Lesley Yellowlees' first job was as an administrator in the
National Health Service, but after moving to
Brisbane, she went into electrochemical research subsequently worked in the
University of Queensland. Returning to the University of Edinburgh, to do a PhD on solar cell chemistry, Yellowlees became a demonstrator in 1986, a lecturer in 1989 and was appointed Professor of Inorganic Electrochemistry in 2005. She was the first woman to be appointed head of chemistry in the university. and an Honorary Fellow of
Royal Society of Chemistry in 2015. She became a Fellow of the
Royal Society of Edinburgh in 2012. and is also a Fellow of the
Institute of Physics. To mark the
International Year of Chemistry,
IUPAC selected 25 women including Yellowlees for the Distinguished Women Chemistry/Chemical Engineering Award. She took over the presidency of the Royal Society of Chemistry on 4 July 2012 for a two-year term There is also a painting of her by
Peter Edwards in
Burlington House, the headquarters of the Royal Society of Chemistry. Yellowlees was appointed
MBE in 2005 for services to science and
CBE in the
2014 New Year Honours for services to chemistry. Yellowlees holds Honorary Doctorates from
Heriot-Watt University (awarded in 2012), and
Edinburgh Napier University (awarded in 2016). Yellowlees was named the
University of Edinburgh Alumnus of the Year 2013 in honour of her research, leadership and her work as an advocate for women in
STEM subjects. In 2014, she was included in the
BBC's 100 Women. == Personal life ==