Professor Stephen Tierney elected Fellow of the British Academy

Professor Stephen Tierney KC (Hon) FRSE, Professor of Constitutional Theory at Edinburgh Law School, has been elected a Fellow of the British Academy. Founded in 1902, the British Academy is the UK's national academy for the humanities and social sciences. It is a Fellowship of over 1,800 world-leading scholars from the UK and overseas. 

Professor Tierney is among 58 UK scholars, and one of two from the University of Edinburgh, elected to the Fellowship this year in recognition of outstanding contributions to their fields. The new cohort comes from 28 universities across the UK. In addition, 32 International Fellows and two Honorary Fellows were elected.

Professor Tierney's research interests lie in the constitutional theory of the state, focusing upon the functions constitutions perform in responding to changing political dynamics. In three monographs published by Oxford University Press over the past two decades he has applied constitutional theory to explore challenges posed to the contemporary polity by, respectively, nationalism, referendums and federalism. 

Professor Tierney was the founding Director of the Edinburgh Centre for Constitutional Law. He is also Distinguished Global Professor of Law at Notre Dame Law School in the United States. Professor Tierney was appointed Honorary King's Counsel in 2024 and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 2020; he has also served as Legal Adviser to the House of Lords Constitution Committee since 2015.

Professor Susan J. Smith, President of the British Academy, said: “I am delighted to welcome our newest Fellows to the British Academy. Each has made an outstanding contribution to their field, and together they reflect the remarkable breadth and depth of scholarship across our disciplines.

 "At a time when society is grappling with radical uncertainty in the face of technological, economic and environmental change, the humanities and social sciences have never been more important. Insights from economics, geography and political studies help us navigate geopolitical tensions, while literature, history and philosophy – to name a few of the disciplines the Academy represents – fuel our creative industries and help people to better understand themselves and each other.”

Professor Tierney said: "I am greatly honoured to be elected a Fellow of the British Academy. My work concerns the role of constitutions in upholding democratic standards; a matter of particular concern today. I look forward to working with colleagues from across the Academy in promoting the academic voice within public affairs."

Image credit: The British Academy