Australia Day Honour

Professor Alexander Haslam, the British social psychologist now based at the University of Queensland, has been appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in the 2022 Australia Day Honours for 'significant service to tertiary education, particularly psychology, through research and mentoring'.

The award is described as 'an opportunity to celebrate those inspiring people who make the nation what it is'. Dr Nik Steffens (University of Queensland) told us: 'We nominated Alex as a way to recognise his exceptional leadership and contributions over several decades. He has made the world a better place in many ways. His contributions have had a positive influence on the lives of many people… he made distinguished contributions to psychological science by pioneering understanding of big issues such as stereotyping and prejudice, tyranny and resistance, leadership and followership, and health and well-being. Alex is not only a deep thinker and stellar researcher, but an exceptional all-rounder. He excels as a passionate teacher of psychology – whether this is through lively lectures in the classroom, the collection of resources he put together for students around classic studies, and several textbooks he has written.'

Professor Haslam has also made significant contributions to various other communities in society by collaborating with organisations and industry to translate research to improve practice, engaging continuously in public debate and education, and serving in advisory functions. Steffens added: 'Alex has been a great role model and mentor to younger generations of researchers and professionals. In this capacity, he has been extremely supportive and compassionate. He takes a genuine interest in the interests and works of others, while encouraging others to see the value of their work to the greater good. And despite his achievements and contributions, Alex remains humble, kind, and generous.'

Haslam said: 'If there is one thing that this award highlights it is the exceptional quality of people that I work with. I can say honestly that over the course of my career there is nothing of any substance that I have done on my own, and for me the really rewarding part of my job is the motivation and intellectual uplift that I get from working with brilliant colleagues and students and from interacting with the many different groups of people around the world who engage enthusiastically with our work.'

- Find much more on Alex and his work in our archive.