The Royal Society of Edinburgh’s medals recognise achievement in research, teamwork, and collaboration within Scottish higher education institutions (HEI), and between Scottish and other institutes or businesses.

Winning a Mary Sommerville medal was the Peace and Conflict Resolution Evidence Platform (PeaceRep), a consortium of research and non-governmental organisations working to support peace processes across the globe.

Led by the university, and funded by the UK Government, PeaceRep uses big data analytics and research to help peacemakers learn lessons from previous peace deals.

The data has assisted those attempting to find peaceful solutions to conflict in countries including Ukraine, Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Sudan, Yemen, Sudan, Ethiopia, and Myanmar.

“At a time when the world seems perilously engaged in war, this medal affirms the importance of continual peacemaking in dark and dangerous moments,” said professor Christine Bell, who leads the PeaceRep team of over 50 people.

“The award of the medal will encourage us, and we hope others, to continue to explore how new technologies can be used to harness innovation in research and practice.”

The PeaceRep project includes members from other universities, including the University of St Andrews and the University of Stirling, as well as international organisations and local research partners.

Also winning a Mary Sommerville medal was EAVE II, based at the university’s health-focussed Usher Institute, which developed a data resource that monitored and forecasted the COVID-19 pandemic as it grew in Scotland.

The resource used patient data to track the pandemic, in addition to the effects of interventions such as vaccines, within Scotland in near real-time. This led to evidence and analyses that supported the public health and policy response throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

The University of Edinburgh’s researchers led the collaborative study with Public Health Scotland, as well as the Universities of St. Andrews, Aberdeen, and Strathclyde.

Aziz Sheikh, professor of primary care research and development at the Usher Institute, remarked: “It was an incredible privilege to work with our interdisciplinary Scotland-wide team of academics and professional services staff, public health and clinical experts, and our fantastic patient and public involvement group to help answer some of the most important scientific questions in the world at the time.

“I very much hope that our expert team will be able to build on these pandemic experiences, using our outstanding health data assets, to help address other pressing issues facing our NHS and through doing so improve health outcomes for the people of Scotland and beyond.”

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Dr Lara Kalnins, a lecturer in the University of Edinburgh’s school of geosciences, received the Royal Society of Edinburgh’s Rosemary Hutton Award for her work in combining data, analysis, and modelling in the study of the Earth’s dynamics.

Kalnin’s research has looked at what patterns of volcanism can tell us about the convection of the Earth’s plates and mantle change over time.

“I am honoured and delighted to receive the Rosemary Hutton Medal and grateful for this recognition of the potential and power of the integrative style of research I do,” she commented.

“My thanks as well to all my collaborators and students – as always, science is a team effort, and I could not have done my part without theirs.”