Fellows are appointed for life through a peer review process, based on their scientific excellence. This year, a total of 90 Fellows have been elected. Dijkgraaf and the other new Fellows join the distinguished company of figures such as Christiaan Huygens, Antoni van Leeuwenhoek, Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Albert Einstein, Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, Dorothy Hodgkin and Stephen Hawking.

‘It is with great pleasure that I welcome the latest cohort of outstanding researchers into the Fellowship of the Royal Society,’ says Sir Adrian Smith, president of the Royal Society. ‘Their achievements represent the very best of scientific endeavour, from basic discovery to research with real-world impact across health, technology and policy. From tackling global health challenges to reimagining what AI can do for humanity, their work is a testament to the power of curiosity-driven research and innovation.’

Dijkgraaf: ‘I am deeply honoured to be appointed Fellow of the Royal Society, and grateful for the recognition from fellow scientists that this represents. The Royal Society is an important institution with a long history and global impact. I look forward to contributing to the Society’s mission and, together with the other Fellows, advancing science as a public good. This aligns seamlessly with my work as university professor at the UvA and my role as president of the International Science Council.’