World leading engineers win at IET Achievement Awards

One of this year’s most significant awards, the Faraday Medal, goes to Dr Chad A. Mirkin for his contributions to nanotechnology and nanoengineering, including the invention and development of spherical nucleic acids (SNAs) – technology which is being used in the early detection of diseases, identification of new genetic markers and has led to a new therapeutic pipeline for gene regulation and immunotherapy.

The IET Achievement Medals exist to recognise individuals from all over the world who have made exceptional contributions to the advancement of engineering, technology and science in any sector. This can be through research and development in their respective technical field or through their leadership of an enterprise.

Dr Mirkin is the Director of the International Institute for Nanotechnology and the George B. Rathmann Professor of Chemistry. He is also a Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Materials Science & Engineering, and Medicine at Northwestern University, Illinois, USA.

He is a chemist and nanoscience expert and known for his contributions to additive manufacturing, supramolecular chemistry, and nanoparticle synthesis.  He has authored more than 840 papers and 1,200 patents worldwide – with more than 400 issued – and founded nine companies. Mirkin has been recognised with over 230 awards.

On winning his award, Dr Mirkin, said: “It’s incredible. The people that have won it in the past constitute a who’s who list of those that have changed the world through science and engineering. When I look at past recipients, the discoverer of the electron, the person who first split an atom, the inventor of the first computer – it’s an unbelievable history, an incredible honour, and I am obviously absolutely thrilled to be among that crew.”

Another top accolade this year goes to Dr Santokh Badesha. He received the Mountbatten Medal for developing materials enabling the wide-ranging use of laser printing and the creation of colour laser printing. Dr Badesha’s inventions appear in nearly every production product released by Xerox in the past 25+ years and he is internationally recognised for the invention of technologies that have supported the era of digital printing on demand, transforming the communication and productivity of hundreds of millions of people globally.

Dr Badesha said: “I am truly honoured and thankful to receive this distinguished recognition from the IET. It is a testament to the encouragement that Xerox and Purdue Engineering have provided me over the years to take ideas from test tubes to customer hands using fundamental scientific and engineering principals.”

These medallists join nine other winners, who were nominated by their peers as leading engineers and technicians in their field.

Bob Cryan, IET President, said: “We are honoured to present these talented individuals with our Achievement Awards. They have each excelled in their professions and have made a vast contribution as pioneers of important areas in the engineering and technology industries. Our medal winners today are innovators who have all made a difference to the world in which we live. The apprentices and technicians are all amazing, already achieving great things in their careers and inspiring others around them. They should all be rightly proud of their achievements – they are incredible role models for the next generation.”

Jared Newnham, an Aerospace Engineering Degree Apprentice with the DE&S Air Domain, Ministry of Defence, is named the IET’s Engineering and Technology Apprentice winner; Sgt Wathan BEng IEng MIET, a Mechanical Aircraft Technician in Engineering Standards and Evaluation at Royal Air Force Marham, wins the IET’s Armed Forces Technician Award; and Charlotte Huntley, a Junior Electrical Instrumentation Control and Automation Engineer at Arcadis is the winner of the IET’s Engineering and Technology Technician Award.

The Achievement Awards are part of the IET’s Awards and Scholarships programme, which celebrate excellence and research in the sector and encourage the next generation of engineers and technicians. All IET awards seek to inspire and reward engineering excellence, including apprentices at the start of their careers, through to reputable, established professional engineers and technicians.