Adam Smith Business School

Four Business School academics - Professors Margaret Fletcher, Lee Parker, Kat Riach and Melanie Simms - have been named Fellows of the Academy of Social Sciences (AcSS).

The Academy announced its Spring 2026 cohort to honour a select group of researchers who have each demonstrated a significant impact on society. Being named a Fellow is a major professional milestone, signalling that an academic's work has reached the highest level of excellence and public benefit.

The Academy of Social Sciences serves as the UK’s national body for social science practitioners and learned societies. By electing our colleagues to this Fellowship, the Academy recognises their diverse contributions across several fields:

• Margaret Fletcher: Expertise in international entrepreneurship and education
• Lee Parker: Research leadership in interdisciplinary accounting
• Kat Riach: Leading work on the sociology of work, aging, and menopause
• Melanie Simms: Impactful research into employment relations and vocational training.

Professor Sara Carter, Vice President and Head of College of Social Sciences at UofG, said: "I am delighted that my esteemed colleagues have been elected as Fellows of this prestigious national academy. This reflects the quality and scale of social sciences at the University of Glasgow and the vital impact of our research and teaching."

The Academy’s Fellowship comprises 1,700 leading social scientists from academia, the public, private and third sectors. Fellows’ expertise covers the breadth of the social sciences, and their practice and research helps to understand and address some of the major challenges facing communities, society, places and economies.

All Academy Fellows are elected for their excellence in their fields and their substantial contributions to social science for public benefit. Selection is through an independent peer review which recognises their excellence and impact.

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First published: 19 March 2026