The Principal and Vice-Chancellor of Queen Margaret University (QMU), Edinburgh, Professor Petra Wend, has been elected as Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.

Spanning the arts, business, and science and technology sectors, Professor Wend joins the Royal Society of Edinburgh in its work to place the advancement of learning and useful knowledge at the centre of public life in Scotland.

Keir Bloomer, Chair of the Queen Margaret University Court, said:  “On behalf  of the University, I’d like to congratulate Professor Wend on her newly  elected position as Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.  This prestigious accolade not only recognises her individual success as a higher education leader, but also as an inspirational figure for young people.”

President of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Professor Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell, said, “I am delighted to welcome such a wide range of outstanding individuals to the Fellowship. Each of our new Fellows is elected on the distinguished merit of their work. In joining the RSE, they strengthen our capacity to support excellence across all areas of academic and public life, both in Scotland and further afield.”

New Fellows are elected each year through a rigorous five-stage nomination process. The breadth of the Fellowship, which numbers over 1600 individuals from Scotland, the UK and abroad, enables the RSE to provide a wide range of leadership and expertise.