Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw elected as fellow of Royal Society of Edinburgh

Biocon Ltd Executive Chairperson Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw has been elected as a fellow of the prestigious Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE), Scotland's National Academy, the company said on Wednesday.

Mazumdar-Shaw, who is also the Executive Chairperson of Biocon Biologics, will be joining RSE's current fellowship of around 1,700 fellows who are recognized as being some of the greatest thinkers, researchers and practitioners working in or with Scotland today, the company said in a statement.

On receiving the Fellowship, Mazumdar-Shaw said: “I’m truly humbled and honoured to have been elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, one of the world’s oldest and most respected academic societies. It is inspiring to join this fellowship of luminaries from different walks of life who are striving for the economic and social well-being of the world. The Fellowship will provide me an opportunity to work collectively and collaboratively with some of the greatest minds to solve the pressing issues of our times through innovative solutions for the greater good of mankind.”

RSE is one of the world's oldest and most respected academic societies. Fellows are elected to join the RSE from across the fields of science, arts, education, business and public life in recognition of their impact in improving the world around them.

The Biocon chief is among the 80 luminaries to be appointed to the RSE’s Fellowship this year. 

The RSE fellowship is split into four broad sectors, covering the full range of physical and life sciences, arts, humanities, social sciences, education, professions, industry, business and public life.

Previous RSE fellows have included Benjamin Franklin, statesman, author, publisher, scientist, inventor, diplomat and one of the leading figures of early American history; James Watt, Scottish inventor, mechanical engineer and chemist most famous for his work on the world's first modern steam engine; Melvin Calvin, Nobel Prize-winning American chemist famous for his ground breaking work on photosynthesis; James Clerk Maxwell, Scottish mathematician and scientist responsible for the classical theory of electromagnetic radiation; and Andrew Lawrence, British astrophysicist specialising in the study of active galactic nuclei and quasars."

''This year's cohort represents the diversity of expertise within Scotland and the UK with leaders from business, tech, legal and other sectors,'' the statement said.