Visual neuroscience professor named Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales • City St George's, University of London

Professor Michael Morgan elected to the Learned Society of Wales

By Mr George Wigmore (Senior Communications Officer), Published Wednesday, 30^th April 2025

Professor Michael Morgan ScD, FRS of City St George’s, University of London has been named a Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales (LSW).

As Professor of Visual Neuroscience, Professor Morgan’s work covers diverse areas of visual processing such as motion, acuity, colour, 3D representation and spatial vision.

He is one of the 56 new Fellows and four Honorary Fellows who join the LSW. The new Fellows are drawn from academia, the public and health service, and Wales’ wider civic and cultural life.

Speaking about the fellowship, Professor Morgan said:

“The LSW has over 700 elected Fellows, representing excellence in the sciences, humanities, arts, social sciences and other fields. I was already a Fellow of the Royal Society (of London) but was born and raised in Glamorgan, so was interested to learn more about the Welsh Society. I am also a keen Welsh language addict and a member of the Welsh Language Society. I was nominated and seconded by members of LSW. Fortunately, I was successful and now look forward to frequent visits to the Society in my birthplace, Caerdydd (Cardiff).”

Professor Morgan obtained his first degree and PhD from the University of Cambridge studying Natural Sciences, specialising in Experimental Psychology. After one year as an Assistant Professor at McGill University, he became an Assistant in Research and subsequently a Demonstrator at the University of Cambridge (Experimental Psychology Department).

He subsequently became Head of the Department of Psychology at the University of Durham before moving to a Research Chair at UCL (Psychology). After a period as a Darwin Professorial Fellow in the Centre for Neuroscience at Edinburgh, he returned to UCL to take a joint position between Anatomy and The Institute of Ophthalmology, before finally moving to the Applied Vision Research Centre at City St George’s, University of London.

Professor Hywel Thomas, President of the LSW, said:

“We face a huge number of challenges, from climate change to political turmoil to emerging health threats. The answer to so many of these problems will be found in research and robust civic institutions. That expertise is evident in our new Fellows. I’m delighted to welcome them to the Learned Society of Wales.”

Besides the new Fellows, the four new Honorary Fellows reflect the LSW’s breadth of interest, with impressive impacts on the arts, politics, science and climate change. They are Dr Kadiatu Kanneh-Mason, a pioneer in musical education; former Prime Minister of Australia, Barry-born Julia Gillard; polar geologist and Director of the British Antarctic Survey, Dame Professor Jane Frances; and Fields Medal-winning theoretical physicist Professor Edward Witten.

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