The chief executive of the British Academy has resigned?after an investigation into?alleged breaches of the scholarly society¡¯s harassment and bullying policy.

The academy, the UK¡¯s national body for the humanities and social sciences, said that Alun Evans had stepped down with immediate effect.

¡°This follows allegations of breaches of the academy¡¯s harassment and bullying policy which prompted the trustees to commission an independent investigation as soon as the matters were raised,¡± the academy said in a statement. ¡°The investigation has now reported its findings and these will be passed to the trustees for them to consider.

¡°The trustees are committed to reviewing the report to see what lessons can be learned and whether any further actions are required.¡±

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Robin Jackson, chief executive of the academy between 2006 and 2015, has been appointed interim chief executive.

Mr Evans, formerly a senior civil servant who was director of the Scotland Office until he joined the academy in 2015, is a Gwilym Gibbon Fellow at Nuffield College, Oxford, and a visiting professor at King¡¯s College London. He was working towards a PhD in political history at Queen Mary University of London, according to the British Academy website.

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Sir David Cannadine, the academy¡¯s president, said: ¡°The academy is committed to providing a respectful and enabling working environment and our trustees will review the report and these events carefully to see what lessons can be learned.¡±

chris.havergal@timeshighereducation.com