UK behind in science roles

AN Edinburgh academic has warned that the UK is 50 years behind America in opportunities for women in science.

Professor Lesley Yellowlees, vice-principal of Edinburgh University, who will become the first female president of the Royal Society of Chemistry on July, said only two women were among the most recently created 44 fellows of the society.

Comparing how British female scientists fared compared to those in the US, she said: “It’s clear that the UK is half a century behind when it come to advancing the cause of women scientists.”