Eight Strathclyders have been elected Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in recognition of the impact of their work spanning engineering, science, the humanities and industry and entrepreneurship.

  • Professor Clive Badman OBE and Professor Paul Hoskisson from the Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy & Biomedical Science
  • Professor Malcolm Macdonald, the Director of the Applied Space Technology Laboratory
  • Dr Olga Kozlova, Director of Innovation and Industry Engagement
  • Professor of English Kirstie Blair
  • Professor Ian Rivers, Executive Dean of the Faculty and Humanities and Social Sciences
  • Professor Paul McKenna, Head of the Department of Physics
  • Professor Graham Wren OBE, Director of Major Projects and Special Advisor to the Principal. Graham is also a Board member at Glasgow City of Science and Innovation.

The new members have joined 1,600 Fellows at Scotland’s National Academy, while Professor Zoe Shipton from Civil & Environmental Engineering has also been elected Fellowship Secretary of the Academy, and becomes a member of the Council.

The 87 new 2021 Fellows comprise leading thinkers and experts from Scotland and around the world.

Expertise & experience

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 Fellows.”

Professor Sir Jim McDonald, Principal and Vice-Chancellor at Strathclyde, said:

I am delighted that so many of our colleagues have been made Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and I would like to congratulate them, and Professor Zoe Shipton on her new role, on behalf of everyone at the University. 

These elections represent deserved recognition from their peers for their excellent contributions and work across such a wide range of disciplines. 

Professor Wren, has overseen a number of ambitious projects at the University, including the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland and the Technology and Innovation Centre, said: “I look forward to working with the Fellowship and colleagues to support the work of the Society – particularly in reducing the impact of climate change through aligning the roles of Government, Engineering and Technology Companies with the Research Community.”

Professor Macdonald’s work aims to enable and develop new space-derived services, challenging conventional ideas and working at the interface between disciplines.

He said: “I want to thank the Fellowship for electing me, and I look forward to working with them and others to combine my interest in space, in supporting under-represented groups in science and engineering, and in science-informed policy.”

An industry leading clinical manufacturing and supply chain executive, now working with the University, Professor Badman has made a substantial contribution to medicines development, manufacturing and supply chain innovation in the UK and Internationally.

He also helped create the Centre for Continuous Manufacturing and Advanced Crystallisation, a world leading research hub centred on Strathclyde and said: “I am delighted to be elected as a Fellow and am looking forward to working with the Royal Society. I’d like to thank my colleagues at Strathclyde for their support and encouragement to become a Fellow.”

Dr Kozlova leads entrepreneurship and investment functions, industrial engagement and the development of the Technology and Innovation Centre Zone within the Glasgow City Innovation District at the University.

She said: “It is a real honour to become a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. I have been involved with the RSE for the last twenty years first as an Enterprise Fellow and then through the Young Academy. I am looking forward to continue to contribute to the work of the Society in this new capacity.”

Kirstie Blair is a Professor in English Studies and researches Scottish and Victorian literature and culture, particularly working-class literature and history and industrial heritage.

She said: “‘I am honoured to be elected to the RSE, and look forward to meeting and working with new RSE colleagues in the arts, heritage and the humanities.”

Professor Hoskisson is the Royal Academy of Engineering Research Chair in Engineering Biology of Antibiotic Production and Professor of Molecular Microbiology at SIPBS.

He said: “I am delighted and humbled to have been elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and to join an institution with such distinguished members who have made exceptional contributions to science and society.”

Professor Paul McKenna is a laser-plasma physicist whose research focuses on ultra-intense laser-plasma interactions, and said: “It is a fantastic honour to be recognised in this way. Collaboration is central to my research and I would like to acknowledge my current and former PhD students and post-docs, as well as the many other researchers I have had the opportunity to work with.”

Professor Ian Rivers, who is also Associate Principal and Professor of Education for Social Change within the School of Education, is a developmental psychologist specialising in the study of bullying behaviour and its psychological impact.

Professor Zoe Shipton said: “I am delighted to have been elected RSE Fellowship secretary. As Scotland’s Academy, the RSE is unique in the UK in bringing together a truly cross-disciplinary fellowship from across engineering and science, arts and humanities, business and the public sector.

“I very much look forward to working with the RSE to ensure that the Fellowship continues to represent of the full diversity of the excellent academic and industry base within Scotland.

He said:” I am very honoured to be elected a Fellow of the RSE. The nomination foregrounded the work I have done and continue to do around equality, diversity and inclusion in education, and I am grateful to those colleagues who felt that I was worthy of nomination.”

Formed in the 18th century during the Enlightenment and including Nobel laureates in its membership, the RSE acts as the country’s national academy, delivering influential reports on the important matters of the day. It’s an educational charity operating on an independent and non-party political basis.