UACES Lifetime Achievement Award

The UACES Lifetime Achievement Award is presented to individuals who have made a substantial and enduring contribution to the development of European Studies as a discipline.

This prestigious award recognises and values a wide range of contributions to the profession, including traditional academic achievements such as research, publications, and teaching, as well as non-traditional accomplishments that have significantly impacted the field. These might include innovative approaches to education, influential policy work, public engagement, mentorship, and efforts to foster collaboration and community within the European Studies discipline.

By honouring these diverse contributions, the award highlights the multifaceted nature of excellence in European Studies and celebrates those who have dedicated their careers to advancing our understanding of Europe and its integration.

We are delighted to announce that the recipients of the 2025 UACES Lifetime Achievement Award in European Studies is Professor Michelle Cini

Professor Michelle Cini’s outstanding contributions to European Studies began with a BA in European Studies and French from the University of Kent, an MSc from LSE and a PhD, titled ‘Policing the Single Market: The Regulation of Competition in the European Commission’.

She joined the University of Bristol in 1991 as a Jean Monnet Lecturer and has remained there during her career, becoming Professor of European Politics in 2008. She was also their Head of School of Sociology, Politics and International Studies (SPAIS) until COVID-19 hit.

Professor Cini’s research has shaped understanding of EU governance, with a particular focus on administrative culture, EU competition and state aid policy, and public ethics within EU institutions. She's edited European Union Politics, a leading textbook published by Oxford University Press, which is now in its 8th edition.

A dedicated member of UACES since the late 1980s, Professor Cini has served as a committee member, Secretary, Book and thesis prize committee member, founding co-editor of the Contemporary European Studies (CES) book series, and a co-editor for the Journal of Common Market Studies (JCMS).

Below are some kind words from Professor Cini’s colleagues to congratulate her on this wonderful achievement:

“Michelle and I go back a long way, to the time of Jacques Delors when we were both researching the European Commission. We have remained in touch ever since, reinventing ourselves most recently as 'ladies who lunch'.  Michelle is so worthy of this award. She has shown time and time again how being a good academic is so much more than excellent research: she has been there for her colleagues in thankless university leadership roles; for her students in the classroom, for decades; and for her fellow researchers as author, editor, reviewer and committee member.  Michelle is a role model for us all, having reached the top of her profession while being kind, generous and supportive. Many congratulations, Michelle!” - Professor Helen Drake, Institute for Diplomacy and International Affairs (IDIA), Loughborough University London.

“Michelle is not just a 'polymath' of European Studies - producing cutting-edge research on everything from the EU Institutions to competition policy, Brexit, Europeanisation, environmental policy and public ethics - but also a tremendously generous and kind mentor. I couldn't be happier to see her receive the UACES Lifetime Achievement  Award. Michelle is a real role model for our community and for me personally of what scholarship looks like on the page and - more importantly - in real life.” - Professor Gabriel Siles-Brügge, School for Policy Studies, University of Bristol.

Read more about the Previous Winners of the Lifetime Achievement Award here.