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  • RAEng alumni among 67 members selected from across disciplines to provide voice for change in new UK-wide Young Academy

UK and Ireland National Academies have today announced the first members of the new UK-wide Young Academy – a network of early career researchers and professionals established to help tackle local and global issues and promote meaningful change.

The UK Young Academy’s first cohort brings together members from across academia, charity organisations and the private sector, to galvanise their skills, knowledge, and experience to find innovative solutions to the challenges facing societies now and in the future.

Professor Sir Jim McDonald FREng FRSE, President of the Royal Academy of Engineering said: “I am pleased to see the number and diversity of engineers included in this first cohort of members, some of whom are already involved in our own Academy’s activities. I’m sure their passion, creativity and leadership will make an important contribution to the success of this exciting new interdisciplinary forum and that these talented people will help the Young Academy to make a positive impact on our future.”

Find out more

UK Young Academy

Media enquiries to Pippa Cox

Pippa Cox
020 7766 0745

Members are from across the UK and Ireland, with 13% from Scotland, 7% from Wales, 5% from Northern Ireland and 75% from across areas in England. 49% of the cohort are women, and 34% are from minority ethnic backgrounds.

The first cohort of the UK Young Academy will have the opportunity to shape the strategy and focus of this new organisation, tapping into their collective knowledge and expertise to inform local and global policy discussions.

Strategic themes and objectives will be determined by members based on areas that matter to them. Discussions on their key priorities will kick off at an induction event held at the Royal Society in January 2023 and will be finalised over the coming year – members have already expressed interest in areas from climate change and sustainability to equality, diversity and inclusion, public health, education and skills, and supporting early career researchers.

The UK Young Academy has been established as an interdisciplinary collaboration with the Academy of Medical Sciences, British Academy, Learned Society of Wales, Royal Academy of Engineering, Royal Irish Academy, Royal Society of Edinburgh, and the Royal Society. It joins the global initiative of Young Academies, with the UK Young Academy becoming the 50th to join the Young Academy movement.

The call for members to the UK Young Academy in June 2022 received over 400 applicants from a variety of sectors including Life Sciences, Physical, Engineering and Computer Sciences, Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, and Business, Public Service and Communications. The members were chosen by a panel of 65 reviewers, including an Appointments Committee.

The successful applicants officially took up their posts on 1 January 2023, and membership runs for 5 years.

Full list of members:

  • Sean Adams, Professor in New Testament and Ancient Culture, University of Glasgow
  • Abigail Agyei, Senior Policy Advisor – Early Years Workforce Capability, Department of Health and Social Care
  • Ralph Akyea, Senior Research Fellow (Clinical Epidemiology), University of Nottingham
  • Jahangir Alom, Emergency Medicine Doctor and Former Clinical Lead for the NHS Staff Vaccination Programme, Barts Health NHS Trust
  • Alexandra Amon, Senior Kavli Research Fellow (Astrophysics), University of Cambridge
  • Muhammad Naeem Anwar, Royal Society-Newton International Fellow (Physics), Swansea University
  • Michael Berthaume, Senior Lecturer (Mechanical Engineering and Design), London South Bank University
  • Ana Blanco Alvarez, Senior Lecturer in Infrastructure Engineering, Loughborough University
  • Amy Booth, Medical Doctor and DPhil Candidate, University of Oxford
  • Alice Bowen, Royal Society/EPSRC Dorothy Hodgkin Research Fellow and University of Manchester Dame Kathleen Ollerenshaw Fellow (Chemistry), University of Manchester
  • Ruth Bowness, Lecturer/MRC Fellow (Mathematical Sciences), University of Bath
  • Katrina Bradley, Teacher and Company Director, Numerasee
  • Igor Chernyavsky, Presidential Academic Fellow (Applied Mathematics), University of Manchester
  • Karen Donaldson, Project Manager, The National Robotarium
  • Rhys Dore, Paediatric Doctor and NIHR Academic Clinical Fellow of Paediatrics, Barts Health NHS Trust and University College London
  • Brian Earp, Senior Research Fellow (Practical Ethics), University of Oxford
  • Rosa Filgueira, Lecturer (Computer Sciences), University of St Andrews
  • Tom Fleming, Co-Founder & COO, Arctoris
  • Andrea Ford, Research Fellow (Medical and Cultural Anthropology), University of Edinburgh
  • Sivaneswary Genapathy, Associate Principal Scientist, AstraZeneca
  • Daniel Greenwood, Clinical Pharmacist and Consultant
  • Joseph Harvey, Substation Engineer, National Grid
  • Chiara Heide, CEO & Founder, Happi by B.Y.M. Technologies Ltd.
  • David Hester, Senior Lecturer in Civil Engineering, Queen's University Belfast
  • Eleanore Hickman, Lecturer (Corporate Law, Governance and Finance), University of Bristol
  • Andrew Holding, Lecturer (Cancer Biology), University of York
  • Yihua Hu, Reader (Electrical Engineering), University of York
  • Barbara Hughes-Moore, Lecturer in Law, Cardiff University
  • Anthony Kevins, Lecturer in Politics and International Studies, Loughborough University
  • Rebecca Killick, Professor (Statistics), Lancaster University
  • Abdalrhaman Mohamed Koko, Higher Research Scientist, National Physical Laboratory
  • Saloni Krishnan, Reader (Psychology), Royal Holloway, University of London
  • Peter Kwok, Chair, UK Federation of Chinese Professionals
  • Mato Lagator, Independent Research Fellow (Bacterial Evolution), University of Manchester
  • Mengyao Lu, Research Fellow (Child Safety), University of Edinburgh
  • Jane Masoli, Senior Clinical Research Fellow, University of Exeter/Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
  • Alistair McConnell, Assistant Professor in Computer Science, Heriot-Watt University
  • Sophie Meekings, Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Research Fellow (Psychology), University of York
  • Gerardo Javier Melendez-Torres, Professor of Clinical and Social Epidemiology, University of Exeter
  • Aditee Mitra, Research Fellow (Marine Ecology), Cardiff University
  • Victoria Miyandazi, Research Fellow (Legal and Constitutional Research), University of St Andrews
  • Isabel Moore, Reader in Human Movement and Sports Medicine, Cardiff Metropolitan University
  • Kinga Morsanyi, Senior Lecturer in Mathematical Cognition, Loughborough University
  • Xavier Moya, Assistant Professor (Materials Science and Metallurgy), University of Cambridge
  • Denis Newman-Griffis, Lecturer in Data Science, University of Sheffield
  • Linda Oyama, Lecturer in Microbiomics, Antimicrobial Resistance and One Health, Queen’s University Belfast
  • Alina Patelli, Senior Lecturer in Computer Science, Aston University
  • John-Mark Philo, UKRI Future Leaders Fellow (Early-Modern Culture), University of East Anglia
  • Charles Maurice Pigott, Lecturer – Hispanic Studies, University of Strathclyde
  • Sarah Pike, UKRI Future Leaders Fellow(Organic Chemistry), University of Birmingham
  • Amit Narahar Pujari, Senior Lecturer in Biomedical Engineering, University of Hertfordshire (Honorary appointment at University of Aberdeen)
  • Edward Pyzer-Knapp, Global Lead, AI Enriched Simulation, IBM
  • Richard Randle-Boggis, Research Associate (Global Sustainability), University of Sheffield
  • Mirain Rhys, Senior Lecturer, Psychology, Cardiff Metropolitan University
  • Ricardo Safra de Campos, Senior Lecturer in Human Geography, University of Exeter
  • Fatemeh Shahbazi , Assistant Professor (Engineering), University of Warwick
  • Katie Sheehan, UKRI Future Leaders Fellow and Senior Lecturer Rehabilitation/Health Services, King's College London
  • Abhay Soorya, Senior Director, Strategic Solutions, C3 AI
  • Christopher Stewart, Research Fellow (Microbial Ecology), Newcastle University
  • Ahmad Taha, Lecturer and Assistant Professor (Autonomous Systems), University of Glasgow
  • Catarina Vicente, Science Strategy and Projects Manager / Official Fellow in Public Engagement with Research, University of Oxford
  • Amy Vincent, Sir Henry Wellcome Postdoctoral Fellow (Mitochondrial Research), Newcastle University
  • Fiona Walport, Research Fellow (Civil and Environmental Engineering), Imperial College London
  • Vanissa Wanick, Senior Lecturer in Interaction Design, University of Southampton
  • Dominic Willmott, Senior Lecturer in Criminology, Loughborough University
  • Wenmiao Yu, Co-Founder & Director of Business Development, Quantum Dice Ltd.
  • Leor Zmigrod, Research Fellow (Political Psychology and Neuroscience), University of Cambridge

It is expected that the next call for applications will open in 2023.

Notes for editors

1. Statistics about the 2023 membership:

  • 13.43 % (9) members are from Scotland, 7.46% (5) from Wales, and 4.48% (3) from Northern Ireland; 74.63% (50) from England
  • 49.3% (33) appointments have been awarded to women
  • 16.4% (11) members identify as having a disability
  • 34.3% (23) members from minority ethnic backgrounds
  • 20.9% (14) members identify as LGBTQ+
  • 85.1% (57) members are from academia; 14.9% (10) members are from outside of academia, including private sector and charitable organisations.

2. The UK Young Academy connects and develops talented individuals in the early years of their career from a wide range of sectors so they can collaborate to make a difference in the world.It is part of a growing international initiative to give young, early-career innovators, professionals, academics and entrepreneurs a voice for the advancement of issues that are important to them. The UK Young Academy gives its members the chance to have their perspectives, knowledge and insights represented as part of the wider landscape of academic and professional bodies in the UK. The UK Young Academy was initially established following an agreement by the seven UK Academies – the Academy of Medical Sciences, British Academy, Learned Society of Wales, Royal Academy of Engineering, Royal Irish Academy, Royal Society of Edinburgh, and the Royal Society. Working closely with the Global Young Academy and the Young Academy of Scotland, it was set up under the auspices of the Royal Society in 2022. The strategy and programme of work to be undertaken will be determined by the members of the UK Young Academy but it is hoped that there will be collaborations with other Young Academies across the world or alongside the established UK Academies. https://ukyoungacademy.org/ Find the UK Young Academy on Twitter (@UKYoungAcademy) and Linked In

The UK Young Academy will be underpinned by a shared set of values including:

  • Excellence – members will be outstanding in their own field.
  • Transparency – there will be a clear leadership structure that is accountable and elected through transparent procedures.
  • Integrity – members will maintain high standards of ethics in order to make a credible contribution to global issues.
  • Equality, diversity and inclusion – a commitment towards attracting a diverse membership will be made, and members will commit to maintaining an inclusive and equal environment for all.

Initial funding to establish the UK Young Academy has been provided by the UK Government’s Department of Business, Education and Industrial Strategy as part of their R&D People and Culture Strategy.

3. About the other UK National Academies

The Academy of Medical Sciences is the independent, expert voice of biomedical and health research in the UK. Our Fellowship comprises the most influential scientists in the UK and worldwide, drawn from the NHS, academia, industry, and the public service. Our mission is to improve the health of people everywhere by creating an open and progressive research sector. We do this by working with patients and the public to influence policy and biomedical practice, strengthening UK biomedical and health research, supporting the next generation of researchers through funding and career development opportunities, and working with partners globally. www.acmedsci.ac.uk @acmedsci

The British Academy is the UK’s national academy for the humanities and social sciences. We mobilise these disciplines to understand the world and shape a brighter future. We invest in researchers and projects across the UK and overseas, engage the public with fresh thinking and debates, and bring together scholars, government, business and civil society to influence policy for the benefit of everyone.
www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk @BritishAcademy

The Learned Society of Wales is the national academy for arts and sciences. Our Fellowship brings together experts from across all academic fields and beyond. We use this collective knowledge to promote research, inspire learning, and provide independent policy advice.
https://www.learnedsociety.wales/

The Royal Irish Academy/Acadamh Ríoga na hÉireann is Ireland’s leading body of experts in the sciences, humanities and social sciences. The Academy champions research and identifies and recognises Ireland’s world class researchers. It supports scholarship and promotes awareness of how science and the humanities enrich our lives and benefit society. Membership of the Academy is by election and is considered the highest Academic honour in Ireland.
www.ria.ie

The Royal Society of Edinburgh, using the expertise of its Fellows, creates a unique impact by:

  • Inspiring and supporting talent through a wide-ranging programme of research grants and awards.
  • Engaging the public across Scotland on key contemporary issues through its outreach programme RSE@ and a wide-ranging programme of public events.
  • Providing impartial advice and expertise to inform policy and practice through in-depth examination of major issues and providing expert comment on topical matters.
  • Promoting Scotland’s interests overseas through building relationships with sister academies across the world and facilitating research collaborations.therse.org.uk @RoyalSocEd

The Royal Society is a self-governing Fellowship of many of the world's most distinguished scientists drawn from all areas of science, engineering, and medicine. The Society's fundamental purpose, as it has been since its foundation in 1660, is to recognise, promote, and support excellence in science and to encourage the development and use of science for the benefit of humanity.
http://royalsociety.org. Follow the Royal Society on Twitter (@royalsociety) or Facebook (facebook.com/theroyalsociety)