Academic awarded prestigious Future Leaders Fellowship

Dr Nikos Papadogiannis, a lecturer in European History in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, has been awarded a prestigious Future Leaders Fellowship (FLF) worth £1.8 million.

He will lead an ambitious international study of the historically overlooked contribution of queer people of colour in the fight against social divisions and health inequalities between the Global North and South, specifically around HIV and AIDS.

Dr Papadogiannis and his team will collaborate with academic experts, charities, NGOs and activist groups across Europe, South Africa, Lebanon, Argentina and India.

Dr Papadogiannis said: “I am delighted to have been awarded this Fellowship. It will enable me to co-establish the first international Research Centre for the Study of Global Health Activism with scholars from the Global South.

“Historically, when we think of AIDS we think of white gay males in the Global North. My team and I aim to recalibrate the study of social reactions to HIV and AIDS, showing the importance of ideas from the Global South for relevant campaigns in Western Europe and the impact of protest culture.

“Queer people of colour face persistent prejudice across the globe due to their sexual orientation, race, and in some cases, gender identity and religion.”

One notable output from this FLF will be a documentary to address social injustice, featuring local queer activists in South Africa.

Agenda shaping

Dr Papadogiannis added: “This research has current relevance. We need to understand how to engage and include diversity and people from all ethnicities around a range of health and societal issues. Recent data demonstrate that black communities bear the brunt of AIDS and COVID across the globe.

“These activities and the research outputs from the FLF will also help co-shape the agenda of HIV organisations in the UK, making health campaigns more inclusive.”

Future Leaders Fellowships are awarded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) in the UK Government.

The aim of the scheme is to develop the next wave of world-class research and innovation leaders in academia and business.

The funding provides long-term support to enable Fellows to tackle highly ambitious, multidisciplinary and innovative research to address global challenges. A cornerstone of the FLF is a structured leadership and training programme to accelerate their career development and funding to build their own research group.

Dr Papadogiannis joins the University of Stirling’s rapidly growing base of UKRI-funded Fellows. He said: “The University of Stirling offers an ideal environment for my FLF, as it has a great track record on research on global activism, queer studies and race. Colleagues have provided unprecedented support for my ongoing Fellowship journey.”

UKRI Chief Executive, Professor Dame Ottoline Leyser, said: “UKRI’s Future Leaders Fellowships provide researchers and innovators with long-term support and training to develop ambitious, transformative ideas. The programme supports the research and innovation leaders of the future to transcend disciplinary and sector boundaries, bridging the gap between academia and business.  

“The fellows announced today demonstrate how these awards continue to drive excellence, and to shorten the distance from discovery to prosperity and public good.”