Royal Society of Edinburgh appoints 62 new fellows

Updated

The director of the V&A Dundee and Scotland’s Lord Advocate are among 62 people appointed as new fellows of educational charity the Royal Society of Edinburgh.

They join an existing fellowship of more than 1,600 people who give their time and expertise for free to support the Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE) in delivering its mission of “knowledge made useful”.

The new fellows come from the fields of business, science, creative arts, health, technology, law, public engagement and international development.

Figures joining from the field of creative arts include V&A Dundee director Philip Long, filmmaker Mark Cousins and literary agent Jenny Brown.

James Wolffe QC
James Wolffe QC

Hermione Cockburn, scientific director at Dynamic Earth, Lord Advocate James Wolffe QC and architect John McAslan, whose practice is working on the redevelopment of the Burrell Collection in Glasgow, are also among the fellows appointed.

Professor Dame Anne Glover, President of the RSE, said: “The calibre of our fellows never ceases to amaze me and this year is no different.

“For such a small country we surpass ourselves with the talent and expertise that exists across our academic, cultural and business landscape.

“All of our fellows are assets, not just to the RSE but to Scotland and the rest of the world, and I look forward to welcoming and working with them”.

The RSE was established in 1783 and has fellows based in Scotland, the rest of the UK and elsewhere in the world.

Two honorary fellows have also been appointed as part of the new intake.

They are Johannes Clevers, professor of molecular genetics at the Hubrecht Institute, one of the world’s leading researchers on normal stem cells and their potential for regenerative therapy, and Donald Runnicles, general music director at the Deutsche Oper in Berlin.

Two members of Young Academy of Scotland (YAS) which is made up of over 120 young professionals and academics, are also appointed fellows.

The RSE said Silvia Paracchini, Royal Society University research fellow, University of St Andrews who has made “ground-breaking contributions” to her field of human genetics by identifying several key genes as well as contributing to the understanding of their role during brain development and experimental physicist Stuart Reid, professor of biomedical engineering, at the University of Strathclyde have been appointed.

The new fellows will be inducted in May 2019.

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