UCL researchers honoured with Leverhulme prizes

The prizes are awarded by the Leverhulme Trust, an independent charity that seeks to fund ambitious research and scholarship that has the potential to generate new ideas and research breakthroughs that benefit society.  

Chosen from over 350 nominations, the Trust offered five prizes in each of the following subject categories: Archaeology, Chemistry, Economics, Engineering, Geography, and Languages and Literatures. 

Each prize is worth £100,000 and may be used for any purpose that advances the prize winner’s research.  

Dr Mathelinda Nabugodi (UCL School of European Languages, Culture and Society) was awarded a Philip Leverhulme Prize for Languages and Literatures for her work on Romanticism, the Black Atlantic, cultural impacts, and legacies of the transatlantic slave economy. 

A former Leverhulme Early Career Fellow, Dr Nabugodi studies the intersection between British Romanticism and the Black Atlantic, examining how racial slavery impacted literary culture in the period 1780-1840. 

Dr Nabugodi was the first person ever to be awarded a PhD in Creative Critical Writing by UCL, for her thesis on Shelley and Walter Benjamin. 

More recently, she has founded a seminar series, Out of Practice (OOPS), which acts as space for discussion of creative critical or experimental forms of academic writing. 

Upon learning of her prize, Dr Nabugodi said: 

““I am both delighted and honoured to receive a Philip Leverhulme Prize. It feels very special to have my work recognised in this way - and I can't wait to get started on the new project that the prize will help me realise.” 

Professor Attila Lindner (UCL Economics) was awarded a Philip Leverhulme Prize for Economics for his work on applied microeconomics, specialising in labour markets and public finance. 

Professor Lindner, who is also a Research Fellow at the Institute for Fiscal Studies, researches how public policies can alleviate inequality. His research covers topics on understanding the consequences of minimum wage policies, unemployment insurance, and technological change. 

Upon learning of his prize, Professor Lindner said: “I am deeply honoured to receive this prize and the recognition for my research. This achievement would not have been possible without my dedicated advisors, my inspiring colleagues at UCL, my exceptional co-authors, and, most importantly, the unwavering support of my family.  

““I am also truly grateful for the generous research support that accompanies the Leverhulme Prize. It will enable me to continue focusing on my work and to further explore the pressing challenges facing today’s labour markets.” 

Professor Anna Vignoles, Director of the Leverhulme Trust, said: “We continue our centenary celebrations with the announcement of this year’s prize winners. The Trust is delighted to support them through the next stage of their careers. The breadth of topics covered by their research is impressive, from landscape archaeology to biomolecular mass spectrometry, applied microeconomics to adaptable wearable robotics, and pyrogeography to critical applied linguistics.  

““Selecting the winners becomes increasingly challenging year-on-year due to the extraordinarily high calibre of those nominated. We are immensely grateful to the reviewers and panel members who help us in our decision-making.” 

Links 

• Dr Mathelinda Nabugodi’s academic profile  
• Professor Attila Lindner’s academic profile 
• School of European Languages, Culture and Society (SELCS-CMII) 
• UCL Arts & Humanities 
• UCL Department of Economics 
• UCL Social & Historical Sciences 
• Leverhulme Trust 

Image 

• L-R: Professor Attila Lindner, Dr Mathelinda Nabugodi 

Media contact 

Sophie Hunter 

T: +44 (0)7747 565 056 

E: sophie.hunter@ucl.ac.uk