UQ researchers honoured for humanities success

25 Nov 2016
Professor Alastair Blanshard

Two University of Queensland academics have been honoured for their achievements in the humanities in Australia.

UQ’s Professor Alastair Blanshard and Professor John Macarthur have been named fellows of the Australian Academy of the Humanities, alongside Australian author Tim Winton and global philosopher Jay Garfield.

UQ Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Peter Høj said he was pleased the efforts of two of UQ’s outstanding researchers had been recognised.

“This prestigious fellowship is a fitting acknowledgement of the differing contributions that Alastair and John have made to the field of humanities,” he said.

Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Executive Dean Professor Tim Dunne congratulated Professor Blanshard on his fellowship.

“Alastair holds the Paul Eliadis Chair of Classics and Ancient History and is a significant research leader in the Faculty and the School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry. He leads by example, having written several impactful books on the legal and social systems of ancient Greece,” Professor Dunne said.

“We are proud to be the only university in Queensland to offer courses in the history, culture, language and literature of ancient Greece and Rome – and Alastair continues to play a key role in the renaissance of these disciplines at UQ.”

Professor John Macarthur is the Director of UQ’s Centre for Architecture, Theory, Criticism and History at the School of Architecture.

Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology Executive Simon Biggs said Professor Macarthur had made a significant contribution to society and the humanities through his research into the relationship between architecture and the arts.

“The way in which John uses architecture to create connections between art and aesthetics is a clear example of the dynamic nature of the humanities and related fields, and I look forward to seeing what he produces in the future,” Professor Biggs said.

Australian Academy of the Humanities President Professor John Fitzgerald said he was delighted to welcome the new fellows.

“Their work highlights the importance of the humanities for understanding cultures and societies, here and abroad, past, present and future,” he said.

More than 170 UQ academics and professors emeriti are fellows of Australia’s learned academies. A list of all UQ fellows is available here.

Media: UQ Communications, communications@uq.edu.au, +61 7 3365 1130.

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