French expert celebrated with Fellowship

The University of Adelaide’s Professor Natalie Edwards has been elected as a fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities.

Professor Natalie Edwards.

Professor Edwards is a Professor of French in the Faculty of Arts, Business, Law and Economics. She is an award-winning teacher, researcher and supervisor in French and Francophone literature, specialising in transnational and migrant literature, multilingual writing, and women’s writing.

“I’m honoured and humbled to have been elected by my peers as a Fellow of the Academy of the Humanities, and am indebted to the leaders in our field from whom I have learnt the value of our disciplines. Research and education in the humanities in general, and in my field of languages and literature in particular, are needed now more than ever,” said Professor Edwards.

“I look forward to working with other Fellows in the Academy to promote global citizenship, belonging and understanding,” she said.

Professor Edwards has published three monographs, 12 edited volumes and more than 40 journal articles and book chapters on contemporary literature in French.

“RESEARCH AND EDUCATION IN THE HUMANITIES IN GENERAL, AND IN MY FIELD OF LANGUAGES AND LITERATURE IN PARTICULAR, ARE NEEDED NOW MORE THAN EVER. I LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH OTHER FELLOWS IN THE ACADEMY TO PROMOTE GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP, BELONGING AND UNDERSTANDING.”
-Professor Natalie Edwards.


Within the University of Adelaide she has served as Acting Head of School of Humanities; former Deputy Dean Research and Former Deputy Dean People and Culture for the Faculty of Arts Business Law and Economics; and also as Director of Graduate Studies for Arts, overseeing approximately 350 PhD and MPhil students in Humanities, Social Sciences, Education and Music.

She has won an Australian Council for Graduate Research’s 2020 Graduate Research Leadership Award, and a Stephen Cole the Elder Award, the University of Adelaide’s premier teaching award, and a national-level Australian Award for University Teaching.

The Australian Academy of the Humanities recognise outstanding humanities researchers and leaders from the cultural, creative and research sectors in Australia.

Professor Edwards was one of 24 new Fellows announced. A full list of 2022 fellows can be found on the AAH website: https://humanities.org.au/news/announcing-2022-academy-fellows/