University of Essex's Michaela Benzeval awarded CBE

Professor Michaela Benzeval, who works at Essex University, will be awarded the CBE for her services to social science.

She is a professor of long longitudinal research and the director of Understanding Society at the university.

The title is one the highest that is possible, it sits under a knighthood and damehood but is above an OBE and MBE.

CBE - Professor Michaela Jane Benzeval (Image: University of Essex)

Professor Benzeval became a member of the Institute for Social and Economic Research at the university and was a visiting professor at the Institute of Health and Wellbeing at the University of Glasgow. 

In 2022, she was elected as a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences, and has previously worked at Queen Mary University of London, East London, and City Health Authority, The London School of Economics, and the King’s Fund.

Location - University of Essex (Image: Public)

As a student, she studied economics at the University of Bath and gained a PhD on income and health from the University of Glasgow.

The professor’s work was published in a 2021 research paper entitled Targeted Shielding and Coronavirus Symptoms Among Adults in the UK, alongside three other academics.

Chris Greer, Pro-Vice-Chancellor Research at Essex University, said everyone on the campus is proud of the professor.

They said: “We are very proud that Professor Michaela Benzeval has received recognition for her outstanding work as the director of Understanding Society at the institute for social and economic research.

“Professor Benzeval has helped Understanding Society establish its reputation as one of the largest and most significant studies of its kind in the world - delivering important insights into how we live our lives.

“We are very pleased that such an important member of the research community at Essex has been honoured in this way.”