THE Royal Society of Edinburgh Young Academy of Scotland (YAS) has announced the appointment of 60 new members.
Representing what the YAS describes as “some of the nation’s most innovative young professionals from across the arts, business and industry, government, the public sector, research, and academia, the third sector and beyond,” the new members will participate in YAS’s mission to inform public debate and drive societal change.
Six of the new members were appointed through YAS’s At-Risk Academic/Refugee (ARAR) membership initiative, which encourages application from those with a refugee or asylum-seeking background so that they can regain the social and professional capital lost during their displacement.
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One of these is Dr Kavul Tshiloz from the Democratic Republic of Congo, whose current research forcuses on the design of advanced motor control products for automotive applications in climate change projects.
Dr Tshilov told The National: “Climate change is perhaps the most pressing issue facing humanity. As an engineer, I am willing to use my engineering expertise to help combat climate change and make the world a greener and fairer place for all.
Dr Tshilov described diversity as the greatest strength of YAS, which he felt would help him to “realise my potential and allow me to promote Scotland across the globe.”
Also among this year’s cohort of new YAS members is Glasgow Caledonian lecturer in law and Sunday National columnist Andrew Tickell, who commented: “I’m delighted to have the opportunity to work with colleagues from such a wealth of different disciplines and backgrounds.
“One of the Young Academy key aims is to contribute to ‘a well-informed society.’ I’m passionate about promoting the public understanding of law, and hope to make a contribution and share my experiences of bridging the gap between academic work, public communication, and political decision-makers.”
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