Edinburgh Law School’s Deval Desai wins RSE award

This award recognises exceptional achievements in the arts, humanities, and social sciences by an early career researcher, which Dr Desai has demonstrated through his interdisciplinary approach that translates his research into impactful policies.

In a short space of time, Dr Desai has established an international reputation for innovative and rigorous scholarship. He is a committed mentor who supports collaboration amongst junior social sciences faculty and early career scholars, especially from and in the Global South.

About receiving this award, Dr Desai said: “It is an immense honour to receive the RSE Dame Muriel Spark Medal – named after a fearless and pathbreaking writer, concerned with reflecting on and tying together the crafts of thought, imagination, and communication. This, too, has long been a hallmark of Edinburgh Law School, and the University of Edinburgh more broadly. I am grateful for the support they have given my team and our work, as we try to live up to that tradition.”

Earlier this year, Dr Desai was elected to the Young Academy of Europe (YAE) for a seven-year term, and in 2023, he was awarded the University of Edinburgh’s Chancellor’s ‘Rising Star’ Award in recognition of his research. Dr Desai is also a member of the RSE’s Young Academy of Scotland and a Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts.