A group of University academics have been honoured among the first members of the Royal Society of Edinburgh’s new RSE Young Academy of Scotland.

The Young Academy brings together the most able and innovative young academics, entrepreneurs, artists and professionals in Scotland to stimulate creative ideas and encourage collaborative working.

Eight academics from Glasgow are among the 68 people to have been inducted into the Young Academy. They are Prof Iain Docherty (Management);  Dr Giles Hammond (Physics and Astronomy); Dr Heather Haynes (Engineering); Dr Rob Jenkins (Psychology); Dr Alexander Marshall (History); Dr Cian O’Driscoll (Politics); Dr Jane Stanley (Music); and Prof Christian Tams (Law).

Professor Anton Muscatelli, said: “We’re pleased that some of our most promising young academics have been chosen to join the RSE Young Academy of Scotland.

“It’s a reflection of the University’s research and teaching excellence which continues to go from strength to strength. We look forward to seeing the outcomes from the partnerships which the Young Academy will undoubtedly create.”

The Young Academy, the first of its kind in the UK, will be officially launched at a ceremony in Edinburgh in November. Members were selected from over 300 applicants. 

The average age of the first group of members of the Young Academy is 36 and over 40% are women. The members cover a wide range of expertise from biologists, geoscientists and engineers to lawyers, social scientists and entrepreneurs. Members come from all over Scotland, as well as those originally from elsewhere in the UK or other parts of the world.

Lord Wilson of Tillyorn, the RSE President said: "This is an exciting and important initiative. We have created the RSE Young Academy of Scotland because we believe that the future vitality of Scotland will depend on how we support and engage with the most talented and creative members of the rising generation.

“All of the people who have been appointed have demonstrated great ability and potential. I have no doubt that there will be many in this group who will go on the make a significant contribution, both within Scotland and internationally in the years ahead.”

The Cabinet Secretary for Education, Michael Russell MSP, added his welcome to the announcement saying, “The new Young Academy is supporting the talent of the future, exposing our best young people to the experience and expertise of the RSE Fellowship. It provides the ideal forum for talent in science, engineering and the arts to mix with each other as well as supporting research excellence.

“The young people involved will also have the opportunity to access some of our leading business experts through the RSE Fellowship and that can only help them achieve their ambitions”.

First published: 6 September 2011

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