RSE honour for Dundee academics

Two academics from the University of Dundee are among the newly announced Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.

Professor Niamh Nic Daeid, of the Centre for Anatomy and Human Identification (CAHID), and Professor Colin Palmer, from the University’s School of Medicine, have both been elected Fellows.

Professor Palmer is Chair of Pharmacogenomics in the University’s Medical School. His work focuses on the role of genes and how these can impact an individual's susceptibility to disease or their reaction to treatment. His work in human genetics has led to him being one of the world’s most highly cited researchers of the 21st Century according to a study published by Thomson Reuters.

He is a Director of SHARE - the Scottish Health Research Register - a major project to harness health data for patient and public benefit (www.registerforshare.org), which has enlisted over 50,000 volunteers throughout Scotland help with health research.

“This honour is directly related to how the population of Tayside have helped to deliver new knowledge of genes involved in a wide range of diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and asthma,” said Professor Palmer. “I look forward to working with the Royal Society of Edinburgh to promote such research to improve the health and wealth of the people of Scotland.”

Niamh is Professor of Forensic Science, based within the Centre for Anatomy and Human Identification (CAHID) at Dundee. She is a leading forensic science researcher who is renowned across the national and international landscape.

Professor Pete Downes, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Dundee, said, “These are honours that are richly deserved and which further confirm Dundee’s leading position at the forefront of forensics and genetics research.”

Professors Nic Daeid and Palmer are among 56 distinguished individuals newly elected to become Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. Spanning the arts, business, and science and technology sectors, they join the RSE in its work to place the advancement of learning and useful knowledge at the centre of public life in Scotland.

Read a full press release on the University of Dundee website