Learned Societies’ Group appoints Professor Fiona McNeill FRSE to lead collaborative efforts in STEM education

Professor Fiona McNeill FRSE has been named as the new Chair of the Learned Societies’ Group on Scottish STEM Education.

On behalf of the Learned Societies’ Group for Scottish STEM Education (LSG), the RSE is thrilled to announce the appointment of Professor Fiona McNeill FRSE as its new chair.

Fiona succeeds Professor Martin Hendry FRSE, who served as chair from November 2021 to October 2025. Under his leadership, the LSG published an influential report calling for ethical literacy and critical thinking to be embedded throughout the school curriculum in a world where AI is rapidly reshaping how we work and learn. At the beginning of this year, Ben Macpherson MSP, sponsored an event in the Scottish Parliament to discuss whether it is time to welcome AI into the classroom and curriculum.

The Learned Societies’ Group for Scottish STEM Education plays a vital role in shaping and supporting school STEM education in Scotland. A collective of nine STEM-related learned societies and institutions, the group work collaboratively to foster strong relationships, share knowledge and events, and provide informed advice to policymakers and other stakeholders. The LSG takes a proactive approach in identifying and promoting key priorities for school STEM education, closely monitoring government and agency initiatives, and responding to developments as they arise.

Previous chairs include:

• Professor David Cole-Hamilton FRSE (interim), January 2021-October 2021
• Professor Maggie Cusack FRSE, April 2020-January 2021
• Professor Lesley Yellowlees FRSE, 2016-2020
• Professor Sally Brown FRSE, 2012-2016

Reflecting on their appointment, Fiona McNeill, remarked:

After almost a decade on the LSG, it’s exciting and a bit daunting to be stepping up to chair. I’m excited to continue building on the excellent work done during Martin’s tenure. There are numerous important and complex issues surrounding STEM education – not least the disruptions to the status quo brought by generative AI – and I look forward to working with the rest of the committee to support young people in Scotland in being as equipped as possible to face the opportunities and challenges the future holds.

Professor Fiona McNeill is a Reader in Computer Science Education at the University of Edinburgh. She gained her PhD from the University of Edinburgh in 2006 and focused on dynamic data integration and ontology matching. Throughout her career, she has spent significant time on issues around CS and STEM education, in particular, access to education and inequalities within that. She took up a position as Reader of Computing Education at the University of Edinburgh in 2020 and focuses on transitions into university and access to CS and STEM in schools. She represents the British Computer Society (BCS) in the LSG and is the former chair of the BCS Scottish Computing Education Committee.