Three Pembrokians elected Fellows of the Royal Society

We are delighted to learn that Senior Research Fellow Professor Scott Waddell, Honorary Fellow Professor Irene Tracey, and Honorary Fellow and alumnus Professor Sir Chris Whitty have been elected to The Royal Society.

They are among eighty outstanding scientists from around the world named as the newest Fellows of the Royal Society, selected for their substantial contribution to the advancement of science.

Professor Scott Waddell FMedSci FRS has been a Senior Research Fellow at Pembroke since 2014. He is also Professor of Neurobiology at the Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour (University of Oxford), of which he was a founding member in 2011. With his group, Professor Waddell has conducted extensive research into neural circuit properties of motivated and memory-directed behaviours, discovering novel, conserved mechanisms of adaptive behaviour. Recent research from the Waddell lab in April 2023 discovered a detailed neural circuit mechanism that explains why multisensory learning is beneficial for memory. He has won multiple awards in recent years for work to further our understanding of neurobiology and higher cognitive functions.

Honorary Fellow Professor Irene Tracey CBE FMedSci FRS was Fellow at Pembroke from 2007 until 2019, when she took on the position of Warden of Merton College. In January 2023 she stepped into the role of Vice-Chancellor of the University. A renowned neuroscientist, she continues to hold the Nuffield Chair in Anaesthetic Science, and with her team has made ground-breaking discoveries into how humans perceive pain.

Alumnus and Honorary Fellow Professor Sir Chris Whitty KCB FMedSci FRS is the third Pembrokian to be elected Fellow of the Royal Society this year. He has served as Chief Medical Officer for England and the government’s Chief Medical Adviser. Alongside his work as a practising NHS Consultant Physician, his academic career has seen him elected Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences, Gresham Professor of Physic and Professor of Public and International Health at the London School of Hygiene.

Our warmest congratulations to Professor Waddell, Professor Tracey and Professor Whitty on their election to The Royal Society and the thoroughly well-deserved recognition this brings.