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Two leading academics at The University of Nottingham have been admitted as Fellows of the Royal Academy of Engineering.
Hai-Sui Yu, Professor of Geotechnical Engineering and Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Paul Shayler, Ford Professor and Professor of Mechanical Engineering, have joined a total of 59 new Fellows of the Academy who represent the most eminent names in the profession from the UK and overseas.
Professor David Greenaway, Vice-Chancellor of The University of Nottingham, said: “This is an outstanding achievement for both Professor Yu and Professor Shayler and reflects their outstanding contributions to Engineering in the UK and beyond.”
Also named as a new Fellow is Dr David Clarke, Chief Executive of the Energy Technologies Institute (ETI) which is hosted by the Midlands Energy Consortium - comprising The University of Nottingham the University of Birmingham and Loughborough University.
Professor Yu said: “I am delighted and thrilled by this election. The Fellowship of the Royal Academy of Engineering is widely regarded as the highest accolade for British engineers so to be a part of this distinguished group is truly an honour. This is a wonderful acknowledgement of the quality and impact of the research that my students and I have been undertaking over the past twenty years. I feel very proud of what we’ve achieved”.
Professor Shayler said: “I am honoured to be elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, and very pleased for the recognition it brings to our research on engines and the success of our collaborative links with industry.”
Sir John Parker FREng was confirmed as the Academy’s new President, succeeding Lord Browne of Madingley who steps down after five years in office. Sir William Wakeham KB FREng, Emeritus Professor at the University of Southampton, was also confirmed as the Academy's Senior Vice President.
The UK’s top female defence engineer, a Nobel Prize winner and a racing Peer were also among the new Fellows admitted to the Academy.
Included in the list are nine women, more than in any previous election in the Academy’s 35-year history. Ann Lauvergeon has been elected as an International Fellow for her leadership and vision in creating AREVA and developing it into the world’s largest builder of nuclear reactors, while Frances Saunders, Chief Executive of the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory has been made a Fellow for driving the creation of state-of-the-art equipment designed for the modern battlefield.
Elected as an International Fellow is Steve Chu, Secretary of State for the US Department of Energy and winner of the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1997. Dr Chu has spent much of his career advocating for alternative energy and nuclear power research, arguing that these are vital for combating climate change.
Also named as a new Fellow is Lord Paul Drayson, distinguished for his contributions to science policy as Science Minister, renowned as an entrepreneur, a role model for promoting engineering as a career, and now the owner of Drayson Racing.
In total, 50 UK Fellows have been elected with six International Fellows and three Honorary Fellows.
Lord Browne said: “I am delighted that the Academy’s Fellows have elected the most diverse intake of new Fellows to date, with more women than ever before. The range of skills held by all 59 will boost the expertise available to the Academy in its mission to place engineering right at the heart of society.
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Notes to editors:
The Royal Academy of Engineering — Founded in 1976, The Royal Academy of Engineering promotes the engineering and technological welfare of the country. Our fellowship — comprising the UK’s most eminent engineers — provides the leadership and expertise for our activities, which focus on the relationships between engineering, technology, and the quality of life. As a national academy, we provide independent and impartial advice to Government; work to secure the next generation of engineers; and provide a voice for Britain’s engineering community.
www.raeng.org.uk
The University of Nottingham, described by The Sunday Times University Guide 2011 as ‘the embodiment of the modern international university’, has award-winning campuses in the United Kingdom, China and Malaysia. It is ranked in the UK's Top 10 and the World's Top 75 universities by the Shanghai Jiao Tong (SJTU) and the QS World University Rankings. It was named ‘Europe’s greenest university’ in the UI GreenMetric World University Ranking, a league table of the world’s most environmentally-friendly higher education institutions, which ranked Nottingham second in the world overall.
The University is committed to providing a truly international education for its 40,000 students, producing world-leading research and benefiting the communities around its campuses in the UK and Asia.
More than 90 per cent of research at The University of Nottingham is of international quality, according to the most recent Research Assessment Exercise, with almost 60 per cent of all research defined as ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’. Research Fortnight analysis of RAE 2008 ranked the University 7th in the UK by research power.
The University’s vision is to be recognised around the world for its signature contributions, especially in global food security, energy & sustainability, and health.
More news from the University at:
www.nottingham.ac.uk/news