11 May 2022 – Maria Leptin has been elected a Foreign Member of the Royal Society for her leadership in European science that builds on her research contributions across fields from immunity to genetics. A total of 62 scientists – 50 new Fellows, 11 Foreign Members, and one Honorary Fellow – have joined the UK society this year. The distinguished group of scientists has been recognized for their outstanding contributions to science that span multiple disciplines.
“It is an honour to welcome so many outstanding researchers from around the world into the Fellowship of the Royal Society,” says Adrian Smith, President of the Royal Society. “Through their careers so far, these researchers have helped further our understanding of human disease, biodiversity loss, and the origins of the universe. I am also pleased to see so many new Fellows working in areas likely to have a transformative impact on our society over this century, from new materials and energy technologies to synthetic biology and artificial intelligence. I look forward to seeing what great things they will achieve in the years ahead.”
Leptin is the president of the European Research Council and a professor of genetics at the Institute of Genetics of the University of Cologne, Germany. She led EMBO from 2010 to 2021 as its first female director and has been an EMBO Member since 1996.
The Royal Society is a self-governing Fellowship of distinguished scientists drawn from all areas of science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine. Its fundamental purpose, reflected in its founding charters of the 1660s, is to recognize, promote and support excellence in science and to encourage the development and use of science for the benefit of humanity.
