Scrabble letters arrange to make the word 'election'

Trustee election results 2026 announced

We are pleased to announce the newly elected members of our Executive Committee. Alongside a small team of employees, BISA is run by volunteer trustees who sit on our Executive Committee.

In May 2026 eligible BISA members voted for new trustees to fill the vacant ordinary trustee positions - one of which is a new position for an academic freedom lead. This position was created based on feedback from BISA members.

This year’s election turnout was the highest since we began keeping records (for the second year in a row!). We are pleased to report that the following have been elected:

  • Dr Alice Finden (Durham University)
  • Professor Andrew W Neal (University of Edinburgh) – Academic freedom lead
  • Professor Patricia Owens (University of Oxford)
  • Dr Chris Rossdale (University of Bristol)
  • Dr Holly Eva Ryan (Queen Mary University of London)

Everyone at BISA is looking forward to working with the new trustees. Congratulations on being elected! We’ll be publishing an interview with each new trustee through July and August to help you get to know them and their areas of expertise a little better. In the meantime, you can still read their manifestos.

New trustees will begin their terms on 1 August 2026, joining existing trustees under the Chairship of Juanita Elias (Warwick). We will be saying goodbye and a big thank you Professor Tim Edmunds, Professor Jack Holland and Dr Geoffrey Swenson who have completed their terms. However we are grateful to Geoff for agreeing to stay on in a co-opted position as Programme Chair for the 2027 virtual conference.

For more information about the elections visit our elections page