New Members' Induction | 2026

Arrival and refreshments

Welcome and overview for the day

Icebreaker

Introduction to the UK Young Academy

What we do | Groups and roles

New members' spotlight | Session 1

Spotlights from new members, facilitated by:

Morning break

Opportunity for refreshment, networking and new member headshots.

The global Young Academy landscape

What we do | Opportunities and events

New members' spotlight | Session 2

Spotlights from new members, facilitated by:

Lunch

What we do | Projects

Round tables for scoping activities

Facilitated by:

Afternoon break

Opportunity for refreshment, networking and new member headshots.

Governance and staff support

Amy Fry

UK Young Academy Programme Manager from UK Young Academy

Amy Fry is the Programme Manager for the UK Young Academy, and has been in the role since 2021, supporting in the planning and launch of the organisation in 2022 and operational running since. She manages the Staff team, and is the main point of contact for the Executive Group, Partner Academies and other stakeholders involved in the initiative. Her background is in public engagement with science and project management, and she has been involved with running science festivals, delivering engagement initiatives such as book prizes and interdisciplinary grant funding as well as managing a range of small and large scale events and trainings. She is passionate about advocating for the voices of early-career individuals and is an avid theatre-goer in her spare time.

Lesley Miles

Chief Officer – Programmes, Partnerships and Engagement

Chief Officer – Programmes, Partnerships and Engagement – at the Royal Society, having joined in 2013 as the Chief Strategy Officer. Her role includes responsibility for major strands of work including grants, public, schools and industry engagement and the Royal Society’s focus on diversity and inclusion in STEM. She is the staff lead for the UK Young Academy at the Royal Society. Before joining the Royal Society, Lesley was the Marketing and Communications Director of Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children. Most of her career was spent working in the private sector, including six years as Marketing Director of Waterstones Booksellers.

Processes and platforms

Making the most of your membership

Ask me anything

Amy Fry

UK Young Academy Programme Manager from UK Young Academy

Amy Fry is the Programme Manager for the UK Young Academy, and has been in the role since 2021, supporting in the planning and launch of the organisation in 2022 and operational running since. She manages the Staff team, and is the main point of contact for the Executive Group, Partner Academies and other stakeholders involved in the initiative. Her background is in public engagement with science and project management, and she has been involved with running science festivals, delivering engagement initiatives such as book prizes and interdisciplinary grant funding as well as managing a range of small and large scale events and trainings. She is passionate about advocating for the voices of early-career individuals and is an avid theatre-goer in her spare time.

Tom Musgrove

Uk young academy assistant from Society for a Futuristic Hunstanton

Tom Musgrove is the Assistant on the UKYA Staff Team, having started this position in August 2025. Prior to joining the UKYA team, he studied for a PhD at Queen Mary University of London, where he researched ‘Histories and Futures in Britain’s Imagined Balkans, 1856-1914’, a project which explored the formation of stereotypical images of Southeastern Europe within late-nineteenth-century Britain. Alongside this, he worked with the Institute of Historical Research to coordinate seminars and conferences for early-career researchers on the history of political thought. Outside work, he is a keen creative writer and cohosts a podcast about unpopular or obscure Doctor Who episodes.

Lucy Druce Parfitt

UK Young Academy Communications Officer from UK Young Academy

Lucy Parfitt is the Communications Officer for the UK Young Academy. She leads the development of multi-channel communication strategies and works to raise the visibility of members’ work both within the organisation and externally. Previously, she was the Marketing and Communications lead for the Royal Society of Edinburgh’s public engagement programme. Lucy has also spent several years supporting the broader education sector, including roles in higher education, youth work, and secondary education. Outside of work, she is a keen singer-songwriter, a history enthusiast, and can often be found swimming in cold bodies of water.

Closing and overview for the evening

Informal evening reception

Informal drinks and bowl food for the new 2026 cohort and their buddies from the current UK Young Academy membership.