Leverhulme award for research success
A University researcher has received a major Leverhulme award to investigate the Jataka tales – stories of the past lives of the Buddha.
Dr Naomi Appleton of the School of Divinity has been awarded a Philip Leverhulme Prize for Philosophy and Theology.
International recognition
The £100,000 Philip Leverhulme Prizes are awarded annually by the Leverhulme Trust.
The prizes recognise the achievement of outstanding researchers whose work has already attracted international recognition, and whose future career is exceptionally promising.
I plan to use the majority of the funds in the creation of an online searchable database of Jataka stories in the texts and art of South Asia, which are a hugely influential genre in Buddhist history and culture, and a key area of my research. Jataka literature is difficult to navigate because of its scale and complexity. The largest textual collection contains around 550 stories. Creating a resource to help navigate the genre will not only enhance my own research into these fascinating stories but should also contribute towards the work of other scholars.
Prestigious awards
Philip Leverhulme Prizes have been awarded annually since 2001 in commemoration of the contribution to the work of the Trust made by Philip Leverhulme, the Third Viscount Leverhulme and grandson of William Hesketh Lever, the founder of the Trust.
The Leverhulme Trust has awarded £3 million in prizes awarded to 30 exceptional researchers who can used their award over two or three years to advance their research.
This year the Trust has made five prizes in each of the following subject areas: Biological Sciences; History; Law; Mathematics and Statistics; Philosophy and Theology; Sociology and Social Policy.