Mechanical Engineering undergraduate becomes second Imperial Kingsbury Scholar

Imperial has awarded its prestigious Kingsbury Scholarship to Stephen Laws, who joins the College's Department of Mechanical Engineering next term.

The Kingsbury Scholarship, which aims to support gifted engineering students in financial need, is awarded each year to an outstanding Imperial candidate wishing to ultimately pursue a career in the UK engineering industry.

To be eligible for the scholarship students must first spend a minimum of nine months working in industry, or commit to work placements during their course, helping them to gain valuable insight into the sector.

The scholarships were established in 2011 through the generous support of alumnus Derek Kingsbury CBE FREng (Electrical Engineering 1947) and his wife Wendy.

Stephen, who will commence his studies in the Department of Mechanical Engineering in October, will receive a full scholarship for the duration of his course - including a tuition fee waiver and a grant towards living costs.

He has spent the past year working for agrichemical company Syngenta, organised through the Engineering Development Trust’s Year in Industry programme.

Stephen said: “My experience working at Syngenta has been fantastic, and has given me a great insight - ahead of embarking upon my course - of the way that the theory we’ll be learning in lectures can be practically applied in an industrial setting.”

“It is quite hard to put into words just how pleased and proud I was to learn that I had been awarded the Kingsbury scholarship. It feels a real privilege to have such recognition at such an early stage of my career and I fully appreciate the generosity of the donors. I am now more excited than ever to start at Imperial and fully intend to maximise my potential studying at this world-class university.”

Derek Kingsbury enjoyed a notable career in UK industry with Associated Electrical Industries, Thorn Electrical Industries, Dowty Group, Pearson and Fairey Group. 

Commenting on why he decided to found the Scholarship at Imperial, he said: “I want to encourage more students to consider industrial and technical careers in the UK. I believe that investing in academic success and encouraging ambition and excellence in engineering students is vital to UK industry."

• Further information about the Kingsbury Scholarship.