67 members selected from across disciplines to provide voice for change in new UK-wide Young Academy
UK and Ireland National Academies have today [10 January] 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.
Professor Dame Anne Johnson PMedSci, President of the Academy of Medical Sciences said:
"We are very pleased to be working alongside our partner academies to establish the UK Young Academy. Warmest congratulations to the first cohort of appointed members, who will be instrumental in driving the direction of this exciting initiative. We look forward to engaging with this hugely talented and diverse group of scholars, innovators and leaders, and to collaborating with the UKYA to tackle some of the critical problems, challenges and opportunities that face our society."
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. Members are from across the UK, 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 successful candidates include researchers, innovators, clinicians, professionals and entrepreneurs who have each made significant contributions to their field, while going above and beyond to make an impact outside of their main areas of work.
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
P.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.
ENDS
For more information about the launch of the UK Young Academy and to request interviews with spokespeople, please contact the Academy of Medical Sciences press office:
Gaby Richter
Media and News Officer
07944 023132
Notes to editors
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.
About the UK Young Academy
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.