Heriot-Watt researchers receive funding from Royal Society of Edinburgh

Five research projects at Heriot-Watt University are receiving a share of almost £670,000 in funding from the Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE), which supports research to tackle society’s most pressing challenges.

The awards are part of the Society’s Research Awards Programme, which aims to support Scotland's research sector by nurturing promising talent, stimulating research in Scotland and promoting international collaboration.

The Heriot-Watt projects are among 63 “exceptional research projects” to receive a total of £686,500 as part of the RSE’s autumn 2024 Research Awards programme.

In the Small Grants category, Dr Alexis Cartwright-Taylor, a geophysicist and Assistant Professor in Heriot-Watt’s School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure and Society, is receiving funding alongside collaborators Dr Hannah Menke, a Research Fellow at Heriot-Watt University who is a specialist in earth and environmental engineering – and Dr Ian Butler, an experimental geoscientist and geochemist at University of Edinburgh. Their research project is A novel and transformative micro-physical measurement tool for the subsurface Net-Zero energy transition.

In the Research Collaboration Grants category, Dr Anitha Devadoss, a biochemist and biosensor specialist at Heriot-Watt's School of Engineering and Physical Sciences, is receiving funding alongside collaborators Professor Helen Bridle, a biochemist at Heriot-Watt specialising in waterborne pathogens, and materials scientist Dr Suman Singh of CSIR-Central Scientific Instruments Organisation, based in India. Their research project is Robust electrochemical sensor for ultra-sensitive detection of water pathogens.

In the Personal Research Fellowships category, Dr Lauren McWhinnie is receiving funding for her research project, Mitigating the impacts of rapidly expanding Arctic tourism on whales in northern waters. Dr McWhinnie is a marine biologist and Assistant Professor at Heriot-Watt’s School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure and Society.

In the International Joint Projects category, supported by the Scottish Government Berlin Office, Heriot-Watt geoenergy researcher Dr Julien Maes is receiving funding with collaborator Dr Jenna Poonoosamy, a geochemist at Germany’s Institut für Fusion Energy and Nuclear Waste Management. Their research project is Multi-phase flows in chemically evolving porous media.

And in the International Bilateral Visits category, Dr Mioara Cristea, a social psychologist and Associate Professor at Heriot-Watt’s School of Social Sciences is receiving funding for visiting colleagues at the University of Milano-Bicocca in Italy. Their research project is Climate change conspiracies and collective actions.

RSE Vice President, Research, Professor Anne Anderson OBE FRSE said: “The RSE’s Research Awards Programme is crucial in supporting Scotland’s vibrant research community. These awardees will drive forward knowledge, address global challenges, and make valuable contributions to Scottish society. On behalf of the RSE, I congratulate these outstanding researchers and their international collaborators, and I look forward to following the outcomes of their work.”

The RSE's Research Awards Programme runs twice a year in spring and autumn.

The Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters and was established in 1783 to deploy knowledge for public good.