Panmure House Fellowship

Welcoming the Second Cohort of Panmure House Fellows

At the heart of Panmure House’s legacy and the Edinburgh Business School's (EBS) mission lies a shared vision: to champion accessible, practice-oriented business education and research that resonates globally. Key to this is fostering exceptional scholars driven to undertake research that not only transforms practice but also shapes the future of society. It is within this spirit that the Panmure House Fellowship was created - a beacon of opportunity and innovation, echoing the very principles of the Scottish Enlightenment that once filled its walls. The Fellowship encourages scholars to delve into research themes that resonate deeply with Panmure House's own interests and the challenges of the 21st century: Business and Society, Innovation and Enterprise, and Finance and Growth. These themes foster critical inquiry and interdisciplinary thinking, enabling scholars to address complex societal challenges from multiple perspectives.

For these exceptional scholars, the Fellowship is more than just a research programme; it's a testament to Heriot-Watt University's unwavering commitment to nurturing scholarly excellence and driving real-world impact. It's designed to provide dedicated time and resources for scholars to delve into impactful research, empowering them to explore ideas and projects that have the potential to lead to major publications, grant proposals, or impactful case studies. The Panmure House Fellowship aligns seamlessly with the research ambitions of EBS and Panmure House’s own mission to champion critical inquiry and debate around the societal challenges of today. This ensures that the research undertaken is not only rigorous and robust but also addresses pressing issues facing our world. Into its second year, Panmure House is pleased to welcome Dr Mhairi Bowe, Associate Professor in Psychology in the School of Social Sciences, and Dr Rachel Forshaw, Assistant Professor in Economics in the School of Social Sciences as the newest recipients of the Panmure House Fellowship.

Panmure House stands ready to support and inspire these scholars, just as it once did for Adam Smith and the great minds of the Scottish Enlightenment. Together, they will continue to push boundaries, challenge norms, and shape a better future for all.

For Dr Mhairi Bowe, the Panmure House Fellowship provides the platform to scale up her research into volunteering and wellbeing. With Scotland facing a well-documented ‘crisis in volunteering,’ Bowe’s work explores how to widen access to volunteering—especially among marginalised communities—and how to harness the personal and community-wide benefits of sustained volunteer activity. Drawing on her expertise in the Social Identity Approach to Health, and in collaboration with national partners including Volunteer Scotland and SCVO, Bowe aims to deliver a major ESRC grant proposal, high-impact publications, and a series of knowledge exchange events to influence policy and practice across sectors.

Dr Rachel Forshaw’s Fellowship project, Health and Dignity in the Future of Work, addresses the urgent need for inclusive labour market solutions for individuals with long-term health conditions. Her interdisciplinary research draws on economics, public health, and policy studies to investigate how employers, occupational health services, and government policies can better support employment outcomes and wellbeing. Building on prior pilot work and a revise-and-resubmit at Nature, Rachel’s Fellowship will result in a major grant proposal, a Panmure House event on health and employment insecurity, and REF-eligible publications—all contributing to a long-term research agenda at the intersection of health, work, and inequality.

These new Fellows join the inaugural 2024 cohort: Dr Melis Ceylan, Professor Eoin McLaughlin, Professor Beth Watts-Cobbe, and Professor Carmen Boado-Peñas, each of whom has already begun delivering research with tangible impact.