Social scientists named in the King's Birthday Honours 2025
Three social sciences researchers at the University of Oxford have been recognised in the King's Birthday Honours 2025 for their outstanding achievements and service.
Professor Julia Black
Professor Julia Black as been appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE). Photo: Tom Weller
Professor Julia Black CBE FBA has been appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) for services to Research in the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. Professor Black is Warden of Nuffield College and President of the British Academy, the UK’s national academy for humanities and social sciences.
Prior to becoming Warden, she was a Professor of Law and Regulation at the London School of Economics and Political Science where she also held a number of senior executive roles including Pro Vice Chancellor of Research from 2014 to 2019 and interim Vice Chancellor from 2016 to 2017, and Strategic Director of Innovation from 2019 to 2024. She was awarded a CBE in the 2020 New Year’s Honours List for services to the study of law and regulation.
Professor Black commented:
I’m deeply honoured and utterly thrilled to have received this award. The social sciences, humanities and the arts are essential to our understanding and expression of what it is to be human, and integral to our ability to navigate our increasingly complex and volatile world.
Professor Frances Gardner
Professor Frances Gardner has been appointed as a Companion of the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George (CMG)
Professor Frances Gardner, Professor of Child and Family Psychology at the Centre for Evidence-Based Intervention (Department of Social Policy and Intervention), and Fellow of Wolfson College, has been appointed as a Companion of the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George (CMG) for her services to reducing violence against children.
Professor Gardner has led research on reducing child behaviour problems and violence against children for over 30 years, work that has influenced policy makers in the UK, and in many countries in Europe and across the world. Her research investigates how parenting interventions – the structured activities which help parents and carers improve parent-child interactions – can change outcomes for children. Her work shows that these interventions are highly effective for reducing violence against children, as well as child behavioural difficulties. Moreover, they can be adapted and transferred across cultures and countries, and are helpful for families troubled by poor mental health, or who are marginalised, or living in humanitarian contexts.
Professor Gardner said:
I am deeply honoured to receive this award but, more importantly, I am delighted that it raises awareness of the crucial work being undertaken around the world to support parents and reduce violence against children.
This is a true team effort, made possible by WHO and UNICEF’s unwavering advocacy for policy backed by strong evidence, and the support of the Department of Social Policy and Intervention - especially the innovative research of generations of our amazing students and postdocs, who have gone on to become our collaborators and leaders in this work.
Read the full story of Professor Frances Gardner CMG's appointment at spi.ox.ac.uk
Professor Lucie Cluver
Professor Lucie Cluver has been appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)
Professor Lucie Cluver, Professor of Child and Family Social Work at the Department of Social Policy and Intervention, has been appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for her services to children’s wellbeing and to global public health.
Also Professorial Fellow at Nuffield College, Professor Lucie Cluver works closely with the South African government, UNICEF, UNDP, USAID-PEPFAR, UNODC, the World Health Organisation and other international agencies, providing research evidence that has improved the lives of children and adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa for over 20 years.
Professor Cluver commented:
In 2002, I was a social worker in South Africa, trying to help mothers and children who were dying of HIV/AIDS, in the days before lifechanging initiatives like PEPFAR and the Global Fund. I asked local charities what they needed, and to my astonishment they said ‘research’: they wanted to know what would be the most effective and affordable ways to protect children. Now we work with governments, UN agencies and donors to answer the same question, and find solutions for millions of children who deserve the best support.
I am honoured and amazed at being given this award. Every impact that we have had is because of an incredible team – across Africa and the UK – who are dedicated to improving the lives of children. The University of Oxford gives us an amazing privilege: the academic freedom to pursue research that can directly help the most vulnerable. I’m lucky to be here.
Read the full story of Professor Lucie Cluver OBE's appointment on spi.ox.ac.uk
Honours across the University of Oxford
The King's Birthday Honours 2025 Lists mark the achievements and service of extraordinary people for their outstanding contributions, and highlight the breadth of Oxford’s global impact; from advancing children’s wellbeing and orthopaedic medicine to pioneering mathematics, computing, and ecological conservation. Discover the full list of recipients from the University of Oxford here:
