UK Young Academy announces first members

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 Julia Black, President of the British Academy, said: 

“We are delighted to join the other Academies in launching this exciting initiative. Empowering talented and ambitious researchers in the humanities and social sciences has always been a major priority for the British Academy. The Young Academy will help harness the drive, energy and passion of the next generation, providing them with a platform to make a real difference not just in their academic fields but to the UK’s wider higher education and research sector. We wish the members of the Young Academy every success and look forward to seeing the fruits of their work.”

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 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 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 between the British Academy, the Academy of Medical Sciences, the Learned Society of Wales, the Royal Academy of Engineering, the Royal Irish Academy, the 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.

Sir Adrian Smith, President of the Royal Society said, “We are delighted to introduce the first members of the UK Young Academy. This is a huge achievement for them and an exciting step for the UK in the Young Academy movement.

“It is vital that the next generation of researchers and professionals take their place on the frontlines of the issues that matter most. Finding solutions to global problems – pandemics, climate change, biodiversity loss and social inequality – needs to be guided by collaborative thinking across a breadth of disciplines, life experiences and ideas.

“I look forward to seeing the first cohort take ownership of this new initiative with energy and enthusiasm as they set the foundations for the UK Young Academy.”

Dr Mary Canning, President of the Royal Irish Academy:

“We are delighted to collaborate with our sister academies in the UK on this initiative and welcome these first members of the UKYA. It is important to give both a voice and support to this diverse and talented group, tasked with shaping the strategic focus of the UKYA, whom we anticipate will have a positive impact on many issues facing our society today.”

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.