Professor James Arthur OBE

Professor James Arthur is the former Director of the Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues 2012-2023 in the University of Birmingham. James was Head of the School of Education from 2010-2015 and Deputy Pro-Vice-Chancellor from 2015-2019.

He was previously Editor of the British Journal of Educational Studies for ten years and has holds numerous honorary titles and Fellowships in the academe, including Honorary Professor at the University of Glasgow, Faculty Affiliate at Harvard University, Senior Fellow of Boston College, Senior Fellow of the University of Virginia, and Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Oxford. James was made an Officer of the British Empire by the Queen in 2018 and in 2020 won the internationally prestigious Expanded Reason Award from the Ratzinger Foundation in the Vatican.

He has written widely on the relationship between theory and practice in education, particularly the links between character, virtues, citizenship, religion, and education. James chairs the national Society for Educational Studies and has served on many governmental education committees, as well as the Step Up to Serve Advisory Council chaired by HRH the Prince of Wales (2013-2020). In 2023 his Centre won the prestigious QS Global Award in Education from 1,200 entries. James advises several international charities, particularly the Kern Family Foundation of which he is a Senior Fellow. James graduated with a master’s and doctorate from the University of Oxford and currently has an appointment at Harvard University.