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Two RSE Fellowships for James Hutton Institute

Photograph of Iain Gordon
It is a great honour for me personally as well as the Institute.

Professor Iain Gordon, chief executive of the James Hutton Institute, and Professor George Salmond, board member of the James Hutton Institute and Professor of Molecular Microbiology at Cambridge University have been elected Fellows of The Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE).

They are among 46 new UK and International Fellows announced by the RSE to add to its 1500-strong Fellowship. The Fellowship of the Society covers science, arts, humanities, the professions, industry and commerce. Fellows are elected following a rigorous examination of their achievement in the relevant field.

Following the announcement Professor Gordon said: “I am delighted with the honour of being elected to the Royal Society of Edinburgh. It is a great honour for me personally as well as the Institute.”

Sir John Arbuthnott, the President of the RSE and eminent microbiologist commented: “In my first year as President I am pleased to welcome such a talented group of people to the RSE. Each new Fellow has achieved excellence in her or his field of work, whether in academia, public service or business. When I meet the new group of new Fellows at their induction in May I will encourage all of them to actively engage with the work of the RSE for the benefit of society here in Scotland and internationally."

In pursuit of its aim of the advancement of useful knowledge, as well as in accordance with its Royal Charter and charitable status, the RSE provides: independent advice to Government and Parliament; research and enterprise Fellowships; education programmes for young people; and conferences and events aimed at both public engagement and specialists.

Notes to editors

Iain Gordon returned to Scotland to take up the post of chief executive at the James Hutton Institute after eight years working with CSIRO - the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation - in Canberra. CSIRO is the national government body for scientific research in Australia. He hails from Aberdeenshire and studied at the University of Aberdeen and was awarded his PhD by the University of Cambridge. He worked at the Macaulay Land Use Research Institute in Aberdeen, leading the Ecology Group, before moving to Australia in 2003.

George Salmond is Professor of Molecular Microbiology at Cambridge University and a Fellow of Wolfson College. He has served on various BBSRC and Scottish Government committees dealing with research funding and the assessment of quality of science in UK Research Institutes. He has held multiple governance and science advisory posts including Council of the Society for General Microbiology (as International Secretary), Council of the Federation of European Microbiological Societies, Pathogen Sequencing Advisory Group (Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute) and Governor of the John Innes Centre and SCRI. Professor Salmond is currently a Member of the Scottish Science Advisory Council.

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The James Hutton Research Institute is the result of the merger in April 2011 of MLURI and SCRI. This merger formed a new powerhouse for research into food, land use, and climate change.