Four academics from The Australian National University (ANU) have been elected Fellows of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia, recognising their contributions to research, public policy, and creating positive change in society.
Professor Tegan Cruwys, Professor Evan Kidd, Honorary Professor Hugh Mackay and Honorary Professor Stuart Ward are among 43 new Fellows elected in 2026.
The Fellowship is one of the highest honours in the social sciences, recognising researchers whose work advances knowledge and helps address challenges facing communities in Australia and around the world.
The four ANU academics bring expertise spanning psychology, language and cognition, social research and history.
Psychology and the 'social cure'
Professor Tegan Cruwys (School of Medicine and Psychology) looks at how social connections and group identities influence health and wellbeing.
Known as the 'social cure', this approach explores how belonging to social groups can support mental and physical health.
Professor Cruwys' applies social science theory and methods to tackle complex or "wicked" health challenges, including youth suicide, weight stigma, loneliness, and the psychological effects of climate disasters.
Through her research and partnerships, including with the ACT Government on youth wellbeing, she works to translate evidence into policy and interventions that improve health outcomes and reduce inequities, particularly for marginalised communities.
Language, learning and cognition
Professor Evan Kidd (School of Literature, Languages and Linguistics) studies how people learn, understand and use language.
His research examines the way genetic, cognitive and environmental factors shape language learning and processing; from first language development to bilingualism and second language acquisition.
Professor Kidd also shares science with public audiences through media interviews, public lectures, and television. His TEDx Sydney talk, Imaginary Friends, encouraged families to start taking play more seriously; and his child development expertise featured in the first season of Old People’s Home for 4 Year Olds, which won an International Emmy Award in 2020.
Understanding a fragmented society
For more than six decades, Honorary Professor Hugh Mackay AO (Research School of Psychology) has studied Australian society by listening to people share their experiences, hopes, frustrations and aspirations.
His research has explored how Australians think, feel and respond to social change. Today, his chief concern is the increasing fragmentation of society, and the rise of loneliness and social isolation as public health issues.
Professor Mackay was a weekly newspaper columnist and prolific author. He also established The Mackay Report, a quarterly qualitative research program launched in 1979 that ran for 25 years and produced more than 100 reports examining different aspects of Australian life.
History, empire and Australian identity
Honorary Professor Stuart Ward (School of History) researches how imperialism and decolonisation have shaped societies and national identities.
His work spans colonial contexts across Africa, South Asia, Canada, the Caribbean and Australia, with a particular focus on the decline of European colonial order in the twentieth century.
He has two books examining the impact of global decolonisation on Australian public life, one of which was shortlisted for the Australian Prime Minister's Prize for History.
Read more about all the 2026 Fellows on the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia website.
