The Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities (IASH) today welcomes its new Director, Professor Steve Yearley FRSE. He is the seventh director of IASH since its foundation in 1969, following in the footsteps of figures such as William Beattie CBE and Susan Manning.
Yearley said, “I am delighted to be taking over as Director of the Institute as it approaches its 50th anniversary. IASH is an integral part of the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, contributing to interdisciplinary working across the university. The work of my predecessor, Professor Jo Shaw, has been inspirational, and I look forward to developing new projects and building on Jo’s legacy.”
Yearley joined Edinburgh in 2005 as Professor of the Sociology of Scientific Knowledge. From 2006 to 2013, he was Director of the ESRC Genomics Policy & Research Forum, an innovative centre focused on bringing insights from the social sciences to public and policy debates around the life sciences. At the Forum, Steve and other team members worked closely with a range of collaborators, from the Human Genetics Commission and the OECD to the Natural History Museum, the Royal Society of London, the Edinburgh International Book Festival and the Traverse Theatre. Steve returned from his secondment and moved to Science, Technology and Innovation Studies in 2013.