Professor Alice Reid elected to Academy of Social Sciences

3rd September, 2026

 

Alice Reid, Professor of Demography and Co-Director of CamPop, has been elected as a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences. She is one of 74 outstanding social scientists elected this autumn.

President of the Academy, Will Hutton FAcSS, said, "Our newest Fellows represent some of the most influential voices in social science today. Their work is expanding knowledge, challenging assumptions and generating insights that are informing and even redefining decision making across government, business, education and civil society. I am delighted to welcome them to the Academy and look forward to working with them to raise the profile and impact of the social sciences across the UK and beyond."

Faecal-oral diseases and ‘Sanitary Revolutions’ – the long view – registration open

21st May, 2026

 

A workshop on Faecal-oral diseases and 'Sanitary Revolutions' – the long view, will take place as part of the ESRC-funded project 'Water, Sanitation and Health in the First Industrial Society: Britain 1780-1930, at the West Hub, Cambridge, 15th-16th June 2026.

Programme and registration

Tracing British Lives

13th May, 2026

 

Campop researchers are embarking on an ambitious five-year project to transform research in British social, economic and demographic history. By linking millions of census records across decades, static snapshots of Victorian Britain are transformed into dynamic life histories.

The project will include a dedicated training programme – starting in September 2026 – designed to equip female History undergraduates over the course of their degrees with the quantitative and digital skills necessary for modern historical analysis. Some students will receive a full MPhil scholarship.

Alexis Litvine says: "The idea is to raise the profile of women going into our MPhil, especially in Economic and Social History, which has far too few women applicants. We are currently fundraising for a PhD scholarship to really bridge the gender gap in Economic and Social History, and empower more women to pursue advanced research."

Congratulations to prize winners

5th May, 2026

 

Congratulations to Christoph Hess, who has been awarded the Thirsk-Feinstein PhD Dissertation Prize for his thesis "Inheritance, Family Structure, and Economic Development in the Lower Yangzi Region, c.1650–1950"; and to Emiliano Travieso, who has been awarded the Nicholas Crafts Early Career Award in Economic History.

New mortality and migration data in PopulationsPast.org

13th March, 2026

 

PopulationsPast.org now has cause- and age-specific mortality rates, and age- and sex-specific net migration rates! This extension of PopulationsPast.org - an online interactive atlas of Victorian and Edwardian population produced by Campop at the Department of Geography - adds new dimensions to the existing demographic and socio-economic data.

The new data allows detailed exploration of the geography of mortality and movement in late 19th and early 20th century England, Wales, and Scotland.