Royal Society of Edinburgh awards academics

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Five Edinburgh colleagues have been recognised for their exceptional achievements in science, academia, and public engagement with prestigious medals from The Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE). One is the distinguished RSE Royal Medal, which was instituted by Her Majesty the Queen in 2000.
L-R: Professor Andrew Morris, Dr Manuel Fernández-Göetz, Professor Jane Hillston, Professor John Peter Renwick, Dr Julie Welburn

Professor Andrew Morris, Director at Health Data Research UK and Vice Principal for Data Science at the University, has been awarded a Royal Medal in recognition of his exceptional contribution to advancing health data science in Scotland and internationally. Professor Morris’s work has led to the creation of Health Data Research UK as well as the UK’s Health Innovation Gateway, which has catalysed the trustworthy use of health data for patient and public benefit.

Dr Manuel Fernández-Göetz, of the School of History, Classics & Archaeology, receives the RSE Thomas Reid Medal for his position as a leading researcher on diverse aspects of the European Iron Age.

Professor Jane Hillston, Head of the School of Informatics, is awarded the RSE Lord Kelvin Medal in recognition of her work which includes developing the first compositional framework for the quantitative analysis of systems. This pioneering work has had widespread applications in engineered and natural systems.

Professor John Peter Renwick, of the School of Literatures, Languages & Cultures, one of the world’s leading experts on the French Enlightenment, is awarded the RSE Sir Walter Scott Medal. It recognises the monumental contribution Professor Renwick made to the 140-volume Complete Works of Voltaire, and his research relating to the historian and writer Jean-François Marmontel.

Dr Julie Welburn of the Wellcome Centre for Cell Biology and the School of Biological Sciences, is awarded the RSE Patrick Neill Medal for enhancing our understanding of human cell division and disease.