Exceptional research leaders awarded first Royal Society Faraday Discovery Fellowships

Seven pioneering researchers have been announced as the first recipients of the Royal Society Faraday Discovery Fellowships, prestigious long-term awards to support exceptional mid-career research leaders in the UK.

Selected from more than 600 initial applications, the first cohort will investigate fundamental questions, from predicting extreme weather in the face of future climate change to the role of RNA structure in regulating gene expression in plants.

This flagship grant, supported by a fund from the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology, provides up to £8m over a 10-year period to allow talented mid-career researchers to pursue high-quality original research and develop world-leading research groups in the UK.

The grants also aim to develop a pipeline of future research talent, through mentoring and training opportunities for grant holders and their research groups.

Fellows this year will hold their awards at six institutions: the University of Sheffield, John Innes Centre, Newcastle University, University of Oxford, Imperial College London, and University College London.

Sir Adrian Smith, President of the Royal Society, said: “This exciting first cohort of Royal Society Faraday Discovery Fellowship fellows are using cutting-edge techniques to explore questions at the frontiers of human knowledge.

“From the ways in which human, or artificial, intelligence builds understanding of the world, to investigating the atomic-to-atmospheric-scale systems that could unlock new materials, strengthen food security and support our resilience to climate change.

“These 10-year fellowships give researchers space to pursue new knowledge, build their research groups and develop close collaborations around the world that will ensure the UK continues to develop and attract the next generation of scientific talent and bring benefits to the whole country.”

Lord Vallance, UK Science Minister, said: "Turbo-charging our world-class institutions with the very best research talent will be critical to unlocking breakthroughs that could help protect our food chains, put AI to work in the economy, and tackle climate change. That's why DSIT has backed the Royal Society with £250 million in long-term funding to support the work of mid-career researchers who are at the top of their game.

"These seven talented researchers will only bolster the rich diversity and quality of scientific enquiry, that's happening in the UK. Whether it's through backing for our homegrown researchers and innovators through our record £22.6 billion commitment to R&D, or through the over £115 million funding we're using to bring the world's best research talent here too, we're determined to see brilliant ideas brought to life, here."

The Royal Society Faraday Discovery Fellowship fellows and host institutions for 2026

Professor Timothy Behrens, University College London (UCL)
Algorithmic and Circuit Mechanisms for Flexible Behaviour

Professor Yiliang Ding, John Innes Centre
Deciphering the RNA language in nature

Professor Katie Field, University of Sheffield
Redefining mycorrhizal diversity for ecosystem function and sustainability

Professor Hayley Fowler, Newcastle University
EXTREME-FUTURES: A seamless framework for predicting hydroclimatic extremes

Professor Andrew Goodwin, University of Oxford
Responsive Disorder in Functional Materials

Professor Kim Jelfs, Imperial College London
Predicting synthesisable materials: bridging the gap between computation and experiment

Professor Andrea Vedaldi, University of Oxford
Spatial Artificial Intelligence

Applications for the 2026 round of Faraday Discovery Fellowships are open until 23 September.

The Royal Society has also launched the Faraday Accelerated International Route, fast-track grants of up to £4m over five years for outstanding international researchers to establish world-leading research groups in the UK.