie has made a really significant impact in the study of health psychology and her work continues to help us to better understand how people think and feel about a huge range of important and pressing issues. I'm so pleased she'd been recognised with this well-deserved and important honour and wish her many congratulations."

Fellows are elected to the Academy of Social Sciences for their significant contributions to social science, which highlight the relevance of the social sciences in understanding and addressing the many varied societal challenges facing the UK and the world today.

President of the Academy, Will Hutton FAcSS, said, “I’m delighted to welcome these leading social scientists to the Academy’s Fellowship this spring. Their substantial contributions have furthered knowledge and our understanding in tackling a wide range of societal challenges. We look forward to working with them to further promote the important role the social sciences play in our daily lives.” 

The Academy’s Fellowship comprises 1,700 leading social scientists from academia, the public, private and third sectors. All Fellows are selected through an independent peer review process for excellence in their fields and their substantial contributions to social science for public benefit. 

Julie’s election builds upon her receiving the University of Bath Vice-Chancellor's Research Medal in 2025. That award was established in 2009 and is awarded annually in recognition of sustained research excellence and impact.