UK Young Academy appoints 42 new emerging leaders

Today, 42 emerging leaders from across the UK have been named as the newest members of the UK Young Academy – an interdisciplinary network of early-career professionals and researchers working together to tackle pressing global and local challenges and promote lasting change.

The new members come from a wide range of sectors, with backgrounds in political science, engineering, government, communications and the creative and performing industries, and more. Each member has demonstrated exceptional promise in their field while also showing a strong commitment to applying their expertise beyond their main areas of work, with a drive to engage in ways that cross traditional disciplinary boundaries and align with the aims of the UK Young Academy.

As members of the UK Young Academy, they will have the opportunity to take action on both local and global issues. Through interdisciplinary projects and working across sectors, they will bridge gaps, drive innovation, and develop the solutions needed to address critical challenges – all while advancing their professional development and contributing to a global network of Young Academies focused on achieving positive outcomes.

Speaking on behalf of the UK Young Academy Membership Selection Committee, Alistair McConnell, Assistant Professor in Computer Science at Heriot-Watt University, said: "The solutions to the world's most pressing challenges won’t come from a single field or perspective. We need to bring together expertise and insights from a range of disciplines."

"Today, we are delighted to welcome our newest members, whose diverse backgrounds and expertise will bring fresh perspectives to the UK Young Academy. These members will have the opportunity to challenge boundaries, make new connections, and work together to develop innovative solutions to the challenges that matter most."

"As we enter our third year as an organisation, the new members will be able to contribute right from the outset. Through involvement in innovative projects, work programmes, or by ensuring that early-career voices are part of key global and local debates, they’ll be positioned to make a meaningful contribution."

For the first time, a select group of emerging leaders have been chosen for membership in the UK Young Academy through a dedicated route in collaboration with the Council of At-Risk Academics (Cara). At-risk academics from Cara's network were invited to apply for membership as part of a UK Young Academy member-led project focused on supporting at-risk early-career researchers across the UK.

Next week, the newest members of the UK Young Academy will come together for their Induction Day, where they will learn about the UK Young Academy’s activities and programmes. This will be followed by the third annual All Members’ Meeting, marking the first opportunity for this new group to connect with the wider membership.

The new members take up their posts from 1 April 2025, and membership runs for five years. 

The list of new UK Young Academy members includes (in alphabetical order by surname):

Nesrin Alrefaai 
Research Fellow              
London School of Economics and Political Sciences 

Thaddeus Anim-Somuah           
Global Senior Manager Sustainability       
Philips 

Sultan Ahmad Aria       
PhD Researcher and AHEAD Project Assistant   
Manchester Metropolitan University 

Dareen Assaf   
Research Visiting Fellow and Early Career Researcher    
Sheffield Hallam University 

Sadiq Bhanbhro             
Senior Research Fellow 
Sheffield Hallam University

William Bolton 
NIHR Academic Clinical Lecturer in Neurosurgery and Neurosurgery Specialist Registrar
Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and University of Leeds 

Nicola Boydell 
Lecturer in Social Science and Public Health        
University of Edinburgh 

Franck Courbon             
Chief Executive Officer  
Ethicronics Ltd

Giulia De Togni              
Chancellor's Fellow         
The University of Edinburgh 

Heather Doran 
Public Engagement Manager      
Leverhulme Research Centre for Forensic Science, University of Dundee 

Ievgeniia Gubkina         
History and Theory Tutor
University College London

Molly Halligan  
Senior Research Officer 
Scottish Government 

David Harris     
Senior Research Fellow 
University of Exeter 

Haitao He          
Reader in Transport and AI; Director of Transport AI Innovation Centre (TRAICE)            
Loughborough University 

Camilla Irvine-Fortescue           
Responsible Impact Specialist     
Heriot-Watt University 

Samer Jaber     
PhD Researcher              
Royal Holloway, University of London 

Aqil Jaigirdar   
CEO      
Gravida Ltd

Evelyn Keaveney           
NERC Independent Research Fellow       
Queen’s University Belfast 

Chi Ying Lam   
Lecturer in Community Music and Social Justice/ Co-Artistic Director         
University of Southampton/ Little Bean Theatre

Takashi Lawson            
Researcher        
Microsoft Research 

Kif Liakath-Ali  
Lecturer in Advanced Cell Biology            
University of Southampton 

David Maidment            
Senior Lecturer in Psychology     
Loughborough University

Intigam Mamedov
Visiting Research Fellow
Northumbria University

Hasan Maridi
Research Fellow
The University of Manchester

Katharine Miltner          
Lecturer in Data, AI, and Society               
University of Sheffield 

Alzira Minikeeva            
PhD Researcher              
Birkbeck University of London 

Oleksandra Moskalenko            
Visiting Professor            
London School of Economics and Political Science

Tin Naing           
Postdoctoral Research Fellowship            
University of Oxford 

Josephine Pepper         
Associate            
J A Kemp LLP 

Sarah-Jane Potts           
Lecturer              
Swansea University 

Connor Qui
NIHR Academic Clinical Fellow in General Practice
Imperial College London

Fatima Rezai    
PhD Researcher and Research Assistant              
Nottingham Trent University 

Kawita Sarwari 
Postgraduate Researcher
University of Leeds

Ramaa Sharma              
Executive Coach & Digital AI Media Consultant
How we do this Ltd

Alexandros Stratakos
Associate Professor
University of the West of England

Freda Tait         
Strategic Projects & Change Director and PMO lead     
AstraZeneca 

Juliette Unwin  
Lecturer in Statistical Science     
University of Bristol

Tetiana Vodotyka          
Research Fellow and IAS CARA Fellow
Institute of Advanced Study, Durham University 

Yana Volkova   
Researcher        
Queen’s University Belfast 

Keri Ka-Yee Wong         
Associate Professor of Developmental Psychology, Co-Director UCL Centre for Education and Criminal Justice
University College London 

Khaleda Zaheer              
CEO      
Refugee Crisis Foundation

Wioleta Zelek   
Senior Research Fellow UK-DRI Emerging Leader Race Against Dementia ARUK Fellow
Cardiff University