Two Wits professors have been elected into one of the world’s most prestigious scientific academies!
Johannesburg, South Africa (12 June 2026) – Over 90 outstanding researchers from across the world have this year been elected to the Fellowship of the Royal Society, the UK’s national academy of sciences.
Among them, two South African scientists with roots at the University of the Witwatersrand have earned a place in this distinguished company!
The Royal Society, founded in the mid-1600s and is one of the oldest and most respected scientific institutions in the world. Election to its Fellowship is widely considered among the highest honours a scientist can receive – a peer-reviewed recognition of exceptional, sustained contribution to human knowledge.
There are only about 1700 current Fellows and Foreign Members of the Royal Society, and only 8000 Fellows since its inception, including around 85 Nobel Laureates. Past Fellows include Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Albert Einstein, and Dorothy Hodgkin!
This year, Professor Glenda Gray and Professor Clifford Woolf were named in the 2026 cohort. Both are Wits alumni whose careers have seen them make strides around the world.
Professor Glenda Gray is a well-known paediatrician and clinician scientist who has played a pioneering role in preventing HIV transmission from mothers to infants, advancing HIV vaccine research, supporting prevention strategies for women, and helping lead South Africa’s response to COVID-19 vaccine research. She also made history as the first female President and CEO of the South African Medical Research Council.
“It’s a real great honour to receive this recognition from the Royal Society for the research I have done in HIV vaccines, COVID-19 and HIV prevention in general. The path to find a successful HIV vaccine has been a long and hard one, and one that I hope to be involved in until we hit a break-through.” says Professor Gray, as per Wits.
“This Fellowship is about the value of team science and working with gifted researchers both in South Africa and globally who work together to move the needle.”
Gray’s journey into research was inspired by witnessing the devastating impact of HIV on infants, children and young mothers while working at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital in Soweto. There she saw how evidence-based medicine could shape policy and save lives.
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Woolf is a neuroscientist at Harvard Medical School whose career has been devoted to understanding pain – how it works, and how to treat it better. The seed was planted during his time as a medical student at Johannesburg General Hospital, where he watched post-surgical patients suffer needlessly and decided to do something about it. He completed his PhD at Wits before moving to the UK and eventually Harvard, where his research has produced discoveries that have fundamentally changed how the medical world understands and treats pain.
Reflecting on his election to the Royal Society, Woolf says it is: “A very nice recognition of the impact and novelty of my neuroscience research, with a particular focus on pain.”
His work has earned numerous international accolades, including election to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Medicine!
The pair now join a remarkable 2026 Fellowship cohort representing scientific excellence across disciplines ranging from astronomy and cancer research to mathematics, biotechnology and quantum technology.
Among the newly elected Fellows are researchers who have transformed cancer fertility treatment, expanded the frontiers of dinosaur discovery and helped establish world-leading quantum technologies.
“I am delighted to welcome this newest group of exceptional scientists to the Fellowship of the Royal Society.” said Royal Society President Sir Paul Nurse in welcoming the new cohort. “Their contributions reflect the highest standards of scientific endeavour. Whether advancing our understanding of vaccines or exploring the transformative potential of mathematics and computation, their work exemplifies the enduring value of curiosity, creativity and rigorous inquiry….This incoming cohort highlights the truly international character of contemporary science and underscores the vital role that plays in achieving breakthroughs that benefit us all.”
Of the overall 2026 intake, twenty-six percent of this year’s Fellows and Honorary Fellows are women. Members have been elected from institutions and countries spanning the globe, including Kenya, Japan and Mexico.
The election of Gray and Woolf is another example of the incredible scientific talent connected to our universities and research institutions. Their achievements place them in the company of some of history’s greatest thinkers and continue a proud tradition of South African scientists earning recognition globally!
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