This week Mike was inducted into the Royal Society of Edinburgh’s Young Academy of Scotland. This is a prestigious honour, and also an interesting opportunity. The Young Academy was started by the Royal Society of Edinburgh as a youthful model of their own activities, bringing together emerging leaders in science, humanities, arts, business and civil society. Importantly, as in the RSE, it brings together a diverse set of perspectives. Non-homogeneity is key to out-of-the-box solutions, after all!
Despite the teasing from colleagues about having the “young” designation attached to a 37-year old, this is actually the average age of participants. Mike personally hopes to get involved in the Research the Headlines and Industry Working Group pillars of the YAS to address some of the most challenging issues facing society in Scotland (either in an independent form or as part of a strong UK).
