Healthy ageing expert and Stirling professor elected Fellow of The Royal Society of Edinburgh
Professor Judith Phillips OBE, a world-renowned University of Stirling gerontologist and expert in healthy ageing, has been elected a fellow of The Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE).
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The University of Stirling's Professor Judith Phillips OBE - a world-renowned gerontologist and expert in healthy ageing - has been elected a fellow of The Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE).
Professor Phillips, a leader in the field of positive ageing, has been recognised for her outstanding research and policy work in improving the lives of older people.
As Deputy Principal (Research) and Professor of Gerontology at the University of Stirling, she has helped strengthen Stirling’s worldwide reputation for research in dementia and healthy ageing.
The RSE recognition follows a long list of plaudits for Judith, which include the Gerontological Society of America Fellowship; the British Society of Gerontology’s highest honour, the Outstanding Achievement Award; and, in 2013, an OBE for services to older people.
Last year she was appointed to the Older People’s Housing Taskforce, set up to improve housing options for older people and make recommendations to the UK Government. For the last four years she has been Research Director for the UKRI Healthy Ageing Challenge.
Other credits include President of the British Society of Gerontology and Fellowships of: The Academy of Social Sciences; the Learned Society of Wales; the Royal Geographical Society; and The Royal Society of Arts.
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Professor of Gerontology, University of Stirling, and Fellow of the RSE
I am honoured and delighted to be elected to the Royal Society of Edinburgh. Given my longstanding commitment and connections and my passion for advancing social sciences, I look forward to working with other distinguished Fellows to promote the Celtic Academies Alliance and progressing social science through the RSE.
Judith gained a geography degree at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth and went on to study at Stockholm University; Jesus College, Oxford; and University of East Anglia, Norwich. In 1994 she joined the Centre for Social Gerontology at the University of Keele, and in 2004 she set up the Centre for Innovative Ageing at Swansea University and became the Director of the Centre for Ageing and Dementia Research for Wales.
Professor Phillips joins 57 new Fellows to the RSE, including broadcaster, charity founder and honorary graduate of the University of Stirling, Sally Magnusson.
Professor Phillips said: “I am honoured and delighted to be elected to the Royal Society of Edinburgh. Given my longstanding commitment and connections and my passion for advancing social sciences, I look forward to working with other distinguished Fellows to promote the Celtic Academies Alliance, which brings together the RSE, the Learned Society of Wales and the Royal Irish Academy, and progressing social science through the RSE.”
She added: “There is still much work to be done to encourage society to value older people, from social and wellbeing needs to housing and health. Along with my other distinguished Fellows, I look forward to addressing this, and other, societal challenges.”
President of the RSE, Professor Sir John Ball PRSE, said: “It is an immense honour to extend a warm welcome to each of our distinguished new Fellows.
“Individually, they embody exceptional dedication and accomplishment spanning multiple sectors and disciplines. Collectively, they demonstrate a profound commitment and determination to make meaningful contributions through their endeavours.
“From groundbreaking research that redefines our understanding to the creative pursuits that inspire and enrich our cultural landscape, the RSE proudly embraces the brightest minds, leveraging their unique expertise and perspectives for the betterment of society.”