Introducing 10 new 125th Anniversary Fellows and Chairs - outstanding academics who bring expertise in key areas.
The University of Birmingham continues to appoint 125th Anniversary Fellows and Chairs – with ten latest additions to its third cohort taking the total number to 57.
Professor Matthew Flinders, Professor John McGeehan, Professor Daniel Smith, Professor Qilei Song, and Professor Merryn Voysey join the University as 125th Anniversary Chairs. The new 125th Anniversary Fellows are Dr Mark Wilberforce, Dr Florian Kern, Dr Matthew Jones, Dr Dongda Zhang, and Dr Stephanie Tierney.
Congratulations and a warm welcome to this exceptional group of academics joining the University of Birmingham as 125th Anniversary Fellows and Chairs. Their calibre reflects the scale of our ambition and the strength of Birmingham’s research community, as we continue to build research excellence and drive towards our goal of becoming a top 50 global university.
The new Fellows and Chairs will help to build strength in key research areas, including public policy, social care, engineering biology, critical minerals, and membrane technology - driving the University’s ambition to become a top 50 global university.
Professor Rachel O’Reilly MBE, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research) said: “Congratulations and a warm welcome to this exceptional group of academics joining the University of Birmingham as 125th Anniversary Fellows and Chairs. Their calibre reflects the scale of our ambition and the strength of Birmingham’s research community, as we continue to build research excellence and drive towards our goal of becoming a top 50 global university.”
These appointments are part of the ongoing third phase of a campaign to recruit 125 new Fellows and Chairs - marking the University’s 125th anniversary in 2025. The new cohort joins 47 academics appointed under the programme over the last two years.
The fellowships offer excellent opportunities for career progression and a bespoke package of high-quality support to enable those with demonstrable impactful research to excel in their field. Learn more about the anniversary researchers by visiting the 125th Anniversary Fellows and Chairs directory.
New academics join a university that is ranked 68th in the 2027 QS World University Rankings and an academic community that includes six Highly Cited researchers recognised among the world’s most influential academics, according to Clarivate.
The new Fellows and Chairs will begin work across the University's colleges over the coming academic year, leading research, teaching and international partnerships.
For more information, please contact the University of Birmingham Press Office on +44 (0)121 414 2772.
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Pro-Vice Chancellor (Research)
Professor Rachel O'Reilly is Chair in Chemistry at the School of Chemistry. She leads the O'Reilly Group whose research targets the design, synthesis and application of uniquely derived polymeric materials.
