Leading figures from Scotland’s culture and arts scene have been elected to The Royal Society of Edinburgh.
Scotland’s National Academy has announced its 2025 cohort of Fellows who are recognised for their exceptional achievements and acumen in the world of science, mathematics, business, and the arts.
Among the new Fellows of the RSE is cartoonist and illustrator Kate Charlesworth. Her vast library of work includes commissions from national newspapers, theatres, wildlife trusts, Greenpeace, Aardman Animations, and Spitting Image.
Her early work was published in LGBTQ+ newspapers like The Pink Paper and Gay News, and in 2019 she published Sensible Footwear: A Girl’s Guide, an autobiographical chronicle of British LGBTQ+ life.
She has also worked as an artist for world famous Aardman Animations, had commissions from a range of newspapers like The Scotsman and The Guardian, and has produced educational materials for a variety of groups in the UK and internationally.
Of her Fellowship, Kate said: “I was absolutely delighted – thrilled, in fact – and more honoured than I can say to hear about my RSE Fellowship. For over half my working life I’ve lived in Scotland – constantly inspiring, always surprising – as this Fellowship splendidly demonstrates.
“An adopted Scot, a Leither, and now an FRSE. What riches!”
CEO of Scottish National Ballet Christopher Hampson has been elected to the Fellowship. He has produced award-winning productions such as Double Concerto, The Nutcracker and Gene Kelly’s Starstruck for ballet companies across the world.
He said: “I am incredibly honoured to be elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. This remarkable institution holds centuries of collective wisdom and knowledge which holds significant importance in an increasingly complex world. Through my own experience of combining creativity and leadership, I look forward to committing to the RSE’s mission to deploy knowledge for the public good.”
Business leader, entrepreneur and chair of the V&A Dundee, Tim Allan, has also been made a Fellow.
He said: “I am thrilled to be elected to the Royal Society of Edinburgh as part of the new Fellowship cohort. The RSE is an extraordinary organisation, almost 250 years old, dedicated to the expansion of learning and knowledge in our country.
“In a post truth age, when the expert opinions and insights of the most learned is subsumed by a welter of lies and relativism, it is important that robust institutions stand for evidence-based policy and decision making.
“The Society was cast in the foundry of the enlightenment and its purpose now must be to roll back the tide of ignorance and division assailing our society. I am delighted to be able to play my part in the RSE as it expands it capacities and networks, providing independent expert advice to policymakers and inspiring the next generation of innovative thinkers.”
Professor Bettina Bildhauer of the University of St Andrews has also been elected as a Fellow for her work in the field of Modern Languages.
Professor Bildhauer said: “I was absolutely delighted to be accepted into the Society. I have first-hand experience of the difference that the RSE’s generous research sponsorship and public events have made in a stretched academic sector and look forward to paying it back now and helping new research projects to emerge into the world.
“I’m a Germanist and hope to help to represent modern languages at the RSE, strengthening Scotland’s connection to Europe and the wider world. It’s a long way to have come for a queer woman from small-town Germany, but I can’t wait to get stuck in.”
Isabel Davis, the executive director of Screen Scotland, has been made a Fellow. She has led Screen Scotland since its inception in 2018. Prior to joining Screen Scotland, Isabel was the BFI’s Head of International, in a role combining editorial, production and international film policy expertise and which delivered the BFI’s international strategy. She is Deputy Chair of the British Screen Forum.
Isabel said: “The concept of an organisation that exists to share knowledge and ideas across the arts and sciences is a vital one and I look forward to joining all the conversations and provocations that RSE puts together.
“The film and TV industry’s future is entwined with tech and science like never before, so the Society presents a wonderful space to embrace and develop great new ideas whilst retaining critical thinking.”
President of the RSE, Professor Sir John Ball PRSE, said: “It is my sincere pleasure to welcome each of our new Fellows – from the worlds of academia, public service, business, and the arts – to Scotland’s National Academy.
“They represent excellence in their fields and will reinforce our ability to tackle the challenges that Scotland, and indeed the wider world, faces now and in the future.
“Across a range of disciplines, they have each shown an unshakeable commitment to their research, work or craft, and it is exactly this superlative level of accomplishment that makes them belong as Fellows of the RSE.
“I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to all of our new Fellows, and I hope they will avail themselves of all that our great National Academy has to offer them.”
His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh has also been made a Royal Honorary Fellow of the RSE, joining the Society’s patron His Majesty King Charles III, The Prince of Wales and The Princess Royal.
ENDS
About the RSE
The Royal Society of Edinburgh recognises, supports, and mobilises expertise from across academia, business, and public service for the benefit of Scotland and the wider world.
Our 1,800 Fellows from across disciplines are among the most distinguished in their fields. We engage and connect nationally and internationally to share knowledge and tackle the most pressing challenges of the modern world.
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