Four academics from the University of Aberdeen, including Principal and Vice-Chancellor Professor George Boyne, have been elected to become Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE).
Professors George Boyne, Clare Bond, Alison Lumsden and Javier Martin-Torres have all been named among the 91 individuals making up the 2023 intake of fellows.
They will be joining the RSE’s current Fellowship, which comprises 1,800 people recognised as being some of the greatest thinkers, researchers and practitioners in their field working in or with organisations in Scotland today.
Professor Boyne became Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Aberdeen in 2018. Professor Boyne is Chair of the University Senate, a member of the University Court and a member of the Board of the University’s Development Trust. His external roles include Chair of Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA), Convenor of Universities Scotland Funding Policy Group, member of the Board of Opportunity North East, and member of the Aberdeen City Deal Joint Committee.
Professor Boyne said: “It is a huge honour to be elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. I look forward to working with the RSE and playing my part to help the Society to continue with its mission – the deployment of knowledge for public good.”
Professor Bond is a leading Earth Scientist who is Chief Scientist for the NERC-led UKRI Carbon Storage Research Facility, as well as Director of Scottish Carbon Capture and Storage (SCCS). She commented: “I am honoured to be announced as a Fellow of the RSE, and look forward to working with the Fellowship to make a positive impact in Scotland and the World. The RSE has a long history of advancing learning and making knowledge useful; with a contemporary view I am looking forward to engaging with the RSE’s work on diversity in science and the arts, and in sciences contribution to Net Zero.”
Professor Javier Martín-Torres heads the University of Aberdeen’s Planetary Science Group which is focused on the study of Earth and planetary atmospheres and the development of instruments for Earth and planetary exploration. He said: “I am extremely honoured and privileged to have been selected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. The RSE has been a bastion of excellence and innovation since its inception and is a testament to the outstanding achievements of the many talented individuals it has recognized. I am deeply grateful to have the opportunity to collaborate with the Society's distinguished members, who are the leading minds in their respective fields. The Fellowship provides a platform to strengthen my research networks, share ideas and collaborate with other Fellows to expand the boundaries of knowledge and innovation. I am truly humbled to be a part of this prestigious organization.”
Professor Alison Lumsden is Regius Chair of English Literature and also co-director of the University of Aberdeen's Walter Scott Research Centre, which exists to promote all aspects of research on Walter Scott. Professor Lumsden said: “I am delighted to be named a new fellow of RSE. It is an honour to join this organisation which supports and values the immense contribution to knowledge that Scotland has made in the past and continues to make in the present. I am particularly pleased given that Walter Scott, who I have worked on throughout my career, was a President of the RSE and a long-term fellow.”
Professor Marion Campbell, Vice-Principal (Research) said: “I would like to take this opportunity to offer my congratulations to George, Clare, Alison and Javier. It is a tremendous honour to be elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and all four richly deserve this recognition for their outstanding achievements in their respective fields.”