Lesley Yellowlees

Lesley Yellowlees' first job was as an administrator in the National Health Service, but after moving to Brisbane, she went into electrochemical research^[15] subsequently worked in the University of Queensland. Returning to the University of Edinburgh, to do a PhD on solar cell chemistry, Yellowlees became a demonstrator in 1986, a lecturer in 1989^[16] and was appointed Professor of Inorganic Electrochemistry in 2005. She was the first woman to be appointed head of chemistry in the university.^[15] And is also vice-principal of the university and head of the College of Science and Engineering.

Yellowlees was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry in 2005^[17] and an Honorary Fellow of Royal Society of Chemistry in 2015.^[18] She became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 2012.^[1] and is also a Fellow of the Institute of Physics.^[19]

To mark the International Year of Chemistry, IUPAC selected 25 women including Yellowlees for the Distinguished Women Chemistry/Chemical Engineering Award.^[20]

She took over the presidency of the Royal Society of Chemistry on 4 July 2012 for a two-year term^[2] (she was succeeded by Professor Dominic Tildesley).

The National Portrait Gallery has two portraits of her.^[21][22] There is also a painting of her by Peter Edwards in Burlington House, the headquarters of the Royal Society of Chemistry.^[23]

Yellowlees was appointed MBE in 2005 for services to science and CBE in the 2014 New Year Honours for services to chemistry.^[17][24][25]

Yellowlees holds Honorary Doctorates from Heriot-Watt University (awarded in 2012),^[26] and Edinburgh Napier University (awarded in 2016).^[27]

Yellowlees was named the University of Edinburgh Alumnus of the Year 2013 in honour of her research, leadership and her work as an advocate for women in STEM subjects.^[28]

In 2014, she was included in the BBC's 100 Women.^[29]

She is married to Peter W. Yellowlees, a Chartered Accountant,^[30] and they have two children.^[1][2]