1851 Royal Commission Industrial Fellows announced

Nine young engineers developing world-changing technologies have been awarded Industrial Fellowships from the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851. Each recent graduate will receive £80,000 to fund innovative doctoral research with a commercial potential. They will work with an industrial partner and academic institution to develop their technology – which should ideally lead to a patent – while completing a PhD or EngD over the next three years. Winning proposals include a robot to provide rapid and easy insulation for quicker building projects, drug-dispensing beads able to block blood flow to cancerous tumours and a new design for lighter, more efficient aircraft engines. The Fellows were recognised at an award ceremony last night, 6^th October, attended by Minister of State for Universities, Science and Cities, Greg Clark. [caption id="attachment_40091" align="alignright" width="200"] Radu-Stefan Dragan is working on an actuator design which could make aeroplane engines lighter, more efficient, and more resistant to faults.[/caption] “The Royal Commission has a rich history of championing innovation across science, industry and the arts. Our work today continues the legacy of Prince Albert and the Great Exhibition, investing in young talent across the depth and breadth of modern British industry,” said Bernard Taylor, Chairman of the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851. “We are proud to support developments at the forefront of science and engineering, as demonstrated by this year’s extraordinarily diverse selection of Fellows. The skills and ability on display reflect the wealth of talent the UK can boast across all areas of innovation.” The Industrial Fellowships form part of the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 work to encourage profitable innovation in British industry. It was first set up by Prince Albert who organised an exhibition and distribution of its profits. This year’s fellows join the likes of Nobel laureates Professor Peter Higgs, Sir James Chadwick and Paul Dirac as benefactors of the award. The 2014 Fellows are:

• Shuning Bian – working with Lein Applied Diagnostics and the University of Oxford to accelerate the development of ultrasound and microbubble-enhanced drug delivery.
• Silvia Araguas-Rodriguez – working with Sensor Coating Systems Ltd and Imperial College London to develop smart thermal memory paints enabling accurate temperature readings for use in high-performance aircraft and power generation turbines.
• Mathew Holloway – working with Q-Bot Limited and Imperial College London to develop innovative robotic technology capable of insulating the floors and walls of buildings at substantially reduced cost.
• Stephen McColm – working with Ingenza and the University of Edinburgh to speed up the manufacture of fuels, chemicals and new pharmaceuticals by improving and accelerating the way microbial strains are engineered.
• Alice Hagan – working with Biocompatibles UK Ltd and the University of Brighton to develop beads capable of blocking blood flow to cancerous tumours while simultaneously releasing drugs directly into the targeted area.
• Radu-Stefan Dragan – working with Magnomatics Ltd and the University of Sheffield on an actuator design which could make aeroplane engines lighter, more efficient, and more resistant to faults. Radu has been selected as this year’s ERA Foundation Fellow, an award for a candidate from the electro-technology sector made possible by a generous donation from the ERA Foundation.
• Tom Barber – working with BAE Systems Submarines and the University of Bristol to make the pre-service inspection of pipe welds safer, cheaper and more precise.
• Misty Haith – working with BP Exploration and Imperial College London to improve the quality and reliability of the inspection of sub-sea pipeline inspections
• Ben Chamberlain – working with Starcount and Imperial College London to revolutionise the way marketing is carried out on digital social networks using machine learning techniques.