The Royal Academy of Engineering has elected 69 leading figures in the field of engineering and technology to its Fellowship. The group consists of 60 Fellows, four International Fellows and five Honorary Fellows, with each individual having made exceptional contributions to their sectors in their own way, as innovation leaders, inspiring role models, or through remarkable achievements in business or academia.
This year’s new Fellows are the first to reflect the Academy’s Fellowship Fit for the Future initiative announced in July 2020, to drive more nominations of outstanding engineers from underrepresented groups ahead of its 50th anniversary in 2026. This initiative will see the Academy strive for increased representation from women, disabled and LGBTQ+ engineers, those from minority ethnic backgrounds, non-traditional education pathways and emerging industries, and those who have achieved excellence at an earlier career stage than normal.
These new Fellows will be admitted to the Academy, which comprises nearly 1,700 distinguished engineers, at its AGM on 22 September. In joining the Fellowship, they will add their capabilities to the Academy’s mission to create a sustainable society and an inclusive economy for all.
Sir Jim McDonald FREng FRSE, President of the Royal Academy of Engineering, says: “Our Fellows represent the best of the best in the engineering world, and we welcome these 69 excellent and talented professionals to our community of businesspeople, entrepreneurs, innovators and academics.
“This year’s new Fellows are the most diverse group elected in the history of our institution. The engineering profession has long suffered from a diversity shortfall and the Academy is committed to changing that, including by ensuring that our own Fellowship community is as inclusive as it can be. It is well established that diverse organisations tend to be more agile and more innovative, and as the UK’s National Academy for engineering and technology, we have a responsibility to reflect the society we serve in addressing the shared challenges of our future.”
Explore full profiles of our 2021 new Fellows
The complete list of Fellows elected in 2021 is as follows.
Gary Aitkenhead
Senior Vice President, EMEA Operations, Equinix
Zayeed Alam
European Director, Corporate Data and Modelling Sciences, Procter and Gamble
Dr Jade Alglave
Distinguished Engineer, Arm Ltd; and Professor of Computer Science, University College London
Professor Ruth Allen
Independent consultant
Alison Atkinson
CEO, AWE plc
Professor Holger Babinsky
Professor of Aerodynamics, University of Cambridge
Professor Luke Bisby FRSE
Chair of Fire and Structures, Head of Research Institute for Infrastructure and Environment, University of Edinburgh
Professor Byron Byrne
Ørsted / RAEng Research Chair in Advanced Geotechnical Design, University of Oxford
Jonathan Carling
CEO, Tokamak Energy Ltd; Director, Zotefoams plc
Andrew Churchill
Executive Chairman, JJ Churchill Ltd
Professor Paul P Conway
Professor of Manufacturing Processes, Loughborough University
Professor Jian Dai
Professor and Chair of Mechanisms and Robotics, King’s College London
Alice Delahunty
President of Electricity Transmission, National Grid
Professor Daniele Dini
Professor of Tribology, Imperial College London
Professor Penelope Endersby
Chief Executive, The Meteorological Office
Mark Enzer OBE
Chief Technical Officer, Mott MacDonald; Director, Centre for Digital Built Britain
Professor Andrea Ferrari
Professor of Nanotechnology, Director, Cambridge Graphene Centre, University of Cambridge
Elspeth Finch MBE
CEO, IAND
Professor Jarmila Glassey
Professor of Chemical Engineering Education, Newcastle University
Neil Glover
Head of Materials Research, Rolls-Royce plc
Dr Paul Gosling
Chief Technical Officer, Thales UK
Professor Edwin Hancock
Professor of Computer Science, University of York
Duncan Hawthorne
CEO, Horizon Nuclear Power
Professor Barrie Hayes-Gill
Professor of Medical Devices and Electronic Systems, University of Nottingham
Professor Peter Haynes
Professor of Theory & Simulation of Materials, Imperial College London
Professor Jan-Theodoor Janssen
Chief Scientist, National Physical Laboratory
Professor Samuel Kingman
Pro Vice Chancellor, Faculty of Engineering, University of Nottingham
Professor Anton Kiss
Professor of Chemical Engineering, University of Manchester
Professor Paola Lettieri
Professor of Chemical Engineering and Director of UCL East, University College London
Professor James Litster
Vice President and Head of Faculty of Engineering, University of Sheffield
Dr Mark Little
VP Engineering, Red Hat
Professor Margaret Lucas FRSE
Regius Chair of Civil Engineering and Mechanics, Professor of Ultrasonics and Dean of Research (College of Science and Engineering), University of Glasgow
Dr Andrew Lynn
Chief Executive Officer and Founder, Fluidic Analytics Limited
Professor Rob Miller
Professor of Aerothermal Technology, University of Cambridge
Professor Aimee Morgans
Professor of Thermofluids, Imperial College London
Dave Nesbitt
Director of Electrical and Vehicle Engineering, Jaguar Land Rover
Professor Catherine Noakes OBE
Professor of Environmental Engineering for Buildings, University of Leeds
Professor Ian Noble
Head of Research, Analytical and Productivity - Mondelez International RDQ; Visiting Professor, School of Chemical Engineering, University of Birmingham
Professor Stephen O’Connor
Visiting Professor, Research Centre for Biomedical Engineering, School of Mathematics, Computer Science and Engineering, City, University of London
Dr (Olawale) Nelson Ogunshakin OBE
CEO, FIDIC, International Federation of Consulting Engineers
Professor Rachel Oliver
Professor of Materials Science, University of Cambridge
Jim O’Sullivan
Formerly Chief Executive, Highways England Ltd
Professor Sebastien Ourselin
Head of School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King’s College London
Professor Stephen Parkes
Chief Technology Officer, STAR-Dundee Ltd
Professor Tiziana Rossetto
Professor in Earthquake Engineering, University College London
Andrew Rutter
Director and Owner, rutterdesign
Professor Simon Saunders
Communication Technology Advisor, Visiting Professor, King’s College London
Dr Iain Scott
Vice-President of Capability and Chief Technology Officer, Radar and Advanced Targeting, Leonardo MW Ltd
Dr Andrew Senior
Senior Research Scientist, DeepMind
David Short
Technology and Advanced Programmes Director, BAE Systems Plc
Dr Jamie Shotton
Chief Scientist, Wayve
Dr Jonathan Simm
Chief Technical Director (Resilience), HR Wallingford Ltd
Professor Julia Sutcliffe
Chief Technologist – Air, BAE Systems; Honorary Professor, University of Manchester
Dr Robert Swann
Chair: Audio Analytic Ltd; AudioTelligence Ltd; SLAMCore; Flusso; Board Member: Undo Software; Living Optics
Dr Simon Thomas
Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, Paragraf Ltd
Professor Patricia Thornley
Director, Energy and Bioproducts Research Institute, Aston University
Professor Yiannis Ventikos
Kennedy Professor of Mechanical Engineering, University College London
Professor Yanghua Wang
Professor of Geophysics, Imperial College London
Dr Rebecca Weston
Chief Operating Officer, Sellafield Ltd
Professor Bajram Zeqiri
NPL Fellow in Ultrasound, National Physical Laboratory
Professor Cato T Laurencin (USA)
Chief Executive Officer, The Connecticut Convergence Institute for Translation in Regenerative Engineering, University of Connecticut, USA
Professor Alfonso Hing Wan Ngan (Hong Kong)
Kingboard Endowed Professsor in Materials Engineering, University of Hong Kong (HKU), Hong Kong SA
Professor Nabeel Agha Riza (Ireland)
Chair Professor of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, University College Cork
Aleida Rios (USA/UK)
Senior Vice President of Engineering, bp
Roma Agrawal MBE
Structural engineer, broadcaster and author
Yewande Akinola MBE
RAEng Visiting Professor, University of Westminster; Innovate UK Ambassador for clean growth and infrastructure
Dr Trueman Goba
Outgoing President, The South African Academy for Engineering; Chair, Hatch Africa
Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon MBE
CEO and Co-Founder of Stemettes
Steph McGovern
Broadcaster and journalist
Notes for Editors
The Royal Academy of Engineering is a charity that harnesses the power of engineering to build a sustainable society and an inclusive economy that works for everyone.
In collaboration with our Fellows and partners, we’re growing talent and developing skills for the future, driving innovation and building global partnerships, and influencing policy and engaging the public.
Together we’re working to tackle the greatest challenges of our age.
For more information please contact:
Jane Sutton at the Royal Academy of Engineering
T: 020 7766 0636
E: Jane Sutton