The Academia Europaea (Academy of Europe), established in 1988, is a pan-European Academy comprising scientists and scholars. Its objective is to advance and propagate “excellence in scholarship in the humanities, law, the economic, social, and political sciences, mathematics, medicine and all branches of natural and technological sciences anywhere in the world for the public benefit” and to advance “the education of the public of all ages in the aforesaid subjects in Europe”.
New members are elected following nomination by existing members and a rigorous peer review process. Election is confirmed by the Council of the Academia. This year, 470 new members have been elected, joining a membership of >4600 eminent academics from across Europe.
Ludwig Oxford’s Professor Xin Lu has been elected in the physiology and neuroscience section. Xin Lu is a cancer biologist distinguished by her contributions to understanding cellular pathways that control cell fate in development and disease, particularly cancer. She has a long-standing interest in how to selectively kill cancer cells, and her major research advances have provided insights into how p53, the most mutated or inactivated tumour suppressor in human cancers, can make life or death decisions for a cell. Xin has also made contributions to our understanding of fundamental cell biology through her ongoing research on the role of cell plasticity in cancer.
In addition to her Ludwig role, Xin is Cancer Theme lead for the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre and Director of the Oxford Centre for Early Cancer Detection. Xin is also a Fellow of the Royal Society, the Academy of Medical Sciences, the Royal Society of Biology and Magdalen College, Oxford, a Fellow by election of the Royal College of Pathologists, and a Member of the European Molecular Biology Organisation.
Many congratulations to Xin!