• Fellowship of the Royal Society

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    The Society's foundation is its Fellowship, which is made up of the most eminent scientists, engineers and technologists from the UK and the Commonwealth. Each year, the Fellows elect 44 new Fellows and eight new Foreign Members, chosen for their scientific achievements.

    Isaac Newton was made a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1672. He became President of the Society in 1703 and held the post until his death in 1727.

    The Fellowship of the Royal Society is composed almost 1400 of the most distinguished scientists from the United Kingdom, other Commonwealth countries and the Republic of Ireland. Fellows of the Royal Society are elected for life and designate themselves through the use of the letters FRS after their names.

    In 2010, 44 new Fellows were elected through a peer review process culminating in a vote by existing Fellows. The main criterion for election as a Fellow is scientific excellence.

    Current Fellows include Jocelyn Bell Burnell, Richard Dawkins, Stephen Hawking, Harry Kroto, Tim Berners Lee, Paul Nurse and John Sulston. There are currently 25 Nobel prize winners among the Fellows and many other holders of other equally prestigious awards. Previous Fellows include Isaac Newton, Christopher Wren, Michael Faraday, Charles Darwin, Ernest Rutherford and Dorothy Hodgkin.

    Find out more about which Fellows have also served as Presidents and Officers of the Society, or search our Sackler Archive database for biographical information.

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    Dr. Catherine Cesarsky, eminent astrophysicist, president of the International Astronomical Union and Foreign Member of the Royal Society

    In addition, the Royal Society has 143 Foreign Members who are eminent for their scientific discoveries and attainments. Foreign members are also elected for life and designate themselves through the use of the letters ForMemRS after their names. Each year, up to eight Foreign Members are elected through a peer review process that also culminates in a vote by existing Fellows. There are currently 51 Nobel prize winners among the Foreign Members.

    The election process for Fellows and Foreign Members is extremely rigorous and is based upon the established practice of peer review. Although the identities of the candidates for election remain confidential, the identities of all members of committees involved in the election process, together with the full regulations governing the process, are published annually in the Year Book of the Royal Society, copies of which are available for purchase.

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    Sir Tim Berners-Lee, MIT professor, inventor of the World Wide Web, chairman of the W3C and Fellow of the Royal Society

    Fellows are called upon to fulfil a wide range of tasks for, and on behalf of, the Royal Society. Many Fellows invest significant time and effort, voluntarily, to carry out these tasks in the cause of science and the Royal Society.

    On the 24 May 2010, there were 1361 Fellows and 143 Foreign Members of the Royal Society.

    More information about the history of the Fellowship can be found on the History pages .

Fellowship

The foundation of the Royal Society

Review of the Year

The Royal Society's activities over the last twelve months.

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Our mission

To expand the frontiers of knowledge by championing the development and use of science, mathematics, engineering and medicine for the benefit of humanity and the good of the planet.

Our aspirations

  • that the UK retains its position as one of the world's leading scientific nations
  • that scientific knowledge is used for the maximum benefit of the planet and its people
  • that the wider scientific community embraces the opportunity to engage actively in public life

Our strengths

  • our independence
  • our unique remit across the sciences, engineering and medicine
  • our belief that an understanding of the natural world should be built on evidence-based enquiry, and that progress results from investment in excellent individuals
  • our conviction that science is a major driver of social and economic progress, and that policy-making must be informed by the best available scientific advice
  • our commitment to ensuring that the wider public feels able and willing to contribute to science and its applications, and that people of all ages and backgrounds have the chance to achieve their full potential in science and engineering

Our strategic priorities

  • Invest in future scientific leaders and in innovation
  • Influence policymaking with the best scientific advice
  • Invigorate science and mathematics education
  • Inspire an interest in the joy, wonder and excitement of scientific discovery
  • Increase access to the best science internationally

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