Imperial researchers elected to Fellowship of Royal Academy of Engineering

The College has been celebrating the election of four Imperial researchers to the Fellowship of the Royal Academy of Engineering.

The researchers are amongst 59 new Fellows elected this year in recognition of their outstanding and continuing contributions to engineering. Imperial now has 87 Fellows in total.

Imperial Fellows elected are Professor Andrew Amis, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Professor Anthony Bull, Head of the Department of Bioengineering, Professor Steve Cowley, from the Department of Physics, and also Chief Executive Officer of the UK Atomic Energy Authority, and Professor Michael Lowe who is also from the Department of Mechanical Engineering.

Professor Andrew Amis

Professor Amis’s time is split between two areas: the Department of Mechanical Engineering and the Musculoskeletal Surgery Group in the medical school, reflecting the interdisciplinary nature of his work. His research is focussed on understanding how human joints work so that he can devise methods for treating them when something goes wrong. For example, older people have joints that often wear out, causing osteoarthritis, and younger people often suffer from injuries that rupture ligaments, which can make the knee unstable. Professor Amis is developing and testing new types of artificial joints and other surgical procedures to improve mobility in patients with these types of conditions.

Professor Amis said: “Being a Fellow is recognition of the work that I have done over the years. I hope that joining the Academy will lead me to meeting and learning from other leading engineers, which is exciting.”

Professor Anthony Bull

Professor Bull's research focusses on understanding in more detail the mechanics of muscles, bones and joints with applications in a range of areas. For example, Professor Bull is the Director of the Royal British Legion Centre for Blast Injury Studies. Research aims to progress our understanding of blast injury through research and education, by ensuring collaboration of engineers, scientists, and clinicians, in order to improve clinical treatment, rehabilitation and influence strategies such as equipment design. He also leads the Medical Engineering Solutions in Osteoarthritis Centre of Excellence at the College to improve how Osteoarthritis is managed to enhance the quality of life in patients, while reducing the societal burden of this disease.

Professor Bull said: “I’m simply delighted to have been elected to this Fellowship. It is an honour and recognition for the discipline of Bioengineering, a discipline that has a track record of societal impact and is set to grow even more in significance and influence as we face the demographic time bomb of a growing, ageing population and all that that brings.”

Professor Steve Cowley

Steven Cowley is a Professor in Plasma Physics in the Department of Physics. He has made outstanding contributions to nuclear fusion research, which aims to copy the fusion of atoms that takes place in the core of the Sun for a new source of energy in the power stations of the future.

In addition to his role at Imperial, he is also Head of Culham Centre for Fusion Energy (CCFE), CEO of the UK Atomic Energy Authority, and one of the Prime Minister's scientific advisers as a member of the Council for Science and Technology.

Professor Cowley said: “Successful countries value their engineers. I don’t think the UK values the work of our engineers enough. That is why The Royal Academy of Engineering is so important, because it shines a light on the amazing research that people around the country are doing. I am extremely honoured that the Academy has elected me a Fellow and I hope to help them in any way I can.”

Professor Michael Lowe

Professor Lowe is a leading expert in the field of Non Destructive Evaluation, which involves checking the structural health of facilities such as Nuclear Reactors and Oil Refineries. Components such as piping and machinery in these facilities are often subjected to very extreme conditions, causing cracks and corrosion. Professor Lowe is particularly well known for his work in developing methods that enable these components to be inspected by guiding ultrasonic waves along them. He founded a business called Guided Ultrasonics Ltd, which licenses guided wave inspection equipment to companies all over the world.

Professor Lowe said: “I'm absolutely relieved that none of my colleagues have told me they think me receiving a Fellowship must have been a mistake! Jokes aside, this honour means a great deal and I am delighted to have been elected. But I am also profoundly aware that this is recognition of the achievements of the outstanding team of researchers, past and present, working in my research group over many years. I am most grateful to them.”