The College of Arts and Social Sciences (CASS) congratulates Associate Professor Annika Lems (School of Archaeology and Anthropology) and Associate Professor Ruth Morgan (School of History) who received news on the 8th September that their Future Fellowship projects were each granted over $1 million in funding by the Australian Research Council (ARC). 

The Australian Research Council's 2026 Future Fellowships scheme will provide more than $344 million in Australian Government funding for over 290 research projects addressing major national challenges and opportunities. 

ARC's investment in 'ambitious research across disciplines' includes twenty projects spanning across the Australian National University, two of which were within CASS. 

Ruth, who is also the Director of the ANU Centre for Environmental History, aims to deliver the first comprehensive history of water in Australian foreign aid with her project Water-Proof: Exporting Australian water expertise to the world since 1949. Annika's project, 'Rewilding, resistance, and belonging in Alpine landscapes'  aims to investigate why rural communities resist conservation efforts, focusing on how belonging and place ownership shape responses to environmental change. 

For a full report of the ARC Future Fellowships 2026 Scheme (Round 1) recipients, click here. 

Congratulations once again to Annika and Ruth!