RSE Research Awards strengthen Scotland’s research future with £661K funding boost
Published: 24 July 2026
UofG researchers have secured 13 awards in the latest Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE) Research Awards.
A total of 14 UofG researchers, across all four colleges, have secured 13 awards in the latest Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE) Research Awards.
Over £661,000 will fund innovative research across a range of academic fields enabling projects led by UofG scholars spanning health, heritage, climate, history, engineering, social justice and refugee studies.
In this round, lead investigators represent 14 of the Scottish universities and research institutes; however, the reach of these awards extends beyond Scotland, with collaborators representing 22 institutions in total, including international organisations in Spain, Nigeria, Italy, Chile, Sweden, Switzerland, South Africa and Canada.
The RSE’s Research Awards Programme opens in spring and autumn each year and aims to support Scotland’s research sector by nurturing promising talent, stimulating research in Scotland, and promoting international collaboration.
RSE Vice President, Research, Professor Anne Anderson OBE FRSE, commented: “The RSE’s Research Awards Programme continues to be a cornerstone of Scotland’s thriving research community. I am confident that the recipients of these distinguished awards will push the boundaries of knowledge and create meaningful benefits for people across Scotland and beyond. On behalf of the Society, I extend warm congratulations to these exceptional researchers and their international collaborators, and I look forward to seeing the impact of their work.”
The RSE is deeply grateful for the continued support of the Scottish Funding Council, as well as the valued contributions from the RSE Scotland Foundation and the Caledonian Research Fund.
UofG Recipients of Spring 2026 RSE Research Awards are:
Small Grants
- Dr Davina Hill, School of Biodiversity, One Health & Veterinary Medicine
Environmental conditions and disturbance at hedgehog hibernation sites
- Dr Diarmaid Kelliher, School of Geographical & Earth Sciences
An angry silence? Social ostracism, boycotts and unofficial discipline in the postwar British workplace
- Dr Michael Rapport, School of Humanities | Sgoil nan Daonnachdan
The spatial French Revolution: The transformation of buildings and spaces in revolutionary Paris
- Professor Patrizia Riganti, School of Social & Environmental Sustainability
Heritage matters: Embedding cultural heritage value in Scotland’s National Performance Framework
- Dr Catherine Wilson, School of Infection & Immunity
Characterising the clinical, immunological and virological features of chronic infection in people with immunosuppression
- Dr Tao Zhang, James Watt School of Engineering with collaborator Dr Alesander Croke, James Watt School of Engineering
Exploration of flight physics for aerial firefighting in urban environments
Research Collaboration Grants
- Dr Deval Desai, University of Edinburgh, with collaborators Dr Gail Lythgoe, University of Edinburgh and Professor Maria Fletcher, School of Law
Scottish decolonising law network
- Professor Alison Phipps, School of Education, with collaborator Dr Aleksandra Glos, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, Chile
Co-creating hope with refugee children
- Dr J. Kelechi Ugwuanyi, School of Humanities | Sgoil nan Daonnachdan, with collaborators Dr George Agbo, University of Edinburgh and Professor Tochukwu Omenma, University of Nigeria, Nigeria
Decolonial heritage otherwise: Engaging Igbo cultural heritage in Scotland
- Dr Ellen Vanderhoven, School of Education, with Dr Johannes Schmees, University of Derby
Youth voice and representation in Scottish apprenticeships
Personal Research Fellowships
- Professor Stephen Bogle, School of Law
Rights and reparation: The structure of Scots delict
- Dr Daniela Castro-Camilo, School of Mathematics & Statistics
SEED: Spatial modelling of extreme counts for environmental and ecological data
- Dr Sally Tuckett, School of Culture & Creative Arts
Climate and Cloth in Scotland’s Historical and Contemporary Contexts
The full list of all 61 awardees is here.
The autumn 2026 RSE Research Awards Programme will run from noon on 2 September – noon on 21 October 2026.
Visit rse.org.uk/programme/research to find out more.
The call will include different funding opportunities covering all career stages and academic disciplines.
First published: 24 July 2026