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Professor Nicola Miller (UCL History) will become the second Director of the IAS in autumn 2020. We took the opportunity to ask Nicola a few questions before she takes up her new position.
Congratulations on your appointment! Please could you tell us about yourself?
I’ve been at UCL thirty years now, happily based in the History Department, of which I was Head from 2007-12. Having originally trained in Area Studies of Latin America, I’ve always been committed to cross-disciplinary work and have enjoyed all the opportunities UCL has created to make that easier. My intellectual interests have increasingly moved towards the history of ideas, broadly defined, and my recent research has been on the history and politics of knowledge. In the next few years, I hope to build up a network of collaborators to work on the comparative history of knowledge in a range of periods and places. I’m particularly interested in thinking about how to tackle inequalities in the production and consumption of knowledge.
What is the Institute of Advanced Studies, and what attracted you to become its Academic Director?
The Institute of Advanced Studies is a space dedicated to intellectual freedom where disruptive thinking is not only allowed but encouraged and supported. It is a centre of advanced research, debate and dialogue across any kind of boundary, intellectual or institutional. It’s a forum where difficult, even intractable, social questions can be exposed to the scrutiny of rigorous critical enquiry from a variety of perspectives. Above all, it is UCL’s prime showcase for the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences and the vital contribution these disciplines make to understanding the major questions of our age, such as the climate emergency or the rise of artificial intelligence. Its work is the best possible response to critics who claim that the arts and humanities are a luxury for the privileged. For all those reasons, it’s a highly attractive place to work.
What do you perceive as the strengths of the IAS after its first five years?
For me, the IAS is notable for promoting advanced study through critical engagement with the salient questions of our age rather than scholarly retreat from the world. In a short period of time, the IAS has established an extraordinary variety of activity in terms both of the scope of its enquiries and of the methods by which they are pursued. In promoting so many different types of work – major externally-funded research projects, research centres, workshops, conferences, seminars, debating sessions, book launches, and many more-- the IAS displays the true extent and depth of what academics in the arts, humanities and social sciences actually do. It’s impressive to see how carefully the Institute has sustained the delicate balance between supporting the work of single trained minds thinking through a particular question generated from within their discipline and fostering the wider environment of community, exchange and collaboration that is the source of all intellectual flourishing. The IAS has really punched above its weight to demonstrate that arts, humanities and social science expertise is intrinsic to thinking well about contemporary questions such as lies, turbulence or waste.
How do you see the IAS contributing to the strategic priorities of SHS and A&H?
I see the IAS as central to all the main priorities of SHS and A&H, notably supporting outstanding research in all disciplines; encouraging cross-disciplinary collaboration, especially with other Faculties; leading on equalities, diversity and inclusion; and extending UCL’s range of activities with subject-relevant institutions and communities beyond the university. Looking ahead, UCL East offers promising opportunities for the IAS to contribute to advanced-level public engagement and co-production of knowledge.
What are your specific priorities as Academic Director?
My first priority is to make equalities, diversity and inclusion central to all activity at IAS, taking further steps to ensure that advanced study is a realistic option for anyone from any background. I hope to stimulate academic discussion and research about how to overcome barriers both national and global, including those that go beyond career opportunities to encompass trickier questions of cultural capital and the geo-politics of knowledge.
Secondly, I’d like the IAS to promote more projects with arts, humanities or social sciences working as equal partners with colleagues in STEM subjects. The idea would be to kick-start bold projects, asking big questions about societal challenges, with joint formulation of the research questions so that neither party is impeded by any sense that they are working to another discipline’s agenda.
Thirdly, I plan to develop an Advanced Research Training programme tailored to arts, humanities and social science disciplines. Drawing upon ideas from any colleagues who would like to contribute, we will build up a series of workshops, short courses and possibly summer schools to improve research training for all career stages. Possibilities include Writing Workshops; Recharge Research workshops (for anyone who feels stuck in their research); Working across Disciplines; and Combining research and parenthood/other caring responsibilities. There are many other options: I look forward to hearing suggestions from everyone working in arts, humanities or social sciences across UCL about what they would find most useful.
Interdisciplinarity is an established part of academic life at UCL – how does the IAS support the development of this?
The IAS is a showcase of UCL’s commitment to interdisciplinary work that is based on strength in the disciplines. In its projects, events and grant schemes, the IAS has consistently demonstrated that exchange across subject boundaries can be robust, creative and transformative. Its approach has also shown very clearly that it is only through a high level of disciplinary self-awareness that intellectual rigour can be strengthened, rather than diluted, in interdisciplinary working.
How can current students engage with the IAS?
All students at UCL, from first-year undergraduates to completing PhD students, are warmly encouraged to attend IAS events, hear about the latest advances in research, and contribute to the debates. Our current PhD students enjoy a range of further opportunities at the IAS, including the chance to apply for one of the Octagon Small Grants to organise an event, or to benefit from study space in the Common Ground. Over the next few years, I hope to increase the involvement of MA and undergraduate students in our work, through a series of initiatives such as targeted summer schools and opportunities to participate in IAS research projects. I would also like to make it possible for school students to become involved, particularly with a view to promoting diversity and inclusion.
In what ways does the IAS support our international collaborations, and how does it enable us to forge new global links?
The IAS is a global flagship for UCL and its commitment to the arts, humanities and social sciences as indispensable to understanding our world. In the first instance, given the immediacy of Brexit, it will be a priority to build on links already established with the European network of Institutes of Advanced Study. In time, I hope to create an international network of institutions, extending from China and the United States to include Latin America, Africa and South Asia. It will also be important to foster links with sister institutes throughout the UK as well as in London. The IAS has a powerful contribution to make to all of UCL’s partnerships, global, national and local.
The IAS hosts a busy and varied programme of events: which one(s) are you particularly looking forward to over the coming weeks?
There are so many fascinating events planned that it would be impossible to single out any one in particular. Indeed, one of the things I’m most looking forward to in my new role is the opportunity to participate regularly in cutting-edge debates across the spectrum of arts, humanities and social sciences. It’s hard to imagine a better chance to extend my intellectual horizons.
Becoming the Director of the IAS will no doubt make your next few months tremendously exciting – and busy! How do you relax when you’re not working?
I like to draw, paint and make collages. Working with varied materials and colours is an absorbing respite from the obsession with words that tends to dominate the life of any humanities academic. But I also find it relaxing to try other forms of writing, for example I’ve recently been experimenting with short stories, because when little is at stake you can have the fun of playing with language without the pressure. And a long afternoon in the garden, digging and pruning and planting, usually sets my world to rights.
