Six University of Aberdeen research projects have been selected in the spring 2026 RSE Research Awards open call.
Over £661,000 will fund innovative research across a range of academic fields, enabling projects such as a study of environmental conditions and disturbance at hedgehog hibernation sites, recording stakeholders’ attitudes towards free and VAT-free sunscreen in a warmer Scotland, and mapping poverty and health inequalities in Scotland’s communities and how we can address the knowledge-to-action gap.
Lead investigators represent 14 of the Scottish universities and research institutes; however, the reach of these awards extends beyond Scotland, with collaborators representing 22 institutions in total, including international organisations in Spain, Nigeria, Italy, Chile, Sweden, Switzerland, South Africa and Canada.
Professor Ben Tatler, Vice-Principal (Research), said: “I am pleased to see six Aberdeen-led projects recognised in this RSE funding round. The University of Aberdeen has been on the frontline of groundbreaking interdisciplinary research for more than 500 years and these projects are testament to the innovation and ambition of our researchers.”
RSE Vice President, Research, Professor Anne Anderson OBE FRSE, said: “The RSE’s Research Awards Programme continues to be a cornerstone of Scotland’s thriving research community. I am confident that the recipients of these distinguished awards will push the boundaries of knowledge and create meaningful benefits for people across Scotland and beyond. On behalf of the Society, I extend warm congratulations to these exceptional researchers and their international collaborators, and I look forward to seeing the impact of their work.”
Small grants
Dr Johannes Heim, School of Language, Literature, Music and Visual Culture, with collaborator Professor Martina Wiltschko, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Spain
SELFLings: Development of self-talk in children
Professor Gordon Noble with collaborator Professor Kate Britton, School of Geosciences
Tracing livestock mobility and provisioning networks in early medieval Dál Riata: A multi-isotope analysis
Research Collaboration grants
Dr Frances Wilkins, School of Language, Literature, Music and Visual Culture, with collaborator Professor Duncan MacLeod, Glasgow School of Art and Mrs Floraidh Forrest, Tobar an Dualchais/Kist o Riches
The carrying stream: Activating Scotland’s sound archives through creative transmission
Dr Sergiy Sylantyev, School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, with collaborator Dr Olga Kopach, City St. George's University of London
Investigating the PIEZO1 channel function across brain neuronal types in health and in pathological models
Personal Research Fellowships
Dr Michiel Poesen, School of Law
Artificial Intelligence and private international law in the EU and UK
Professor Alison Brown, School of Social Science, visiting Dr Cara Krmpotich, University of Toronto, Canada
Family Reunions: Digital Engagement and Diplomacy between Scotland and the Great Lakes of Turtle Island