On 15 May 2009, Professor Angela McLean, co-Director of the Institute for Emerging Infections, was among 44 new Fellows elected to the Royal Society last week. Three of the elected Fellows, including McLean, are Oxford dons. They were elected through a peer review process that culminated in a vote by existing Fellows. The main criterion for election as a Fellow is scientific excellence.
The Fellowship of the Royal Society is composed of 1302 of the most distinguished scientists from the United Kingdom, other Commonwealth countries and the Republic of Ireland. Fellows of the Royal Society are elected for life and designate themselves through the use of the letters FRS after their names.
On hearing of McLean's election to the Royal Society Fellowship, Dr Ian Goldin, Director of the 21st Century School, commented, "This is a tremendous and well-deserved acknowledgement of Professor McLean's contributions to her field and recognition of her scholarship in a vital area of science."