Five St Andrews colleagues join RSE Young Academy of Scotland

The Royal Society of Edinburgh Young Academy of Scotland (YAS) has announced the appointment of 48 new members. Among the new cohort are five colleagues from the University of St Andrews, representing approximately 10% of the 2026 intake, with one of the five being a colleague from the School of Physics and Astronomy. 

Dr Graham Bruce is a senior research laboratory manager in the School of Physics and Astronomy. He leads a research group developing light-based measurement technologies, with work spanning fundamental optical physics and applications including the identification of arsenic-containing historic books and the authentication of whisky through sealed bottles. He said: “I’m delighted to be joining the Young Academy of Scotland. Much of my work involves bringing together people with different expertise to solve practical problems, whether that’s improving safety in heritage collections, helping establish advanced photonics capability in Ghana, or developing new measurement technologies. 

The group represents some of the nation’s most innovative young professionals from business, the public sector, the charity sector, the arts, and research and academia. They will join the academy’s existing members in realising its vision of achieving transformative societal change through citizenship, innovation, collaboration, evidence, and leadership. 

“YAS offers the opportunity to learn from people working in very different sectors and to contribute where my own experience may be useful. I’m particularly looking forward to the conversations and collaborations that emerge when people with different perspectives come together around shared challenges.” 

YAS membership is open to early to mid-career professionals with between 5-15 years post qualification experience who have demonstrated both excellence in their field and significant potential to become leaders capable of addressing the challenges of the future. 

YAS provides a platform for its members to combine their voices, talents and innovative ideas to bring change on the issues that matter most to them. It also allows members to grow rapidly as citizens and leaders by collaborating across boundaries, expanding their professional networks, and gaining access to professional development opportunities.