Professors Stephen McArthur and Patricia Findlay from the University of Strathclyde have been named as Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE).

The Fellowships recognise achievement in science, arts, business, sports, civil society and academia from across Scotland and beyond, to share knowledge and tackle the most pressing challenges of the modern world.

Professor McArthur, Associate Principal & Executive Dean of Engineering at Strathclyde, also holds the position of Distinguished Professor of Intelligent Energy Systems.

Data challenges

His main area of expertise is applying AI in power and energy systems, and he has delivered solutions for a range of smart grid, asset management and data analytic challenges.

Professor McArthur, who won the 2021 IEEE Richard Harold Kaufmann Award for outstanding contributions in industrial systems engineering for innovative contributions to the advancement of intelligent systems for power engineering applications, said: “I am honoured and delighted to be elected as a Fellow of the RSE.

“I look forward to working with the other Fellows in helping the Society to drive economic growth and impact based on Scotland’s world-class research and innovation.”

As Distinguished Professor of Work and Employment Relations, Patricia Findlay’s expertise spans job quality, innovation and workplace governance, and how these link to societal challenges such as addressing sustainable productivity, wellbeing and inequality.

Professor Findlay is also the Director of the Scottish Centre for Employment Research (SCER) which informs academic, policy and practice debates on work and employment, and is Co-Chair of Scotland’s Fair Work Convention.

Useful learning

Professor Findlay said: “I’m very pleased to have been elected as a Fellow of Scotland’s National Academy. The RSE’s focus on knowledge made useful resonates with Strathclyde’s role as a place of useful learning, and I’m delighted to be joining a multidisciplinary Fellowship committed to the social, cultural, and economic wellbeing of Scotland.”

Strathclyde Principal and Vice-Chancellor Professor Sir Jim McDonald, who is himself a Fellow of the RSE, said:

I would like to offer my warmest congratulations to Stephen and Tricia on such a well-deserved honour in recognition of their pioneering research in the fields of engineering and work and employment relations.

“They epitomise the Strathclyde distinctiveness of mapping internationally leading research and innovation into impacts on society and the economy.  I am proud of them both.

The new RSE Fellows announced this week also included alumna Dr Fiona Rayment, Executive Director of the Nuclear Innovation and Research Office.

His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh has also been made a Royal Honorary Fellow, joining the Society’s patron His Majesty King Charles III, The Prince of Wales and The Princess Royal.

Unshakeable commitment

President of the RSE, Professor Sir John Ball PRSE, said: “It is my sincere pleasure to welcome each of our new Fellows – from the worlds of academia, public service, business, and the arts – to Scotland’s National Academy. 

“They represent excellence in their fields and will reinforce our ability to tackle the challenges that Scotland, and indeed the wider world, faces now and in the future.

“Across a range of disciplines, they have each shown an unshakeable commitment to their research, work or craft, and it is exactly this superlative level of accomplishment that makes them belong as Fellows of the RSE.

“I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to all of our new Fellows, and I hope they will avail themselves of all that our great National Academy has to offer them.”