Eminent cultural and scientific figures named as RSE fellows in 2024
The Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE) has announced the 2024 cohort of new Fellows, and among the names are BAFTA and Emmy-winning satirist Armando Iannucci and award-winning journalist and charity founder Sally Magnusson.
- Among the 57 Fellows on the list of those joining the RSE are entrepreneur and philanthropist Dr Michael Welch, Leonie Bell, Director of the V&A Dundee, public health advocate Professor Jason Gill, and Professor Elham Kashefi, a world leader in the field of quantum computing
- New Fellows have been elected from institutions from across the UK, including Dundee, Aberdeen, St Andrews, Stirling, Highlands and Islands, and from countries around the world including the Netherlands, Germany, USA, and China
Nominated for their individual excellence in a wide range of fields such as physics, chemistry, informatics, literature, law, social sciences, and business, they will be joining the 1,800 current Fellows of the RSE, Scotland’s National Academy.
Armando Iannucci was elected as an Honorary Fellow, known for award-winning satirical films and programmes such as The Death of Stalin and The Thick of It. He is vice president of the Royal Television Society and takes an active interest in political issues and the functioning of democracy.
I am thrilled to be elected to the Fellowship of the RSE; this is confirmation from the champions of the highest standards of academic and cultural excellence in Scotland that writing jokes is an honourable pursuit.
This recognition will spur me on to make more people laugh louder, longer and harder than ever before, and will remind me at all times that it’s as equally important to make people think as well as laugh. I promise to do my best.
Armando Iannucci was elected alongside one other Honorary Fellow, health and social care expert, chair of both the Royal College of Physicians and Dementia UK, Professor David Croisdale-Appleby.
Broadcaster and journalist Sally Magnusson was also elected for her charity work and her own dementia charity Playlist for Life.
It’s a tremendous honour to be elected as a Fellow. The RSE has a centuries-old history as Scotland’s National Academy and I’m proud to belong to it. I Iook forward to playing my part in its longstanding mission to deploy knowledge for public good.
Among the 57 new Fellows elected to the Society is Professor Lorna Marson, an outstanding leader in surgery and surgical training. Already a Fellow of the Faculty of Surgical Trainers, she is the first woman to be appointed Professor of Transplant Surgery by the University of Edinburgh and the first woman to be elected President of the British Transplant Society, as well as being Chair of the UK Organ Donation and Transplantation Research Network.
Professor Jason Gill, Professor of Cardiometabolic Health at the University of Glasgow, was elected for his major contributions to the prevention and management of vascular, metabolic, and chronic diseases. As well as influencing national health guidelines, he has contributed to the communication of these public health issues with a range of television programmes, broadcast on BBC1, BBC2, ITV, and Channel 4.
The broad and multi-disciplinary nature of the Society has never been more important, given the complex nature of the challenges facing society which increasingly require solutions involving collaboration across disciplines and sectors.
My own work exploring how physical activity, diet and excess body weight affect health, why these effects are different in different people, and how to target and support effective long-term health behaviour change provides a key example of the need for multi-disciplinary collaboration between biological, medical, and social scientists working together with external stakeholders to develop effective solutions. I am honoured to have been elected.
Professor Donna Heddle of the University of Highlands and Islands (UHI) was elected for her own outstanding contributions to research. She set up and now leads the UHI’s Institute for Northern Studies, a world-leading establishment combining research, teaching, and community engagement.
Professor Elham Kashefi of the University of Edinburgh and Chief Scientist at the UK National Quantum Computing Centre (NQCC) is a world-leader in her field. Among a raft of achievements, she developed the world’s first method for secure cloud quantum computing. She called her election “a thrilling opportunity.”
Scottish universities have pioneered all aspects of quantum technologies for the last few decades. Only last year, we opened Quantum Software Lab (QSL) in partnership with the UK National Quantum Computing Center (NQCC), making Edinburgh one of the quantum capitals of the world. As the director of the QSL and NQCC Chief Scientist, I’m delighted to have the opportunity to utilise the RSE’s platform to bring the quantum wave beyond our academic circles, influencing policymakers. Our rich innovative ecosystem in Scotland will ensure everyone is aware and ready for this mind-blowing new emerging technology.
BAFTA-winning Professor Paul Mealor is also on the list of newly elected Fellows. He is an internationally renowned composer as well as Professor of Composition at the University of Aberdeen. In 2020 Universal Music announced that he had made his way into the top ten “most performed living and recorded composers alive.”
President of the RSE, Professor Sir John Ball PRSE, said: “It is an immense honour to extend a warm welcome to each of our distinguished new Fellows.
Individually, they embody exceptional dedication and accomplishment spanning multiple sectors and disciplines. Collectively, they demonstrate a profound commitment and determination to make meaningful contributions through their endeavours. From groundbreaking research that redefines our understanding to the creative pursuits that inspire and enrich our cultural landscape, the RSE proudly embraces the brightest minds, leveraging their unique expertise and perspectives for the betterment of society. As Scotland’s National Academy, we remain committed to mobilising a diverse array of expertise to confront society’s most pressing challenges, and I am certain that our new Fellows will prove invaluable assets to the RSE.
View all 2024 Fellows in the directory
The complete list of new Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh is below:
RSE Honorary Fellows 2024
- Professor David Croisdale-Appleby
Chair, Healthwatch England - Armando Iannucci
Writer and political satirist
RSE International Fellows 2024
- Professor Miguel Ferrer Baena
Research Professor, Department of Ethology and Biodiversity Conservation, Spanish National Research Council - Professor John Cioffi
Professor Emeritus of Engineering, Standford University - Professor Donald Dingwell
Director, Department for Earth and Environmental Sciences, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich - Professor De-Zhu Li
Professor of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences Kunming Institute of Botany - Professor Alan Reid
Professor of Mathematics, Rice University - Professor Ann Rigney
Professor in Comparative Literature, Utrecht University
RSE Fellows 2024
- Professor George Batty
Professor of Epidemiology & Public Health, University College London - Professor Lindsay Beevers
Chair of Environmental Engineering and Head of Research Institute, University of Edinburgh - Leonie Bell
Director, V&A Dundee - Professor Stephen Brusatte
Professor of Palaeontology and Evolution, University of Edinburgh - Professor William Buchanan
Professor of Applied Cryptography, Edinburgh Napier University - Professor Nicole Busby
Professor of Human Rights, Equality and Justice, University of Glasgow - Professor Neil Carragher
Professor of Drug Discovery, Institute of Genetics & Cancer, University of Edinburgh - Michael P Clancy
Director of Law Reform, Law Society of Scotland - Professor Sinéad Collins
Professor of Microbial Evolution, University of Edinburgh - Professor Sarah Coulthurst
Professor of Microbial Interactions, University of Dundee - Gillian Docherty
Chief Commercial Officer, University of Strathclyde - Professor David Dockrell
Chair of Infection Medicine / Director of the Centre for Inflammation Research, University of Edinburgh - Laura Dunlop
President, Mental Health Tribunal for Scotland - Professor Marc Dweck
Professor of Clinical Cardiology, University of Edinburgh - Professor J Ross Fitzgerald
Personal Chair of Molecular Bacteriology, University of Edinburgh - Professor Ross Forgan
Professor of Supramolecular and Materials Chemistry, University of Glasgow - Professor Paul Foster
Professor in New Testament Language, Literature & Theology, University of Edinburgh - Professor Sonja Franke-Arnold
Professor in Atom and Quantum Optics, University of Glasgow - Professor Jonathan Fraser
Director of Research, Mathematics, University of St Andrews - Professor Vernon Gayle
Professor of Sociology and Social Statistics, University of Edinburgh - Professor Sayantan Ghosal
Adam Smith Chair in Political Economy, University of Glasgow - Professor Jason Gill
Professor of Cardiometabolic Health, University of Glasgow - Professor Kirsty Gunn
Professor of Creative Writing, University of Dundee - Professor Tomasz Guzik
Regius Chair of Physiology and Cardiovascular Pathobiology, University of Glasgow - Professor Ailsa Hall
Former Director, Sea Mammal Research Unit - Professor Donna Heddle
Director, Institute for Northern Studies, University of the Highlands and Islands - Professor Peter Hopkins
Professor of Social Geography, Newcastle University - Professor Elham Kashefi
Personal Chair in Quantum Computing, University of Edinburgh - Professor Jason König
Professor of Classics, University of St Andrews - Professor Fiona Leverick
Professor of Criminal Law and Criminal Justice, University of Glasgow - Patrick Macdonald
Chair, Institute of Directors - Professor Keith Mathieson
Professor of Neurophotonics, University of Strathclyde - Dr Sally Magnusson
Founder, Playlist for Life / Broadcaster and journalist - Professor Malcolm Macleod
Professor of Neurology and Translational Neurosciences, University of Edinburgh - Professor Lorna Marson
Professor of Transplant Surgery at the Transplant Unit, Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh - Professor Paul Mealor
Chair in Composition, University of Aberdeen - Professor Apala Majumdar
Professor of Applied Mathematics, University of Strathclyde - Professor Victoria Martin
Professor of Collider Physics, University of Edinburgh - Professor Kirsteen McCue
Professor of Scottish Literature and Song Culture, University of Glasgow - Professor Gabriela Medero
Associate Principal for Business and Enterprise / Professor in Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, Heriot Watt University - Professor Patrick Meir
Personal Chair in Ecosystem Science, School of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh - Professor Judith Phillips
Deputy Principal (Research), University of Stirling - Professor Hamish Simpson
Professor of Orthopaedics and Trauma, and Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, University of Edinburgh - Chris Stark
Chief Executive, Climate Change Committee - Ana Stewart
Chair, Pathway Forward - Professor Emma Sutton
Professor of English, University of St Andrews - Professor Emma Thomson
Professor in Infectious Diseases (Virology), University of Glasgow - Professor Marc Vendrell
Chair of Translational Chemistry and Biomedical Imaging, University of Edinburgh - Dr Michael Welch
President and CEO of Tirebuyer.com / Founder and Chairman of The Welch Trust