Congratulations to our new Professors!

Three Oxford Continuing Education academics, Dr Elizabeth Gemmill, Dr Yasmin Khan and Dr Vlad Mykhnenko, have been conferred the title of full Professor in the University of Oxford’s 2024 Recognition of Distinction exercise. 

Dr Elizabeth Gemmill, Professor of Medieval Economic and Social History, joined the Department in 2006 and now directs the Postgraduate Certificate in Historical Studies. She served as Junior Proctor in 2016-17. Elizabeth’s research interests are in later medieval English and Scottish economic, social, and ecclesiastical history. 

In response to her new title, Elizabeth stated, ‘I am greatly honoured to be awarded the title of full professor. The application process was rigorous and made me think deeply about all aspects of my academic life and how each has played out during my career as a scholar here in Oxford.’ She added, ‘I have had wonderful opportunities in my research, teaching, and academic leadership roles. The award itself is hugely affirming and spurs me on to yet greater efforts in advancing knowledge and understanding of my beloved subject, history, inspiring others to love it too, and doing all I can to contribute to the life of this amazing university.’ 

Dr Yasmin Khan, Professor of Modern History, is a historian whose research focuses on the history of the British in India, the British Empire, South Asian decolonisation, refugees, and the aftermath of empire. She has also written about the Second World War and the imperial dimensions of the conflict. She was a student at the University of Oxford herself and studied at St Peter’s and St Antony’s colleges.  

Commenting on her new title, Yasmin said, ‘It's a great honour to have had my work recognised in this way, and I am especially grateful to colleagues in my department, college and faculty who have supported me over the years. I look forward to working with many more part-time students in Continuing Education in the years to come and seeing our history programmes continue to flourish.’  

Dr Vlad Mykhnenko, Professor of Geography and Political Economy, is an economic geographer, specialising in geographical political economy. Over the past 25 years, Professor Mykhnenko's research interests have expanded from emerging market and middle-income economies of eastern Europe (including Polish Upper Silesia and the Ukrainian Donbas) to encompass local and regional development phenomena observed across high-income, industrially advanced economies as well as low-income developing countries. 

Vlad has said he is ‘deeply honoured by the decision of the Recognition of Distinction committee. Becoming a Professor at Oxford is quite a special sensation. Over the past twenty-odd years, I’ve been fortunate to have wonderful collaborators, students, postdocs, and fellow academics across many disciplines, who have made our scientific discoveries possible. He added, ‘it has been a great privilege to have had the support from research funding agencies, charities, and private businesses that enabled us to make progress with solving some fundamental research puzzles of urban and regional decline, industrial change, and the contentious politics of economic transformation.’  

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