Welcome to our new Fellows 2025: solving the challenges we face
The 56 new Fellows and 4 Honorary Fellows announced by the Learned Society of Wales show how Wales has answers to many of the most pressing questions we face today.
Our new Fellows are drawn from academia, the public and health service, and Wales’ wider civic and cultural life. They are elected because of their expertise and experience, and their research and knowledge leadership. The combined strength of our entire Fellowship helps us meet our charitable aim to advance the use of research and innovation for the benefit of Wales’ economy and society.
“We face a huge number of challenges, from climate change to political turmoil to emerging health threats. The answer to so many of these problems will be found in research and robust civic institutions. That expertise is evident in our new Fellows. I’m delighted to welcome them to the Learned Society of Wales.”
Professor Hywel Thomas, President, LSW
Honorary Fellows
This year’s Honorary Fellows reflect the Society’s breadth of interest, with impressive impacts on the arts, politics, science and climate change.
Dame Professor Jane Francis DCMG FRS HonFLSW is Director of the British Antarctic Survey, whose multiple Arctic and Antarctic expeditions in search of fossil forests have led to critical insights into past climate change.
The Hon Julia Gillard AC HonFLSW, born in Barry, was Prime Minister of Australia and leader of the Labor Party from 2010 to 2013. She is currently Chair of the Wellcome Trust, a Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, and Chair of the Global Partnership for Education.
Dr Kadiatu Kanneh-Mason HonFLSW has had a transformational impact on diversity in classical music and music education and issues of race and inclusion, literature and parenting.
Professor Edward Witten HonFLSW is a Fields Medal winning physicist, renowned for his work in a wide range of areas including quantum field theory, string theory, M-theory, quantum gravity, and quantum information theory.
Our new Fellows display established strengths in the arts, humanities and sciences, but also the importance of knowledge and talent from outside academia. Sian Williams, for example, developed the South Wales Miners’ Library at Swansea University and leads the Richard Burton Archives, while Dr Manon Antoniazzi is Clerk and Chief Executive of Senedd Cymru.
Several of our new Fellows have made significant contributions in the treatment of disease, including Professor Jadwiga Furmaniak’s work on Graves Disease and other autoimmune conditions, Professor John Francis Mayberry’s work on inflammatory bowel disease, and Dr Zubeyde Bayram-Weston’s on neurodegenerative diseases, particularly Huntington’s.
From the worlds of science and engineering, Dr Rhodri Jones is Head of the Beams Department at the CERN accelerator complex, while Dr Changjing Shang has a worldwide reputation for research on computational intelligence and its applications. Meanwhile, important work on climate is done by Professor Caroline Lear, who uses novel geochemical techniques, and by Professor Tom Rippeth, who explores the impact of tide and wind on the melting of Arctic sea ice.
A snaphot summary of all our new Fellows can be read here.
“The announcement of our new Fellows is always a day to celebrate the breadth of expertise we have in Wales. We have worked throughout the year to broaden the range of people joining the Fellowship. The diversity of new Fellows from industry, commerce, the arts and professions is encouraging and reflects Welsh strengths. As last year, 23% of new Fellows are from an ethnic minority, while 34% of new Fellows are women and make up just 30% of the Fellowship overall. We’re determined to see that figure rise markedly in the years ahead.”
Olivia Harrison, Chief Executive, LSW