RSE awards over £617K in research funding to the benefit of Scotland’s society

The RSE is pleased to announce that 33 exceptional research projects have been selected at the spring 2023 Research Awards Programme call. A total of £617,095.06 will enable research across all academic disciplines, with projects ranging from greener supercomputing to ensure weather and climate simulations do not cost the earth; to developing an interdisciplinary LGBTQIA+ mental health network for Scotland; to re-wilding impacts on the historic environment; to mapping stories of children’s rights implementation in Scottish schools.

In this latest round, lead investigators represent 10 of the 19 Scottish higher education institutions. The funded projects will enable collaboration with researchers based at 20 institutions in total, including internationally, with academics based in Norway, Turkey, and Australia.

The RSE’s Research Awards Programme runs twice a year in spring and autumn and aims to support Scotland’s research sector by nurturing promising talent, stimulating research in Scotland, and promoting international collaboration.

RSE Vice President, Research, Professor Anne Anderson OBE FRSE commented:

The RSE’s Research Awards Programme is crucial in supporting Scotland’s vibrant research sector. The outstanding work of these awardees will advance our knowledge, help us to tackle global challenges, and be of benefit to Scottish society. On behalf of the RSE, I applaud them, wish them well in their research endeavours, and thank them for their contributions.”

The full list of new RSE Research Awardees is as follows:

Professor Deborah Cairns, University of Glasgow and Dr Janelle Weise, University of New South Wales
Improving Cancer Screening for People with Intellectual Disabilities: Developing a Research Agenda Through Knowledge Exchange
Dr Angela Feechan, Heriot-Watt University and Dr Saoirse Tracy, University College Dublin
Biostimulants for Barley Quality: BarlBQ

Dr Helen Bridle, Heriot-Watt University
Investigating Stereotypes in Early Years: Changing Perceptions of Engineering
Dr Nick Brown, University of Edinburgh
Greener Supercomputing: Ensuring Weather and Climate Simulations Do Not Cost the Earth
Dr Emile Chabal, University of Edinburgh
The Marxist Imagination: An Intellectual Biography of Eric Hobsbawm
Dr Firdaus Muhammad Sukki, Edinburgh Napier University
Fungal Innovations for Synergy of Zero Hunger and Affordable Energy for Sustainable Development (FUSE)
Dr Emilia Pietka-Nykaza, University of the West of Scotland
Migration, Social Connections, and Rural Living Among Young People in Scotland
Dr Michael Shaw, University of Stirling
Homosexuality and the Scottish Periodical Press 1885-1928

Dr Paul Adams, University of Strathclyde; Professor Gry Paulgaard, Norwegian University in the Arctic, Tromsø (UiT); and Dr Kirsten Darling-McQuistan, University of Aberdeen
New Northern Pedagogies: Exploring Arctic Pedagogy for Scottish ITE
Dr Judit Bodor, University of Dundee and Dr Roddy Hunter, The Glasgow School of Art
Curating Open Source Artists’ Archives: The Attic Archive (1975-2020) as Case Study
Professor Jamie Frankis, Glasgow Caledonian University and Dr Hazel Marzetti, University of Edinburgh
Developing an Interdisciplinary LGBTQIA+ Mental Health Network for Scotland
Dr Maria Maclennan, University of Edinburgh
Identifying the Displaced: Enhancing the Value of Personal Effects as a Forensic Aide in the Migration Context
Professor Graciela Muniz-Terrera, University of Edinburgh; Dr Oliver Shannon, Newcastle University; and Ms Sarah Gregory, University of Edinburgh
The Eatwell Guide, Brain Health, and Neurodegeneration Network
Professor Nicki Whitehouse, University of Glasgow; Dr Emma Jenkins, University of Bournemouth; and Dr Kim Ward, University of Plymouth
Into the Wild: Re-wilding Impacts on the Historic Environment
Dr Marina Wimmer, Edinburgh Napier University; Dr Md Zia Ullah, Edinburgh Napier University; and Dr Faye Skelton, Edinburgh Napier University
False Webs: Network to Address the Misinformation Pandemic

Dr Amy Holdsworth, University of Glasgow    
Graduate Attributes for the Scottish Film and Television Industries     
Dr Xuelei Huang, University of Edinburgh and Dr William Tullett, University of York    
The Smell of Scotland: History, Heritage, and Practice
Dr Hessam Mehr, University of Glasgow
Sound Chemistry: Acoustic Confinement as a New Parallel Chemical Reactor
Dr Jennifer (Jennie) Morgan, University of Stirling and Dr Anna Woodham, King’s College London United Kingdom    
New Futures of Care: Investigating Emotionally Laden Work in Museums
Dr James Rann, University of Glasgow    
From the Ground Up: Reframing Russian Studies in Scotland and Beyond     
Dr Jenny Watson University of Edinburgh  
Uneven Ground: Literary Representations of the “Holocaust by Bullets”        
Dr Burcu Yuksel Ripley, University of Aberdeen; Dr Alisdair MacPherson, University of Aberdeen; and Ms Luci Carey, University of Aberdeen
Digital Assets in Scots Private Law: Innovating for the Future
Dr Ann-Christin Zuntz, University of Edinburgh; Professor Lisa Boden, University of Edinburgh; and Dr Shaher Abdullateef, Syrian Academic Expertise
Recycling Ruins – Refugee and Migrant Waste-pickers in Türkiye after the 2023 Earthquake

Dr Michael Chandler, University of Edinburgh          
Laboratory Scale True-triaxial Deformation of Halite Using the Smart Cell: Leakage Risks During Hydrogen Storage
Dr Clara Cohen, University of Glasgow and Dr Rachel Smith, University of Glasgow
Demonstrating Understanding: The Role of Demonstrative Determiners in Deepening Phonetic and Semantic Processing
Dr Annette Davison, University of Edinburgh          
Gushing! Oil and Audio-visual Media
Dr Amy Hanna, University of Strathclyde    
Mapping Stories of Children’s Rights Implementation in Scottish Schools      
Dr Lynsay Matthews, University Of The West Of Scotland and Ms Mhairi Campbell, University Of The West Of Scotland    
Women’s Health and the Welfare State: Reform of Discriminatory Assessment Criteria
Dr Cat Morgan, Heriot-Watt University; Professor Kate Sang, Heriot Watt University; and Dr James Richards, Heriot Watt University
Digital Union Work
Professor Alan Riach, University of Glasgow  
Scottish Literature in the Scots Language: An Anthology       
Dr Ieuan Seymour, University of Aberdeen      
Sustainability from Cradle to Grave: Next-Generation Co-Free Battery Cathodes Through Scalable Molten Salt Synthesis    
Dr Niall Whelehan, University of Strathclyde  
The ‘Conquest of the Desert’: Irish and British Migrants and Colonial Violence in Nineteenth-century Argentina  
Professor Richard Whitecross, Edinburgh Napier University          
Domestic Abuse and Contact Cases: Understanding the Barriers to Civil Legal Aid for Mothers

The next open call for RSE Research Awards will run from 7th September – noon, 26th October 2023.
The call will include 8 different funding opportunities covering all career stages and academic disciplines:
• Small Research Grants
• Research Workshops
• Research Networks
• Personal Research Fellowships
• International Joint Projects
• Scotland Asia Partnerships Higher education Research (SAPHIRE) Fund
• Ireland–Scotland Bilateral Network Grants
• International Bilateral Visits 
Please visit: https://rse.org.uk/funding-collaboration to find out more.