University tops elections for Europe’s leading academy

21 Oct 2015

The Academia Europaea – The Academy of Europe, a prestigious association of scientists and scholars who collectively aim to promote learning, education and research, has announced the results of elections to its membership for 2015.

No fewer than 11 academics from Manchester have been elected this year, the highest total for any single institution across Europe. Membership is a major mark of esteem for academic achievement.

Professor Luke Georghiou, Vice-President for Research and Innovation, and himself a member of the Academy, said: “The results of this election demonstrate that our leading academics are held in the highest esteem by their peers across Europe. It is particularly pleasing that colleagues have been honoured across the full range of disciplines in The University of Manchester.”

The Academia Europaea was founded in 1988, with about 3,000 members which includes leading experts from the physical sciences and technology, biological sciences and medicine, mathematics, the letters and humanities, social and cognitive sciences, economics and the law. Membership includes 60 Nobel Laureates and 14 Fields Medallists.  The University has a further 22 existing members.

The successful candidates being invited to assume membership come from all four Faculties. They are:

Social Sciences Section

• Professor Frank Geels
• Professor David Hulme
• Professor Erik Swyngedouw

Economics, Business and Management Sciences

• Professor Rachel Griffith

Physics & Engineering Sciences Section

• Professor Sir Konstantin Novoselov
• Professor Robert Young

Chemical Sciences Section

• Professor David Leigh

Physiology and Medicine Section

• Professor Christopher Griffiths
• Professor Richard Marais
• Professor Werner Muller

Organismic & Evolutionary Biology Section

• Professor Richard Bardgett