New Year honour for Royal Society of Chemistry President

Royal Society of Chemistry President, Professor Lesley Yellowlees, received the prestigious honour of Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2014 New Year Honours.

Professor Yellowlees, who is also Vice Principal and Head of the College of Science and Engineering at Edinburgh University, receives the honour for services to chemistry.

The Royal Society of Chemistry's Executive Director of Science and Education, Professor Jim Iley, welcomed the announcement, saying: "This is fitting recognition for the incredible work Lesley does to champion chemistry and a wonderful start to 2014 for the chemistry community.

"Her enormous contribution, from ground-breaking research to her passion for promoting diversity in the sciences is a credit to her and we are immensely proud to hear she has been acknowledged in this way."

Professor Yellowlees was previously appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2005, for services to science, the same year she became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry. She became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 2012 and is also a Fellow of the Institute of Physics.