The University of Dundee’s Professor Ian Gilbert has been elected to join the prestigious Fellowship of the Academy of Medical Sciences.
Professor Gilbert is one of 50 prominent biomedical and health scientists to be elected to the respected and influential Fellowship.
The new Fellows have been selected for their exceptional contributions to the advancement of medical science through innovative research discoveries and translating scientific developments into benefits for patients and the wider society.
Professor Gilbert is Head of Chemistry in the Drug Discovery Unit (DDU), which he helped set up in Dundee’s School of Life Sciences. As a medicinal chemist, his research interests lie primarily in the design and synthesis of potential drugs, and his work has a particular focus on infectious diseases which affect low- and middle-income countries, such as malaria, cryptosporidosis and visceral leishmaniasis.
Professor Gilbert said, “I am very excited to have received this award. Drug discovery is very much a team science, and I have been privileged to work with a great group of co-workers, both in Dundee and through various collaborations.”
The Academy’s new Fellows for 2021 include experts who have spearheaded the Covid-19 response, as well as others who are continuing to advance biomedical sciences in innovative ways for health challenges beyond the pandemic.
Professor Dame Anne Johnson PMedSci, President of the Academy of Medical Sciences, said, “I am truly delighted to welcome these 50 new Fellows to the Academy’s Fellowship, and I offer my congratulations to each of them on their exceptional contribution to biomedical and health science. The knowledge, skill and influence that each brings to the Fellowship is the Academy’s most powerful asset.
“Although it is hard to look beyond the pandemic right now, I want to stress how important it is that the Academy Fellowship represents the widest diversity of biomedical and health sciences. The greatest health advances rely on the findings of many types of research, and on multidisciplinary teams and cross-sector and global collaboration.
“I am pleased that the newest cohort of Fellows demonstrates this breadth of expertise, from microbiology to healthcare law and medical statistics. I also warmly welcome the three new Fellows bringing knowledge and insight from the industry sector. Translational collaboration with industry is necessary for patients to reap the full benefits of UK research.”
The Academy of Medical Sciences is the independent body in the UK representing the diversity of medical science. Elected Fellows are leading medical scientists from hospitals, academia, industry and the public service. The Society’s mission is to advance biomedical and health research and its translation into benefits for society.
The new Fellows will be formally admitted to the Academy on Thursday 1 July.