Sister Helen Alford is appointed by Pope Francis as the new president of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, the Holy See Press Office reported this Saturday.
The nun, who serves as Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences of the Pontifical University of Santo Tomás de Aquino (Angelicum), in Rome (Italy), succeeds economist Stefano Zamagni, who has held this position since March 2019.
As reported by Vatican News, Sister Alford is a member of the Saint Catherine of Siena Dominican Sisters in Newcastle, United Kingdom. She graduated in Management Engineering from the University of Cambridge, where she also obtained a PhD.
Likewise, a large part of her academic career has been carried out at the Santo Tomas de Aquino University as a tenured professor of the Faculty of Social Sciences and vice-rector of the house of studies.
Sr Alford is also an international expert in Business Ethics and has taught courses in economic ethics and the history of Christian social thought at various universities. She also integrates the scientific councils of various scientific journals.
Since 2020 she is an ordinary member of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences and has been a consultant to the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace.