Fellowships for selected Fife few

A leading playwright, a mathematician and a philosopher from St Andrews University have been elected fellows by the Royal Society of Edinburgh.

Zinnie Harris, of the School of English, is arguably Scotland’s foremost playwright, screenwriter and theatre director.

She writes for national companies including the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre for Scotland and has written for BBC1 and Channel Four, including for the hit series Spooks.

Leading academics Professor Jessica Brown, of the School of Philosophical, Anthropological and Film Studies, and Professor Peter Cameron, of the School of Mathematics and Statistics, were also elected alongside former Prime Minister Gordon Brown and US philanthropist and former pianist Carol Colborn Grigor, who became honorary fellows.

The society is a leading educational charity established by Royal Charter in 1783, and has welcomed 66 new fellows.

President Professor Jocelyn Bell Burnell said: “Each year we welcome a selection of nominated extraordinary individuals into the fellowship and this year is no exception.

“The diverse range of achievements of these individuals will be an asset to the RSE and I am sure they will strengthen the RSE’s standing as a national academy committed to providing public benefit to Scottish society.

“I also welcome the increasing number of female fellows to the Royal Society of Edinburgh, something we have focused on improving in past years and part of our wider commitment to diversity.”