Four Imperial academics elected Fellows of the Royal Academy of Engineering

Professors Geoffrey Li, Robert Zimmerman, Jonathan Morrison and Atula Abeysekera (Honorary) are now Fellows of the Royal Academy of Engineering.

The newly elected members join 109 Imperial Fellows across 12 departments, bringing the total number of Imperial Fellows to 113. 

Huge congratulations to Professors Li, Zimmerman, Morrison, and Abeysekera – four of our leading engineers who are helping to shape the world Professor Nigel Brandon Dean, Faculty of Engineering

Becoming a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering is one of the highest honours that engineers can receive in the UK. The four Imperial researchers are among 71 leading figures in the field of engineering and technology to join the Academy’s Fellowship in 2024, in recognition of their exceptional contribution to the profession. 

Professor Nigel Brandon, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, said: “Huge congratulations to Professors Li, Zimmerman, Morrison, and Abeysekera – four of our leading engineers who are helping to shape the world. I am very proud of the contribution they are making as part of our Engineering community, enabling Imperial to scale the impact of new discoveries, inventions and ideas, and position us as a trusted convenor and partner for knowledge. I offer each of them my personal congratulations on this recognition of their achievements.” 

Dr John Lazar, President of the Royal Academy of Engineering, said: “Our new Fellows represent some of the most talented people in the world of engineering and are taken from the ranks of those who are aiming to address some of our most critical problems.”  

Professor Geoffrey Li 

Professor Li is Chair in Wireless Systems and Director of the Intelligent Transmission and Processing Laboratory (ITP Lab) at the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering.  

He is recognised for his outstanding contributions to wireless signal processing, transmission and standardisation - in particular for resolving many fundamental issues in orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), which enabled OFDM to be used in devices requiring wireless communications such as computers, smartphones, digital audio and video broadcasting. These solutions are now ubiquitous, having found their way into every communications standard.   

His resource allocation solutions have significantly improved the efficiency of wireless networks such as 6G. As one of its pioneers, he introduced deep learning into wireless systems operating in the face of uncertainty in support of 6G standardisation.  

Since joining Imperial in 2020, he has established the ITP Lab and organised several international conferences to promote research activities, especially in the greater London area. He also won 2024 IEEE Eric E. Sumner Technical-Field Award for fundamental contributions to frequency domain communications including OFDM. 

Professor Li said: “I am delighted to have been elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, joining a group of leading figures in the field of engineering and technology. I feel so lucky to have joined Imperial four years ago. I greatly appreciate the support from the colleagues at Imperial, in particular Professor Tony Constantinides, Professor Eric Yeatman, and Professor Kin Leung.” 

Professor Robert Zimmerman 

Professor Zimmerman is Chair in Rock Mechanics at the Department of Earth Science and Engineering.  

He is a leading expert on the mechanical behaviour of fluid-saturated porous media. His research focuses on the hydromechanical behaviour of fractured and porous rocks, petrophysics, fluid flow in porous media, rock failure and fracture, and on the relationship between microstructure and the physical properties of heterogeneous materials, with applications in petroleum engineering, underground mining, radioactive waste disposal and subsurface carbon sequestration. 

Professor Zimmerman’s models for rock failure and borehole stability are used throughout the energy industry to help prevent boreholes from collapsing. His seminal work on the relationship between fracture morphology and geometry, and the ability of fractures to transmit fluids, forms the basis of most research on fluid flow in fractured rocks, which is of key importance in fields such as petroleum engineering, geothermal energy and nuclear waste disposal. His work on fractured rocks forms much of the basis of his new textbook “Fluid Flow in Fractured Rocks”, which was co-authored with his Imperial colleague Dr Adriana Paluszny, and published by Wiley in 2024.  

Overall, he has been the Principal Investigator on over £20 million worth of externally funded research. 

He said: “Providing safe, clean and affordable energy is one of the main challenges facing the world. I am deeply gratified that my contributions in this area have been recognised by the Royal Academy of Engineering. I look forward to continuing to work on various aspects of subsurface energy technology, and to work with the Academy to promote the profession of engineering within society.” 

Professor Jonathan Morrison 

Professor Morrison is Chair in Experimental Fluid Dynamics at the Department of Aeronautics. 

His multidisciplinary research focuses on the fundamentals of turbulent flow and the instabilities that define the ‘route to chaos’ and turbulence. Recent experiments aim to reduce drag, energy loss and emissions in fluid-based systems. His approach uses an innovative  blend of smart materials, modern control theory and fluid mechanics to control fluid flow and improve the efficiency of fluid-based systems, especially for the reduction of drag, and therefore emissions, in the transport sector.  

Professor Morrison founded and established the National Wind Tunnel Facility, a group of 22 strategically important wind tunnels distributed across 12 universities that facilitate research across academia and industry. This innovative idea solved the problem of under-investment in UK wind tunnels by establishing an equitable, excellence-based framework for tunnel membership.  

He is also a Royal Society Industry Fellow, collaborating with QinetiQ on reducing drag for new airframe designs.  

He said: “Fluid flow is ubiquitous, from animals and humans to the ocean and the atmosphere. Experiments in fluid flow are so important because they help to improve our understanding of these systems, especially if the boundary conditions are complex. These experiments are becoming increasingly sophisticated, requiring a range of expertise and collaboration. It’s an honour for our work to be recognised by this fellowship and it is really an award for all the wonderfully talented experimentalists with whom I have had the privilege to work over the years." 

Honorary Fellow - Professor Atula Abeysekera 

Professor Abeysekera is a Professor of Practice (Risk Management) at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and a Member of the Court of Imperial.

A leading specialist in risk management, governance, stakeholder management and resilience, Professor Abeysekera is frequently consulted by government departments and academic institutions on growth strategies. With a Master’s degree in civil engineering from Imperial, he has over 40 years’ experience and expertise in systems risk management with global financial institutions. He teaches civil engineering students at Imperial and is the first Professor of Practice in the department’s 145-year history.  

Professor Abeysekera is a member of the Advisory Board of the Centre for Systems Engineering and Innovation at the Faculty of Engineering at Imperial. In recognition of his commitment to young people, teaching and mentoring, in 2017 Atula was awarded a Fellowship by the City & Guilds Institute.   

He is recognised by the Academy as Honorary Fellow, which is awarded to individuals who have made exceptional contributions to engineering, but who may not themselves be practising engineers or engineers qualified for election as Fellow. 

Professor Abeysekera said: “I am deeply humbled to have been elected as an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering. This prestigious recognition not only acknowledges my personal journey and contributions to the field of risk management but also highlights the collective efforts of my research teams and collaborators over the years. This Fellowship is a testament to the hard work, innovation, and commitment we have consistently demonstrated in addressing complex systems and advancing risk management strategies globally. 

“For me, this recognition reinforces the importance of continuing to push boundaries in risk management and governance. It motivates me to contribute even more to mentoring the next generation of engineers, fostering resilience and adaptability in today’s rapidly changing world.”