The new members come from a variety of academic and social fields.
Eight University of Glasgow staff members have been selected to join the Royal Society of Edinburgh’s (RSE) Young Academy of Scotland (YAS), joining many other newcomers in working towards the Academy’s goal “to achieve transformative societal change through citizenship, innovation, collaboration, evidence, and leadership”.
The members from UoG are among 51 newcomers, all from various academic and societal sectors, including science, the arts, and business. The candidates were chosen as they were believed to represent the best in their field, whether they be researchers, artists, or entrepreneurs.
YAS, formed by the RSE in 2011, is an organisation which, through various research projects, aims to shape public understanding of social issues and strive for transformative change.
In order to keep on track for their goal, the Academy has set up five “Grand Challenges” to undertake from 2020 to 2022, all of which deal with current and pressing issues in Scotland. These challenges include “Zero carbon by 2045”, “Ending health inequalities”, and “Increasing Scotland’s positive role in the world”. The co-chair of YAS Alice König welcomed the new members in a recent news update from the Academy, stating: “YAS is thrilled to be welcoming such an outstanding group of new members, whose diverse talents and experiences will bring so much to our work. We have a busy year ahead, addressing our five Grand Challenges, and we are hugely excited about the ideas and expertise which this new cohort will contribute as we come together to help build a future for Scotland that is healthier, smarter, more equal, enterprising, sustainable and international.”
