Five leading academics of the University of Aberdeen have joined more than 60 outstanding individuals in being elected to Scotland’s premier learned society, The Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE).
Fellows are nominated in recognition of outstanding contributions to their field and achievement in public service. Sciences, arts, humanities, the professions, industry and commerce are all represented.
Four of the five Aberdeen academics are from the University’s College of Life Sciences and Medicine. The fifth is from the University’s College of Arts and Social Sciences.
Commenting on today’s announcement, Professor C Duncan Rice, Principal of the University, said: “To be nominated as a Fellow of The Royal Society of Edinburgh is a real accolade. These appointments bring great distinction not only to the individuals but to the University of Aberdeen as a whole.”
The new Fellows are: David Carey Miller, Professor of Property Law and Head of the School of Law; Professor Adrian Grant, Director of the University’s Health Services Research Unit; Frank Odds, Professor of Medical Mycology; Andy Porter, Professor of Biotechnology and Deputy Director of the University’s Institute of Medical Sciences and co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer of University spin-out company Haptogen Ltd, and Mandy Ryan, Professor of Health Economics and Director of the University’s Health Economics Research Unit Distance Learning Course.
Professor Carey Miller said: “I am honoured and delighted to become a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. It is particularly gratifying to follow my 1960s teacher at Edinburgh and mentor T B Smith, a noted law FRSE.
“Credit is very much due to the University of Aberdeen and, in particular, the School of Law, which has given me outstanding support over 35 years. The contribution and stimulation of colleagues, especially in Civil Law and Property, has been a significant factor in the development of my work.”
Professor Grant said: "I feel very honoured. I do see this as an award to the Health Services Research Unit as a whole, and I am extremely grateful to my excellent colleagues for their hard work and dedication.
“I also take this opportunity to acknowledge my mentors, Iain Chalmers, Elizabeth Russell and the late Jim Petrie, and the personal development programme 'More to Life', all for having made significant contributions to my career successes."
Professor Odds said: “I’m absolutely thrilled and believe this is a tribute to the success of the research of the University’s Aberdeen Fungal Group. We are recognised as one of the world’s leading groups for our research into fungal diseases.”
Professor Andy Porter said: “My relationship with The Royal Society of Edinburgh goes back six years when I was given a Commercialisation Fellowship in Biotechnology which allowed me to set up the University biotech spinout Haptogen Ltd.
“It’s fantastic to be made a Fellow which recognises the success of the whole Haptogen team, the hard work of my research group at the University and my involvement with kids introducing them to entrepreneurship and biotechnology.”
Professor Ryan added: “It’s awesome to become a member of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. I would like to acknowledge the support of the University of Aberdeen in the development of my work and the dedication and commitment of all researchers I have worked with over the years who have made the process of achieving this award fun.”