Five Heriot-Watt professors are named new Fellows of the RSE

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The RSE (Royal Society of Edinburgh), Scotland’s national academy, has revealed its newly selected 2021 Fellows and five of these have been awarded to Heriot-Watt Professors.

Professor John Ludden CBE, RAS, AE, Bicentennial Research Professor at The Lyell Centre, Professor Heather McGregor, Executive Dean, Edinburgh Business School, Professor Stuart Macgregor at the Institute of Chemical Sciences, Professor Yvan Petillot of Robotics and Autonomous Systems and Professor Bernd Schroers of Mathematics have all been selected as this year's fellows.

These new Fellows will join the RSE’s current roll of around 1,600 leading thinkers and practitioners from Scotland and beyond, whose work has a significant impact on our nation.

This year’s cohort includes many new Fellows who have made a positive impact during the global Covid-19 pandemic: either as a result of their academic research or through their contribution to arts or for the role they have played in communicating complex information with the public. Those who are elected to the Fellowship have undergone a rigorous assessment of their achievements, professional standing and the contribution they and their work make to wider society.   

The list includes many leading academics such as Professor Devi Sridhar, Chair of Global Public Health and Director of Global Health Governance Programme at Edinburgh University. Professor Sridhar, whose research considers the effectiveness of public health interventions, has become a household name in the last 12 months as a public health expert during the coronavirus pandemic.

Also becoming a Fellow is Louise Macdonald OBE, who has been instrumental in helping to shape Scotland’s future for young people through her work as CEO at Young Scot, and has recently been appointed as National Director of IoD (Institute of Directors) Scotland. She has also co-chaired the RSE Post Covid-19 Futures Commission’s Public Debate and Participation Working Group and the First Minister's National Advisory Council on Women and Girls.
 

Professor of Infection at the University of Dundee, and Chair of the Scottish Antimicrobial Prescribing Group Dilip Nathwani, has also been elected. Professor Nathwani is a global leader in advocating for the pivotal role that healthcare professionals have in dealing with the global pandemic of antimicrobial resistance, supporting their education in understanding how antibiotics work and improving their prescribing behaviour, a situation which has been exacerbated by the current Covid-19 crisis.

Alongside the 79 Ordinary Fellows, is Honorary Fellow Baroness Onora O'Neill of Bengarve,  who is known globally for her work in political philosophy and ethics, and seven Corresponding Fellows from across the world. While these Fellows are not based in Scotland, their work is vital in addressing the most important challenges facing our country. One such Fellow is Dr Mhoia Leng, who was Scotland’s first palliative care consultant and is now a lead advisor on palliative care for international agencies including the World Health Organisation.

Professor Dame Anne Glover, President of The Royal Society of Edinburgh said: “As Scotland’s national academy we recognise excellence across a diverse range of expertise and experience, and its effect on Scottish society. This impact is particularly clear this year in the latest cohort of new Fellows which includes scientists who are pioneering the way we approach the coronavirus; those from the arts who have provided the rich cultural experience we have all been missing, and some who have demonstrated strong leadership in guiding their organisations and communities through this extraordinary time.

“Through uniting these great minds from different walks of life, we can discover creative solutions to some of the most complex issues that Scotland faces. A warm welcome is extended to all of our new Fellow."

Read the full list of fellows here - https://www.rse.org.uk/rse-announces-2021-fellows/