British Academy Fellowship success for Solent researcher

Solent University, Southampton Associate Professor, Dr Donna Peberdy, is one of 43 SHAPE researchers to be awarded a prestigious Mid-Career Fellowship by the British Academy.

The British Academy has awarded over £6.5 million in Mid-Career Fellowships to outstanding mid-career academics whose research will promote public engagement with, and understanding of, the SHAPE (Social Sciences, Humanities and the Arts for People and the Economy/Environment) disciplines.

The Mid-Career Fellowships, worth a maximum of £160,000 each, enable researchers to pursue a major piece of research that advances understanding in their subject area.

Dr Peberdy has received the award to pursue her research project ‘Screening Sexual Violence: Silence Breaking and Performance Activism Post #MeToo’. The 12-month fellowship will be dedicated to a comprehensive analysis of current ways sexual violence is depicted on screen, assessing the role and activistic potential of film and television shaping public understanding.

A distinctive aspect of the project is the analysis of 80 short films from six countries and filmmaker interviews. The project will result in a monograph and varied public engagement programme and resources, including workshops, online short film repository, parent/teacher screening materials, and filmmaker guidelines. The aim is to connect and inform local, national and international community and educational groups and create a wider collaborative network to end violence against women and girls.

These awards recognise researchers who have achieved distinction as excellent communicators and ‘champions’ in their fields. In previous years, the work undertaken by British Academy Mid-Career Fellows has led to critically-acclaimed documentaries, collaborations with art galleries, and BBC radio shows.

Professor James Knowles, Solent University’s Vice-Chancellor, says: “This project deals with an urgent global health and human rights issue with significant effects on mental health and social wellbeing, and I congratulate Dr Peberdy, already a leader in her academic field, on the award of this prestigious fellowship from the British Academy. Her award also demonstrates the exciting development of Solent’s research culture and how our researchers excel in bringing fresh thinking and debates to the public, shaping our society for the better.”

For more details on the Mid-Career Fellowships and other recipients, from institutions including University of St Andrews, University of Oxford and University College London, visit the British Academy website.

Dr Peberdy is Solent University’s Research Lead for Media, Culture and the Arts, one of Solent University’s four priority research themes. For more information on her area and the other themes – Environment and Engineering, Human Function and Health, Social Research and Policy – visit our website: https://www.solent.ac.uk/research-innovation-enterprise/research-at-solent/research-areas