Rhiwbina scholar is elected to Fellowship

Rhiwbina academic and writer Professor Richard Thomas has been elected a Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales.

As a late entrant to higher education, Richard, who has lived in Rhiwbina, on and off, for more than 50 years, has drawn on his private sector experience to inform his work as a scholar. He is now head of the School of Culture and Communication at Swansea University.

Professor Richard Thomas

His citation reads: "In challenging times for the sector, he shapes policy, innovating and developing talent so that both staff and students can thrive in a positive and progressive working environment".

In addition to his many academic achievements, Richard is the author of an acclaimed cricket book and has been a speaker at the Friends of Rhiwbina Library talks.

"I am obviously delighted to be elected as a Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales, but a little bemused to find myself among such an esteemed group of academics," he told us. "The imposter syndrome is never too far away!

"This is great validation for the work of my School of Culture and Communication at Swansea, and the wonderful colleagues within it. "I also want to thank my lovely wife Amanda. When I became a mature student in 2009, I told her I was signing up to higher education for three years tops, but here I am, 16 years later and still involved. She has always been an incredible support, so this is her accolade as much as mine".

As Wales’s national academy, the Learned Society of Wales describes itself as harnessing the multidisciplinary expertise, experience, and connections of its Fellowship to promote and develop Wales’s research and innovation community, and to support the use of excellent and diverse research to solve the challenges faced in Wales and across the world.