Nine scientists from Cambridge have been elected as Fellows of the Royal Society, the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The Royal Society is known as the oldest science academy in continuous existence.
Sir Adrian Smith, President of the Royal Society, stated: “It is with great pleasure that I welcome the latest cohort of outstanding researchers into the Fellowship of the Royal Society. Their achievements represent the very best of scientific endeavour, from basic discovery to research with real-world impact across health, technology and policy. From tackling global health challenges to reimagining what AI can do for humanity, their work is a testament to the power of curiosity-driven research and innovation."
He further emphasized that "the strength of the Fellowship lies not only in individual excellence but in the diversity of backgrounds, perspectives and experiences each new member brings. This cohort represents the truly global nature of modern science and the importance of collaboration in driving scientific breakthroughs."
The newly elected Fellows join notable figures such as Stephen Hawking, Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Albert Einstein, Lise Meitner, Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, and Dorothy Hodgkin.
The new Cambridge fellows include:
- Professor Edward Bullmore FMedSci FRS: A Professor of Psychiatry known for his work on brain imaging and its application to psychiatry.
- Professor Gábor Csányi FRS: A Professor in Molecular Modelling who has pioneered machine learning applications in molecular modelling.
- Professor Judith Driscoll FRS: A Professor focused on nanoscale design for energy-efficient electronic applications.
- Professor Marie Edmonds FRS: Head of Department focusing on volcanology and petrology with an interest in environmental impacts.
- Professor Julian Hibberd FRS: Known for his research on photosynthesis optimization to improve crop yields.
- Dr Gregory Jefferis FRS: Joint Head at MRC Laboratory studying how smell influences behavior in fruit flies.
- Professor Jason Miller FRS: A mathematics professor interested in probability and stochastic models.
- Professor Andrew Pitts FRS: An Emeritus Professor advancing programming language semantics using mathematical logic.
- Dr Marta Zlatic FRS: Researcher at MRC Laboratory exploring neural circuits' role in learning and decision-making.
These appointments reflect significant contributions across various scientific fields by Cambridge researchers.