Royal Society announces prestigious University Research Fellowships for 2011

The 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.