Eight University of Aberdeen research projects have been selected in the autumn 2025 RSE Research Awards open call.
More than £856,000 will fund a total of 92 innovative research across a range of academic fields announced in the latest round.
Lead investigators represent 17 of Scotland’s universities and research institutes; however, the reach of these awards extends beyond Scotland, with collaborators from 45 institutions in total, including international organisations in the USA, Australia, Italy, Malawi, Germany, Finland, and Iraq.
RSE Vice President, Research, Professor Anne Anderson OBE FRSE, said: “The RSE’s Research Awards Programme plays a crucial role in supporting and strengthening Scotland’s vibrant research community. I am confident that the recipients of these prestigious RSE awards will advance knowledge and deliver meaningful benefits for Scottish society. On behalf of the Society, I warmly congratulate these outstanding researchers and their international partners, and I look forward to seeing the impact of their work.”
Professor Nick Forsyth, Acting Senior Vice Principal & Vice-Principal (Research), said: “Being selected for an RSE Award is a powerful recognition of the excellence and ambition that defines our research community.
“Our researchers continue to push the boundaries of knowledge, tackle complex societal challenges and contribute work that resonates far beyond academia. These awards reflect not only their individual talent but the strength of our collaborative research environment.”
Aberdeen recipients of Autumn 2025 RSE Research Awards are:
Small grants
Dr Sacha Fop, School of Natural and Computing Science: Developing sustainable all-solid-state proton batteries
Dr Ainsley McIntosh, School of Language, Literature, Music and Visual Culture: A light in the dark: Walter Scott’s lighthouse yacht journal (1814) and its textual and cultural legacy
Dr Zhenhua Yu, School of Natural and Computing Science: Cochlea-inspired tactile sensors for intelligent and sustainable wearable health monitoring
Research Collaboration grant
Dr Jonathan Ainslie, with collaborators Dr Patricia Živković and Dr Nevena Jevremovic, School of Law: Death and law: Interdisciplinary explorations
Personal Research Fellowships
Dr Josie Geris, School of Geosciences: When wet places run dry: Shaping Scotland’s water resources resilience to drought
Dr Hans Hones, School of Divinity, History, Philosophy & Art History: Empirical aesthetics in art education: Pedagogies beyond formalism
International Joint Projects
Rev Dr Ken Jeffrey, School of Divinity, History, Philosophy & Art History, with collaborator Dr Brian Theu, University of Livingstonia, Malawi: Witchcraft accusations and violence in northern Malawi: Strengthening community-based protection systems
Professor Hai Deng, School of Natural and Computing Sciences, with collaborator Professor Keqiang Wu, National Taiwan University, Taiwan: Uncovering novel bioactive cyclic peptides in tomato
The RSE’s Research Awards Programme opens in spring and autumn each year and aims to support Scotland’s research sector by nurturing promising talent, stimulating research in Scotland, and promoting international collaboration.
Read more about the awards and the autumn 2025 projects on the RSE website.