Energy Futures Lab Chair elected Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering

Ian Funnell, Chair of the Energy Futures Lab Advisory Board, has been made a fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering.

Mr Funnell, who is also Chair of the National Nuclear Laboratory (NNL), was among 73 leading figures in the fields of engineering and technology elected to the Academy’s Fellowship at its AGM this year.

He has had a long and distinguished career in the global energy sector, having joined ABB in 1999, later serving as CEO of ABB UK and Hitachi Energy Ltd in the UK and Ireland. He has also held positions on the Made Smarter Commission, the UK Government’s Advisory Board for Innovate UK (Energy Revolution) and the COVID Recovery Commission.

I'm so glad I chose engineering as a career; it is an honour to be an engineer. Ian Funnell FREng Chair, Energy Futures Lab Advisory Board

In addition to his roles at Energy Futures Lab, Imperial's global energy institute, and the NNL, Mr Funnell currently serves as Chair of the NG Bailey Group, advisor to the Chair of Hitachi Europe, and as an Ambassador of the Women Leaders Association.

Last year, he delivered the Energy Futures Lab Annual Lecture, discussing the future of nuclear energy in the UK and around the world in front of a packed audience at Imperial.

Mr Funnell said he was delighted to be elected a Fellow of the Academy: “There is a huge diversity of engineers who strive to address some of the world’s most complex challenges – to benefit society and the economy in the process. I'm so glad I chose engineering as a career; it is an honour to be an engineer.”

Five Imperial academics were also elected Fellows of the Academy, including Professor Bikash Pal, Professor of Power Systems in the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, who pioneers research in power system stability, control, and computation and currently leads a six-university UK-China research consortium in sustainable energy networks.

Professor Julian Bommer (Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering), Professor John Dear (Department of Mechanical Engineering), Professor Stepan Lucyszyn (Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering), and Professor Daryl Williams (Department of Chemical Engineering) bring the total number of Imperial Fellows to 109.

Engineering skills, vision and leadership will play a crucial part in addressing the escalating domestic and global challenges that we face today. Sir Jim McDonald FREng FRSE President, Royal Academy of Engineering

They will be formally admitted to the Academy at a ceremony in London on 28 November and will lend their unique capabilities to achieving the Academy’s overarching strategic goal to harness the power of engineering to create a sustainable society and an inclusive economy for all.

Sir Jim McDonald FREng FRSE, President of the Royal Academy of Engineering said: “In an uncertain world, one thing is certain – engineering skills, vision and leadership will play a crucial part in addressing the escalating domestic and global challenges that we face today.

“The combined connectivity, professionalism, experience and wisdom of the new Fellows who join us today will greatly enrich the expertise and support we can provide to the government and to society in general.”