Professor Bettina Lange elected Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences

The Faculty extends its congratulations to Professor Bettina Lange, who is today named as a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences.

Professor Lange is one of 74 newly elected Fellows, recognised by the Academy of Social Sciences for their excellence in research and their contributions beyond academia.

Professor Lange is Professor of Law and Regulation in the Faculty of Law and a Governing Body Fellow of Wolfson College. Her main research interests address how nature and society become linked through environmental law in action. This involves analysis of the potential and limits of state law as a form of regulation. Professor Lange's research is based on qualitative empirical data and has engaged policymakers and regulators, including the co-production of drought management guidelines with the Rivers Trust. She has also carried out consultancy work for the Environment Agency on trust-based environmental regulation.  

Professor Lange's first book, Implementing EU Pollution Control: Law and Integration (Cambridge University Press), was nominated for the Peter Birks prize for outstanding legal scholarship. She has successfully supervised dozens of graduate research students and in 2023 received a Teaching Excellence Award from Oxford's Social Sciences Division.

President of the Academy of Social Sciences, Will Hutton, 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."