Highly educated

Edinburgh Law School academic Professor Susan McVie, Further Education Commissioner Dr David Collins and British Council Director Cherry Gough among alumni recognised in the New Year’s Honours list.

Alumna and Professor of Quantitative Criminology within Edinburgh Law School, Susan McVie has been recognised in the New Year’s Honours with an OBE.

Youth justice

Professor McVie is the Director of the Applied Quantitative Methods Network (AQMeN) in Scotland, a collaborative network of social scientists which provides advanced training in quantitative techniques and promotes knowledge exchange. She is also co-Director of the Edinburgh Study of Youth Transitions and Crime, a prospective longitudinal study of youth offending based at the University of Edinburgh since 1998.

Along with her colleague Professor Lesley McAra, Susan was awarded the Howard League for Penal Reform Research Medal in 2013.  She was admitted as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 2014.

Travelling the world

Cherry Gough, Director of the British Council in Vietnam also receives an OBE for services to cultural relations in Libya.

Cherry, who completed an MSc in Applied Linguistics at the University in 1987, has spent the bulk of her career working for the British Council. Initially as Deputy Director ELT (English Language Teaching) before spells in Poland as Deputy Director, and Libya and Venezuela as Director.

In 2013 the British Council signed an agreement with Libyan officials to oversee a scholarship programme that should smooth the path of up to 5,000 Libyan scholars due to study in the UK each year. Cherry also oversaw a series of empowerment workshops for women in Tripoli in 2012.

Driving improvement

Further Education Commissioner Dr David Collins has also been given a knighthood for services to the sector. David, who has an MA and PhD from the University, is responsible for driving improvement and acting swiftly to tackle failing colleges. He has reported on more than 30 struggling FE providers and is currently overseeing training reviews involving 83 colleges.

After spending 16 years as principle of South Cheshire College, Dr Collins moved onto national positions as President of the Association of Colleges (AoC) and Interim Chief Executive of the Learning and Skills Improvement Service (LSIS). Prior to the FE Commissioner role he was interim principal of the Guildford College Group.

Full list of honoured alumni

Civil Division List

Knighthoods

Sir David John Collins CBE

1972 MA (Economics & Economic History), 1977 PhD (Educational Studies), The University of Edinburgh

Further Education Commissioner

For services to Further Education

CBE - Commander of the Order of the British Empire

Professor Steven Kenneth Chapman CBE

2011 Hon DSc, The University of Edinburgh

Lately Principal and Vice-Chancellor, Heriot Watt University

For services to Higher Education

Professor Nigel Paul Gibbens CBE

1984 MSc (Tropical Veterinary Medicine), the University of Edinburgh

Chief Veterinary Officer, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

For services to the Veterinary Profession and Animal Welfare

Professor Karen Anne Luker CBE

1980 PhD (Nursing Studies), the University of Edinburgh

Lately Dean, School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work, University of Manchester

For services to Nursing and Midwifery

Ms (Marion Margaret) Margie Taylor

1978 BDS, 1985 MSc, the University of Edinburgh

Chief Dental Officer for Scotland

For services to Dental Health in Scotland

Professor Joanna Wardlaw CBE

1979 BSc (Physiology), 1982 MB ChB, the University of Edinburgh

Professor of Applied Neuroimaging and Honorary Consultant Neuroradiologist, the University of Edinburgh and NHS Lothian

For services to Neuroimaging and Clinical Science

OBE - Officer of the Order of the British Empire

Mr (Edgar Robin) Bob Allies OBE

1976 MA Architecture, the University of Edinburgh

Co-Founder, Allies and Morrison.

For services to Architecture

Professor William Donachie OBE

1984 PhD Microbiology, the University of Edinburgh

Former Managing Director of Moredun Scientific

Secretary of Scottish Consortium for Rural Research

For services to Animal and Veterinary Biosciences

Dr John Calum Macdonald Gillies OBE

1976 MBChB, the University of Edinburgh

1973, BSc Pharmacology (S&E), the University of Edinburgh

Lately Chairman, Royal College of General Practitioners Scotland

Honorary Senior Lecturer, UoE Centre for Population Health Sciences

For services to General Practice

Mr Piers Haggard OBE

1960 MA English Language, the University of Edinburgh

British theatre, film and television director

For services to Film, Television and Theatre

Mr Roderick Macdonald OBE

1966 BSc Civil Engineering, the University of Edinburgh

Director at Mainmark Ground Engineering (UK) Ltd, Runways UK, Civic Patterns

For services to Consultancy and Engineering

Professor Susan McVie FRSE OBE

1992 MSc Legal Studies (Postgrad), the University of Edinburgh

Professor of Quantitative Criminology, University of Edinburgh and Director, Applied Quantitative Methods Network in Scotland

For services to Social Sciences

Dr Patricia Jane Mucavele OBE

2003 PhD Reproductive and Developmental Sciences, the University of Edinburgh

Head of Nutrition, Children’s Food Trust Charity

For services to Children and Families and to charity

Professor Alison Jean Petch OBE

1984 PhD Social Sciences, the University of Edinburgh

Lately Director, Institute for Research and Innovation in Social Sciences

For services to Children and Families

Reverend Professor Kenneth Rankin Ross OBE

1982 BD Ecclesiastical History, the University of Edinburgh

Chair, Scotland Malawi Partnership

For services to the community in Malawi and to Scottish-Malawi Relations

Ms (Jane) Thursa Sanderson OBE

1979 MA English Language & Literature, the University of Edinburgh

Chief Executive, Drake Music Scotland

For services to Music Education and People with Disabilities

Professor Meena Upadhyaya OBE

1972 MSc, Faculty of Science & Engineering, the University of Edinburgh

For services to Medical Genetics and the Welsh Asian community

Mrs Janetta Wray OBE

1981 MA Social Administration & Sociology, the University of Edinburgh

Director, Housing Rights Service

For services to the community in Northern Ireland

MBE - Member of the Order of the British Empire

Dr Nisreen Hanna Booya MBE

1981 MSc Pathology, the University of Edinburgh

Medical Director at South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

For services to Healthcare particularly Mental Health

Dr Colin Currie MBE

1967 BSc, 1970 MBChB, the University of Edinburgh

Former Senior Lecturer at the Geriatric Medicine Unit at the University of Edinburgh

For services to the Management of Hip Fractures in Older People

Mrs Wilma Carol Grant Harper MBE

1977 BSc Ecology, the University of Edinburgh

Director, Corporate and Forestry Support Division at the Forestry Commission

For public and voluntary services to the Forestry Sector

Captain Justin James Packshaw MBE

1993 MBA, the University of Edinburgh

For services to Expeditions, Youth Development and charity

Diplomatic Service and Overseas List

OBE - Officer of the Order of the British Empire

Ms Cherry Ann Gough OBE

1987 MSc (Applied Linguistics) the University of Edinburgh

Country Director Vietnam, British Council

For services to cultural relations in Libya