Co-Director of the UCSB Center for Stem Cell Biology and Engineering, Pete Coffey, has been appointed a Fellow of the Royal Society of the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce in England. In their own words, the RSA is “an enlightenment organization committed to finding innovative practical solutions to today’s social challenges. Through its ideas, research and 27,000-strong Fellowship it seeks to understand and enhance human capability so we can close the gap between today’s reality and people’s hopes for a better world.”

Dr. Coffey received his D. Phil at Oxford University and was a member of the faculty at Oxford and later the University of Sheffield as Lecturer and Senior Lecturer. He was formerly Professor and Head of Ocular Biology and Therapeutics at the Institute of Ophthalmology at University College London, where he also served as Chair of Cellular Therapies and Visual Science. Dr. Coffey has received many honors and awards, including the prestigious Estelle Doheny Living Tribute Award in 2009, Retinitis Pigmentosa International’s Vision Award in 2009, the CIRM Leadership Award in 2010, and the New York Stem Cell Foundation Robertson Prize in 2011.

Congrats, Pete!