Professors honoured with OBEs
Jun 17 2011 |
Written by
James Brilliant
In the Queen’s recent birthday honours, three University of Birmingham Professors received OBEs for work in various fields, much of which was undertaken at the University.
Professor Jon Ayres, Professor Philip Hanson and Professor John Hunter have excelled in their fields of Health and Environment, Ancient History and Archaeology, and Soviet and Russian studies.
965 people received honours in this year’s birthday honours list, ranging from MBEs to Knight or Dame Grand Cross.
Redbrick spoke to two of these University of Birmingham Professors about their work in Birmingham and this honour.
To Professor Jon Ayres:
1) How do you feel at being recognised with an OBE?
I am delighted and honoured on having being recognised in this way. It is a reflection that others appreciate one’s work over the years.
2) How do you feel the University of Birmingham has contributed towards your success?
The University has supported me considerably particularly in permitting me to take time out to undertake advisory work for Government.
The University has also strongly supported our research in the effects of environmental influences on health (notably air pollution) and their overall understanding and enthusiasm for this up-coming area of research activity has been a huge help to me.
3) Why do you feel you have been awarded this honour and how have you contributed towards the field of health and the environment?
In the 1990s the Department of Health set up a committee to look at the effects of air pollution on health (COMEAP) and I have been a member and subsequently Chairman. I have also been Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Pesticides (ACP) for the last 6 years. My research, which has been largely based on environmental factors and health, has contributed not only directly in terms of knowledge but also has fed into the development of policy.
To Professor Philip Hanson:
1) How do you feel having been recognized with an OBE?
Naturally, I’m very pleased.
2) How do you feel the University of Birmingham has contributed towards your success?
Most of my work has been done while I was based at the University. I spent quite a lot of time as a visiting scholar at Michigan, Harvard and Kyoto, and also worked, on leave of absence from Birmingham, at the UN Economic Commission for Europe, Radio Liberty and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, but Birmingham’s Centre for Russian and East European Studies has been my main workplace. CREES is not just one of the best Russian and East European Studies centres in Britain, it has been a world leader.
3) Why do you feel you have been awarded this honour, and how have you contributed towards the field of Soviet and Russian studies?
My teaching, research, consultancy and advisory work has been, in the early days, on the ways in which communist economies operated, and later on post-communist economic change. I’m no theorist. My work has been in applied economics and political economy – – in recent times mainly to do with Russia. I’ve always tried to tackle questions that are of interest to business and to policy-makers, and tried not to be talking just to fellow-specialists.
Written By James Brilliant
Shortlink: http://redbrick.me/22168
Written by
James Brilliant
on Jun 17 2011. Filed under Campus, News.
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