John Maxwell Landers, (born 1952) is a British

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the stu ...

anthropologist An anthropologist is a person engaged in the practice of anthropology. Anthropology is the study of aspects of humans within past and present societies. Social anthropology, cultural anthropology and philosophical anthropology study the norms and ...

, and academic, who specialises in

historical demography Historical demography is the quantitative study of human population in the past. It is concerned with population size, with the three basic components of population change (fertility, mortality, and migration), and with population characteristi ...

. He was Principal of

Hertford College, Oxford Hertford College ( ), previously known as Magdalen Hall, is a colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. It is located on Catte Street in the centre of Oxford, directly opposite the main ga ...

, from 2005 to September 2011.

Early life and education

Landers was educated at Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School, Elstree, Southgate Technical College, Hertford College, Oxford ( BA Human Sciences, MA) and

Churchill College, Cambridge Churchill College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. It has a primary focus on science, engineering and technology, but still retains a strong interest in the arts and humanities. In 1958, a trust was establish ...

( PhD, ''Some problems in the historical demography of London, 1675-1825'', approved 13 November 1984). He is now a

Doctor of Letters Doctor of Letters (D.Litt., Litt.D., Latin: ' or ') is a terminal degree in the humanities that, depending on the country, is a higher doctorate after the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree or equivalent to a higher doctorate, such as the Doctor ...

of the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

and a

Fellow of the Royal Historical Society A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

Academic career

From 1980 until 1990 Landers was Lecturer in Biological Anthropology at

University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = ...

. From 1991 to 2005 he was University Lecturer in Historical Demography at the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

and a

Fellow A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

All Souls College, Oxford All Souls College (official name: College of the Souls of All the Faithful Departed) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Unique to All Souls, all of its members automatically become fellows (i.e., full members of t ...

, where he is now the external Chair of the college's Audit Committee. From 2005 to 2011 he was Principal of Hertford College, Oxford where he is now an Honorary Fellow. During the academic year 1994/95 he served as Assessor and he has formerly been a member of the

Hebdomadal Council The Hebdomadal Council was the chief executive body for the University of Oxford from its establishment by the Oxford University Act 1854 until its replacement, in the Michaelmas term of 2000, by the new University Council. Chaired by the Vice- ...

and the General Board at Oxford. In March 2013 he was appointed Chair of the Animals in Science Committee an independent expert advisory body which advises ministers on matters relating to animals protected under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act.

Publications

Author *John Landers, ''Death and the metropolis: studies in the demographic history of London 1670-1830'' (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1993) *John Landers, ''The field and the forge: population, production, and power in the pre-industrial west'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003) Editor *John Landers, ed., ''Historical epidemiology and the health transition'' (Canberra: Health Transition Centre, National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Australian National University, 1993) Joint editor *John Landers and Vernon Reynolds, eds, ''Fertility and resources'' (Thirty-first Symposium of the Society for the Study of Human Biology, University of Oxford, 1989, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1990)

Sources and further information

Hertford College website, including a photograph of John Landers in the London EyeUniversity of Oxford Annual Review 2004/05''Oxford Blueprint: The newsletter of the University of Oxford'' 5:5 (13 January 2005)All Souls College, Oxford
1952 births Living people Alumni of Churchill College, Cambridge Alumni of Hertford College, Oxford Academics of University College London Fellows of Hertford College, Oxford Fellows of All Souls College, Oxford Principals of Hertford College, Oxford Fellows of the Royal Historical Society {{England-historian-stub