08 November 2011The Royal Society, the UK’s national academy of science, has announced the appointment of 40 new University Research Fellows (URFs) for 2011. The scientists started to take up their new posts at institutions across the UK in October.
The University Research Fellowship scheme aims to provide outstanding scientists, who have the potential to become leaders in their chosen fields, with the opportunity to build an independent research career. The scheme is extremely competitive and URFs are expected to be strong candidates for permanent posts in universities at the end of their fellowships.
The newly appointed URFs are working on a wide variety of projects including new stem cell research; understanding exploding Supernovae; a study of neurodevelopmental disorders; and developing clean energy materials.
The full list of appointments is as follows:
Dr Vasilis Archontis - University of St Andrews
Discovering the nature of outstanding aspects of the solar magnetic activity
Dr Edward Brambley - University of Cambridge
Acoustics and stability within fluid flow, particular applied to aeroacoustics
Dr Christian Byrnes - University of Sussex
Understanding the early universe - preparing theory to meet new observations
Dr Catherine Cazin - University of St Andrews
Catalytic C-H bond functionalisation
Dr Kevin Chalut - University of Cambridge
Developing photonics tools for understanding the physical world of stem cells
Dr Adrian Chaplin - University of Warwick
Supramolecular transition metal catalysis and small molecule activation
Dr Martin Cohn - University of Oxford
Mechanisms of DNA repair
Dr Susan Cox - King's College London
The cytoskeleton at the nanoscale: dynamics and mechanical properties
Dr Janet Deane - University of Cambridge
Molecular Understanding of the Multifunctional Shigella Virulence Factor IcsA
Dr Radek Erban - University of Oxford
Stochastic and Multiscale Modelling in Biology and Related Areas
Dr Eva Gluenz - University of Oxford
Host-parasite interactions: the role of the Leishmania flagellum in infection
Dr Evgueni Goudzovski - University of Birmingham
New-physics discovery with rare kaon decays
Dr Natalia Gromak - University of Oxford
Transcription and RNA processing defects in pathology of neurological diseases
Dr Jarrod Hadfield - University of Edinburgh
Evolutionary Rate: Micro to Macro
Dr Casey Hubert- Newcastle University
Microbial biogeography and the deep biosphere
Dr Stuart Johnson - University of Sheffield
From hair bundle to synapse: transfer characteristics of cochlear hair cells
Dr Andras Juhasz - University of Cambridge
Sutured Floer homology and smooth 4-manifolds
Dr Thomas Kitching - University of Edinburgh
Dark Universe Cosmology with Precision Gravitational Lensing
Dr Jamel Mankouri - University of Leeds
Host cell ion channel function as a novel target in viral infection
Dr Iain Martin - University of Glasgow
Enabling astronomy with gravitational waves
Dr Richard Massey - University of Durham
The dark Universe above the Earth's atmosphere
Dr Justyn Maund -Queen's University of Belfast
How Do Supernovae Explode?
Dr Russell Minns - University of Southampton
Ultrafast and Ultrasmall: Molecular Movies on the Atomic Scale
Dr Stephen Morris - University of Cambridge
Reconfigurable quasi-random laser sources
Dr Edward Morrow - University of Sussex
Sexual antagonism and the genetic basis of fitness variation
Dr Jerome Neufeld - University of Cambridge
Fluid dynamics of multiphase geophysical systems
Dr Silvia Paracchini - University of St Andrews
A genetic and functional genomic study of neurodevelopmental disorders
Dr David Payne - Imperial College London
Clean Energy Materials - Developing and Understanding Novel Oxide Photocatalysts
Dr Matthew Piper - University College London
Proteome matching: a novel approach to diet, behaviour and nutrient allocation
Dr Nichola Raihani - University College London
Do asymmetries stabilise cooperation in nature?
Dr Jason Robinson - University of Cambridge
Superconducting Spintronics
Dr Christoph Salzmann - University College London
Spotlight on the Water Molecule: The Dynamics & Chemistry of Its Solid Forms
Mr Tom Sanders - University of Oxford
Robust structure: algebra, analysis and arithmetic.
Dr Claudia Schneider - Newcastle University
Novel PIN domain endonucleases in yeast RNA turnover and surveillance
Dr Simone Severini - University College London
Distributed Information: Theory, Analysis, and Applications
Dr Stephen Tait - University of Glasgow
Caspase independent cell death: molecular regulation and pathophysiological roles
Dr Andrew Teale - University of Nottingham
Ensemble Density Functional Methods for Near-Degenerate and Excited States
Dr Aron Walsh - University of Bath
Hybrid Semiconductors: Design Principles and Applications
Dr Chris Wendl- University College London
The Interface of Symplectic and Contact Topology
Dr Thomas Wills - University College London
The Role of Experience in the Development of Hippocampal Spatial Representations
For further information on any of the projects listed above or to arrange interviews with the scientists appointed please contact the Royal Society press office.