St Andrews projects receive prestigious funding awards

Seven research projects from the University of St Andrews have been selected for funding by the RSE Research Awards Programme.

The grants will enable innovative research at St Andrews, and with partner institutions, across a range of academic disciplines, with projects including the stolen children of Rwanda under the Belgian Empire, antibiotic use in Latin America, crowd studies, visions of peace, and museum documentation.

The RSE’s prestigious grant programme runs twice a year and aims to support Scotland’s research sector by nurturing promising talent, stimulating research in Scotland, and promoting international collaboration. The St Andrews projects in this round are among 73 from 16 Scottish higher education institutions, with collaborators representing 39 institutions in total across the world.

Small Research Grants

Dr Bruno Brulon Soares, School of Art History: Indigenous presence: Repairing museum documentation through collections care between Brazil and the UK.

Professor Kristen Harkness, School of International Relations: Finding Ethel.

Dr Asha Hornsby, School of English: Medicine on the move: Victorian ship doctors’ literary-critical perspectives on climate and health.

Research Collaboration Grants

Professor Nicki Hitchcott, School of Modern Languages, with collaborator Dr Alice Karekezi, University of Rwanda: Stolen children, lost mothers, absent fathers: the métis and their families under the Belgian Empire.

Dr Katherine Keenan, School of Geography and Sustainable Development, with collaborators Dr Kasim Allel Henriquez, University of Oxford and Professor Ana Gales, Federal University of Sao Paulo: RAIZ Network: Advancing bottom-up research and data on antimicrobial-resistance and antibiotic use in Latin America.

Dr Alice Konig, School of Classics: New visions of ancient peace.

 Professor Stephen Reicher, School of Psychology and Neuroscience, with collaborator Dr Sara Vestergren, University of Limerick: Creating a crowd studies network.

Professor Tom Brown, Vice-Principal (Research, Collections and Innovation), said: “These awards recognise the quality, depth and breadth of our research across a wide range of Schools and academic disciplines. Congratulations to each of the recipients, and their collaborators and teams – we look forward to seeing the meaningful impact of your work.”

RSE Vice President, Research, Professor Anne Anderson OBE FRSE, commented, “The RSE’s Research Awards Programme plays a vital role in strengthening Scotland’s dynamic research community. I do not doubt that the recipients of these prestigious RSE awards will advance knowledge and make meaningful contributions to Scottish society. On behalf of the RSE, I congratulate these exceptional researchers and their international partners, and I eagerly anticipate the impact of their work.”

The autumn 2025 RSE Research Awards Programme will open at noon on 4 September 2025 and will run until noon on 22 October 2025.