The Engineering Council has offered its congratulations to a group of distinguished registrants who have been elected as Fellows of the Royal Academy of Engineering (RAEng). The registrants form part of a group of 71 influential figures in engineering and technology, recognised for their exceptional contributions to research, innovation, public service and promoting engineering in their respective fields.
According to the council, this year’s new Fellows reflect RAEng’s Fellowship Fit for the Future initiative, which encourages nominations from under-represented groups as RAEng approaches its 50th anniversary in 2026. The focus is on increasing diversity through the inclusion of women, disabled and LGBTQ+ engineers, as well as engineers from minority ethnic backgrounds, non-traditional education paths and those still in their early career.
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The new Fellows will be formally inducted during a special ceremony in London on 27 November, when each Fellow will sign the roll book and support RAEng’s ongoing commitment to creating a sustainable society and inclusive economy through engineering.
‘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,’ said Dr John Lazar CBE FBCS FREng, president of the Royal Academy of Engineering. ‘We are proud to say that many of our newly elected Fellows have come from underrepresented groups in engineering and related sectors, and we hope this helps to tackle some of the issues around a lack of diversity within the profession. There is ample evidence that a wider pool of ideas and experiences helps to improve decision-making and develop novel solutions to global challenges.’
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The list of the registrants elected as Fellows includes:
Will Butler-Adams OBE CEng FRGS FCGI MIMechE FREng, Group CEO, Brompton Bicycle Ltd
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Professor Paul Beasley PhD CEng FIET FInstP FREng, Industrial Professor, University of Birmingham; Former Head of UK R&D, Siemens
Jacqueline Castle CEng FIMechE FRAeS FREng, CTO Aerospace Technology Institute
Professor Claire Davis CEng FIMMM FREng, Head of Advanced Steel Research Centre, WMG, University of Warwick
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Dr Vania De Stefani CEng MIChemE FREng, CEO, Oil Spill Response Ltd
Professor Bruce Drinkwater CEng FIMechE FREng, Professor of Ultrasonics, School of Electrical, Electronics and Mechanical Engineering, University of Bristol
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Ila Glennie CEng FIMechE FREng, Vice President, Subsea, BP
Professor Stephan Jefferis CEng FICE FREng, Director, Environmental Geotechnics Ltd
Dr Xudong Jing CEng FEI FREng, Vice President, Subsurface Excellence, ADNOC (Abu Dhabi National Oil Company) Group
Laura Jones CEng FIMMM FREng, Fellow in Advanced Materials, Dstl (Defence Science and Technology Laboratory)
Professor Hussam Jouhara CEng FIEI FIMechE MCIBSE FREng, Professor of Thermal Engineering and Department Director for Research, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Brunel University
EUR ING John Kell MBE CEng FWeldI FREng, R&D Specialist, Automotive Sector Team, Advanced Manufacturing Directorate (AMD), Department for Business and Trade
Professor Markus Kraft CEng FIChemE FREng, Professor of Chemical Engineering, University of Cambridge; Director, Cambridge Centre for Advanced Research and Education (CARES)
Professor Qiuhua Liang CEng FICE FREng, Professor of Water Engineering and UNESCO Chair in Informatics and Multi-hazard Risk Reduction, Loughborough University
EUR ING Neil McArthur MBE CEng FIMechE FIET FREng, CEO and Founder, Freedom Fibre Ltd; Chair and Co-founder, Hamilton Davies Trust
Sue Partridge CEng MRAeS FREng, Airbus Commercial Aircraft UK Country Manager
Professor Andrew Randewich CEng FInstP FREng, Executive Director and CTO, AWE
Dan Rodenhurst CEng MIMechE FIET FREng, Director General, UK Defence and Security IT, UK Government
Professor Shahrokh Shahpar CEng FRAeS FAIAA FREng, Rolls-Royce Fellow, Senior Aerothermal Design Specialist, Rolls-Royce; Visiting Professor, Imperial College, Aerospace Engineering
Professor Paul Shearing CEng MIChemE FREng, Director, The ZERO Institute; Statutory Professor – Chair in Sustainable Energy Engineering, University of Oxford; Chair in Emerging Battery Technologies, Royal Academy of Engineering
Phillipa Slater CEng MICE FREng, Director of Asset Management and Operations Support, National Grid Electricity Distribution
Nicholas Smallwood CEng MIMechE FREng, CEO, Infrastructure and Projects Authority
Professor Eva Sorensen MBE CEng FIChemE FREng, Professor and Head of Department, Chemical Engineering, University College London
Terry Spall CEng FIMechE FREng, Independent Engineering Consultant and Non-Executive Director
Duncan Wanblad CEng FIMMM FREng, Chief Executive, Anglo American plc
Professor Simon Weeks CEng FRAeS FREng, CEO, Simon Weeks Consultancy; Visiting Professor, University of Oxford and Loughborough University
Professor Jennifer Wen CEng FIMechE FREng, Professor in Energy Resilience, University of Surrey
Professor Xudong Zhao CEng MCIBSE FREng, Director, Centre for Sustainable Energy Technologies, University of Hull
Dr Debashish Bhattacharjee CEng MCIWEM FREng, Professor of Practice, Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, India
Full profiles of the 2024 new Fellows are available on the RAEng website.