British Academy appoints Caroline Knowles as Cities & Infrastructure Programme Director

The British Academy is delighted to announce the appointment of Caroline Knowles, Professor of Sociology at Goldsmiths, University of London, as Programme Director of the Academy’s Cities and Infrastructure Programme. 

This programme is part of the Government’s £1.5 billion Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) and is being delivered by the British Academy on behalf of all the UK national academies. It supports a current portfolio of thirteen interdisciplinary research projects that address the challenges of creating and maintaining sustainable and resilient cities in developing countries.

Caroline Knowles was until recently director of the Centre for Urban and Community Research (CUCR) at Goldsmiths, University of London. Her research and publications explore the ways in which particular strands of globalisation in the movements of objects and people compose and connect cities.

 Speaking to the British Academy earlier today, Professor Knowles said:

“This is a very exciting programme, which aims to connect academic researchers, policy makers and activists in improving living conditions in cities in the global south. I am so pleased to have the opportunity to work with multidisciplinary teams of researchers drawn from the social and medical sciences, from the sciences, from engineering and from the humanities, taking problem-solving approaches to some of the most important urban issues impacting the lives of people in developing countries.”

Foreign Secretary of the British Academy, Professor Ash Amin said:

“The British Academy is delighted to appoint Professor Knowles as the Cities and Infrastructure Programme Director. Her expertise in how globalisation connects with cities around the world will be invaluable when bringing together the multidisciplinary teams of researchers funded through this programme, working on issues from sustainable transport to managing the risks associated with landslides."

View a full list of the Cities & Infrastructure Programme awards.