Professor Stephen Muggleton has accepted an invitation to join the 1851 Royal Commission Science and Engineering Fellowships Committee.

The Commision is a grant-making educational trust, providing funding for individuals, companies and organisations, particularly in scientific and technological disciplines.

As a member of the "Fellowships Committee" Stephen will play a major role in helping promising early career scientists and engineers develop their talent. Among the fellowships the Committee have awarded since the 1890s, sixteen went on to become Nobel prize winners.

Research Fellowships in Science and Engineering

1851 Research Fellowships are intended to give early career scientists or engineers of exceptional promise the opportunity to conduct a research project of their own instigation; an ultimate objective is to contribute to the knowledge base required for a healthy and in novative national culture. Approximately eight awards are made each year, including the 1851 Brunel Fellowship for the highest placed successful candidate who has proposed a project to be pursued in an academic engineering environment. The awards are for a duration of up to three years, subject to annual review.

History of the the Royal Commission.

The Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 was established in 1850 by Her Majesty Queen Victoria to organise the Great Exhibition. Prince Albert was appointed President and took personal charge of the whole complex operation.

The Exhibition was an enormous success and made a substantial profit. The Commission, about to be dissolved, was enjoined by Royal Charter to remain constituted and to administer the profits for charitable purposes. The Charter charged the Commission with 'increasing the means of industrial education and extending the influence of science and art upon productive industry'.

To this end the Commission purchased 86 acres of land in South Kensington and established the unique cultural site of three great museums, the Royal Albert Hall and what have become renowned institutions of learning, including Imperial College and the Royal Colleges of Art and Music. It continues to own the freehold of, and manage, much of this estate.

When this huge undertaking was largely complete, there remained sufficient funds for the Royal Commission to set up, in 1891, an educational trust to perpetuate its aims. In spite of generous funding of many worthy enterprises right from the outset, these slender resources have been carefully husbanded over the years. Today, with capital assets of over £60m, annual charitable disbursement approaches £2m.

Giving fellowships and grants to pure research in science and engineering, applied research in industry, industrial design and other projects, the Commission supports the development of science and technology, and its profitable exploitation by British Industry. Details of these competitive educational schemes are on this website.