Imperial's new Fellows announced by Royal Academy of Engineering

Imperial is celebrating the election of three more researchers to the Fellowship of the Royal Academy of Engineering.

Professors Ahmed Elghazouli, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Ron Hui, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, and William Jones, Department of Mechanical Engineering, have been formally elected this month.

Becoming a Fellow is one of the highest honours that an engineer can receive in the UK and Fellowship is awarded in recognition of outstanding and continuing contributions to the profession. The new elections take the number of Imperial Fellows of the Royal Academy of Engineering to 84.

Professor Jeff Magee, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, said: “Whether they are making iconic buildings structurally sound, developing more sustainable electrical systems or making combustion engines more efficient, today’s new Imperial Fellows deserve our congratulations. Being made a Fellow is and impressive achievement. Well done to Ahmed, Ron and Bill for their hard work and dedication. This acknowledgement is thoroughly deserved.”

Professor Ahmed Elghazouli

Professor Elghazouli is internationally renowned for his outstanding contributions to research, education and practice in structural earthquake engineering and developing buildings that can handle extreme loads. Not only has his research underpinned key improvements in design practice, he has also been a leading design expert on notable engineering projects worldwide.

He has provided specialist seismic design expertise for iconic structures including skyscrapers, heritage centres and key infrastructure in Europe, China, the US and the Middle East. He has also advised on projects by visionary architects such as Norman Foster and the late Zaha Hadid.

Professor Elghazouli said: “This honour is coveted and acknowledges an engineer’s outstanding and sustained contributions to engineering. I am absolutely delighted that I was even considered for such an honour, let alone being made Fellow.

“As an engineer, I have always been passionate about enhancing links between academia and industry. Becoming a Fellow should now offer me new opportunities to formulate strategies for further enmeshing academic and industrial interactions. I also hope to work with other Fellows on developing new policies to promote engineering nationally and around the world.”

Professor Ron Hui

Professor Hui’s research focuses on the field of power electronics, which is the process of switching between electronic circuits in order to control the flow of electrical energy. Most of Professor Hui’s research focuses on new forms of sustainable lighting, technologies that transfer energy wirelessly and new sustainable energy systems. All of his work shares the common theme of ‘sustainability,’ with an emphasis on the reduction of greenhouse gases and cutting down the waste generated when electronics become obsolete.

Dr Hui said: “I was told about my election to the Fellowship in May this year. The glow and immense sense of satisfaction lasted many days after I heard the good news. At present, I am focusing on developing new types of renewable energy generation systems that could help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. So, for me, the best way to think about such a great honour is to use it as a tool to mentally spur me on to do more research that could help our planet.”

Professor William Jones

Professor Jones played a leading role in developing models that enabled engineers to evaluate airflow and the combustion process in huge industrial engines. In particular, he is internationally renowned for his innovative methods in modelling the combustion process in gas turbines, which are used to power aircraft and generate energy in power stations. Over many years, he has contributed to the industry’s ability to calculate important features such as emission levels and the temperature of turbines when in operation, which is important for making them run efficiently. Among Professor Jones’ many achievements, his modelling work has been used by two large manufacturers to improve their gas turbine designs.

Professor Jones, who began his career at Imperial in 1977, said becoming a Fellow is the icing on the cake of a long and fruitful career.

“I was a PhD student at Imperial before I began my career here in 1977. I remember the head of the Department wearing a bowler hat, dressing in a pinstriped suit and driving a Rolls Royce to work each day. I don’t think you’d see many heads of departments these days coming to work in such a get-up!

“Working at Imperial for such a long time gives me a different perspective on academic life. One thing I’ve noticed is how hard it is now for early career academics to establish themselves. Now, there is such an emphasis on getting research funding. However, there are limited funds out there, making it harder for young academics to establish themselves. Being elevated to the Fellowship gives me an opportunity to shine a light on the good work of Imperial’s younger academics who have it much harder than I did when I initially started.”