2007 Achievement Award Winners
Learn more about the recipients of the 2007 Achievement Awards:
The IET’s Achievement Awards programme recognises and rewards excellence in individuals within the engineering and technology fields. The programme encompasses students and young professionals who are in the early stages of their career, through to individuals at the pinnacle of their careers.
Achievement Medals
Oliver Lodge Medal for achievement in Information Technology
Professor Ralph Benjamin
Ralph Benjamin received a BSc, PhD and DSc from London University. He served in the British Naval Scientific Service as chief of research, Admiralty Surface-Weapons Establishment, then Director, Admiralty Underwater-Weapons Establishment. He then became superintending director and chief scientist, GCHQ (the British NSA). On retirement, he served as head of communications techniques and networks, NATO (SHAPE Tech Center).
He is now consultant and visiting professor at Imperial and University Colleges, London, and University of Bristol, originating and supervising research projects. As a Fellow of the IET he has served on its Council and Electronics Board, and as regional chairman. He is a Fellow of City & Guilds of London Institute and the Royal Academy of Engineering.
JJ Thomson Medal for achievement in Electronics
Professor Julian Gardner
Julian Gardner has achieved recognition as a Fellow of the IET, and more recently as a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering. He has distinguished himself by virtue of his pioneering work on the E-nose, which has permitted significant advances into electrochemical detection of pollutants, gases and even diseases, and from this work the "electronic tongue" has resulted. He has published many books on these subjects and continues to be a prolific researcher.
Ambrose Fleming Medal for achievement in Communications
Professor Simon Kingsley
Simon Kingsley has spent his career in the field of radio propagation and its applications. Throughout his career he has lead thinking about new developments in systems and, in the last few years, in respect of antennas for mobile communications and, in particular; he continues to help develop new engineers as a visiting Professor at universities in the UK and Australia.
Simon co-founded Antenova, a company established in order to exploit new approaches to the development of microwave resonance in dielectric materials. This company has become a worldwide leader in the supply of antennas for mobile communication devices of all types, with business supplying the key mobile manufacturers in Europe, the USA, China and Korea. Through Simon’s continuing technical leadership the company is acknowledged around the world as the leading innovator in its field.
IET Achievement Medal
Mr Jim Morrison
Most people, on reaching their 90s, no longer fight old battles. Yet Jim Morrison remains as passionately convinced as ever that British industry would not be in its present pickle if attention had been paid to the results of his work, starting in the 1950s, on the use of statistics in design and manufacturing.
It would be hard to find a sustained project in any other sphere of human endeavour demonstrating such consistency over such a long period, nor one which had been so widely ignored by many in positions of influence. The fact that, in his vigorous old age, he has succeeded in publishing a major work on Statistical Engineering, and continues to encourage young engineers to become supporters and proselytisers in their turn, is itself tribute to his lifelong passion.
Heaviside Medal for achievement in Control
Professor Ian Postlethwaite
Ian Postlethwaite is a control engineer with a world-class reputation for his theoretical contributions to the field of robust multivariable control and the application of advanced control system design to engineering systems. He was a major player in the development of the theory which underpins many of the robust control tools now being used by practising control engineers. He has also demonstrated the importance of his work through real applications, especially in aerospace, where his efforts are leading towards the improved performance and safety of helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft and future UAVs (unmanned air-vehicles).
He has received various awards and prizes for his work, published more than 300 refereed papers and one of his co-authored books, Multivariable Feedback Control, has received more than 1000 citations (Google Scholar). Ian is a leader in his field who has brought distinction to the Engineering profession through his research contributions, his engagement with industry and his ability to present his work in lucid expositions both written and oral.
Sir Monty Finniston Award for outstanding technical contribution to any field of Engineering
Dr Ashitey Trebi-Ollennu
Ashitey Trebi-Ollennu by distinguished service, ability, and courage, has made significant contributions that are of fundamental importance to the field of robotic planetary exploration for future ESA and NASA missions.
His unmatched ability to accelerate the infusion of cutting-edge technologies into flight missions and outstanding strategic leadership, vision and ability to develop the technical talents of other employees has led to his appointment as a Group Leader of NASA-JPL’s Mobility and Manipulation Group. He is tasked with developing new revolutionary mobility and manipulation capabilities for future NASA planetary robotic missions for the Moon and Mars.
Mike Sargeant Career Achievement Award for young professionals
Mr Guruprasad Madhavan
Guruprasad “Guru” Madhavan is a biomedical engineer whose interests and research activities are in the preventative aspects of chronic diseases resulting due to poor circulation.
In particular, Guru is engaged in the development of a non-invasive, non-pharmacologic calf muscle pump stimulation system to improve lower limb blood and fluid circulation that is being presently evaluated for its clinical efficacy in conditions such as chronic hypotension (a leading cause of intradialytic complications, depression, dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease), osteoporosis, Type II diabetes, and chronic heart failure.
Prior to his interests in chronic health research, Guru was a scientist in the laboratories of AFx, Inc and Guidant Corporation (Fremont, California), where he worked on the technical aspects of minimally invasive microwave ablation for the treatment of atrial fibrillation.
Sir Henry Royce Medal for young professionals
Mr Phil Harper
Phil Harper started his own company, Tribosonics Ltd, last year building on research that he had previously carried out at the University of Sheffield. He has developed a novel technology for measuring very thin layers - 100th of the thickness of a human hair. He is applying this technology to the measurement of lubricant film thickness in mechanical seals, hydrodynamic bearings, and artificial hip joints. Phil is working with a range of companies in both the design and condition monitoring stages.
Special Merit Prize
Kamlah Kew
Traffic Control Engineer of Transport for London
Mary George Memorial Prize
Lisa-Marie Martin
Explosion Safety Engineer, Epsilon
WES (Women’s Engineering Society) Prize (runner-up to the Young Woman Engineer of the Year Award )
Mamta Singhal
Currently lecturing in Mechanical Engineering at Strathclyde University and studying for her Executive MBA.
Young Woman Engineer of the Year Award
Alice Delahunty
Electrical Engineering Programme Coordinator at E.ON
Young Woman Engineering Apprentice of the Year Award Winner
Victoria Nicholson
Capacity Planning Advanced Apprentice, BT Operate
Faraday Medal for notable scientific or industrial achievement in engineering or for conspicuous service rendered to the advancement of science, engineering and technology
Professor Stephen Furber
Steve Furber has been a leading international researcher in System-on-Chip microprocessors and is one of the best examples in the UK of someone who bridges the gap between academic excellence and commercial exploitation. He was the principal designer of the BBC Microcomputer and the ARM 32-bit RISC microprocessor which were both world-leading innovations:
The BBC Microcomputer was the first introduction, for many people worldwide, to computers. Whilst the ARM processor contributed to the instigation of one of the world’s most successful System-on-Chip processor companies and the technology is used in most of the world’s mobile phones. Steve has also written one of the world’s leading books in System-on-Chip, namely the ‘ARM System-on-Chip Architecture’.
In addition to these considerable commercial contributions, Steve has played a significant role in establishing the UK research base in a number of ways. Firstly, through creating a world-class research group looking at asynchronous design methodologies and tools, processor design and on-chip communications.
Secondly, via his contribution to the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee investigation into the future of Microprocessing which suggests that a UK programme is needed in System-on-Chip. Finally, through acting as the driving force behind an initiative to develop a ‘Common Vision for the UK Microelectronic Design Research Community’.
Mountbatten Medal for an outstanding individual contribution to the promotion of electronics or information technology and their application
Professor Andrew Blake
Andrew Blake is a Senior Research Scientist at Microsoft Research Cambridge, and a leading researcher in computer vision.
He graduated in 1977 from Trinity College, Cambridge with a B.A. in Mathematics and Electrical Sciences. After a year as a Kennedy Scholar at MIT and two years in the defence electronics industry, he studied for a doctorate at the University of Edinburgh which was awarded in 1983. Until 1987 he was on the faculty of the department of Computer Science at the University of Edinburgh and a Royal Society Research Fellow.
From 1987 to 1999, he has been on the faculty of the Department of Engineering Science in the University of Oxford, where he ran the Visual Dynamics Research Group, became a Professor in 1996, and and was a Royal Society Senior Research Fellow for 1998-9. In 1999 he moved to Microsoft Research Cambridge to lead the Vision Group. He was elected Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering in 1998, and Fellow of the Royal Society in 2005.
In 2006 the Royal Academy of Engineering awarded him its Silver Medal.
His main research activities are in computer vision. He has published several books including 'Visual Reconstruction' with A Zisserman(MIT press), 'Active Vision' with A Yuille (MIT Press) and 'Active Contours' with M Isard (Springer-Verlag). He has twice won the prize of the European Conference on Computer Vision, with R Cipolla in 1992 and with M. Isard in 1996, and was awarded the IEEE David Marr Prize (jointly with K Toyama) in 2001.
He has served as programme chairman for the International Conference on Computer Vision in 1995 and 1999, and is on the editorial boards of the journals "Image and Vision Computing", the "International Journal of Computer Vision" and "Computer Vision and Image Understanding". Current reserach spans image interaction, stereo vision and motion tracking.
IET Honorary Fellowships for persons distinguished by their work in any engineering discipline or whom the IET desires to honour for services rendered to the IET
Mr Richard Lampman
Dick Lampman has been elected an Honorary Fellow of the IET for his contributions to the computer industry.
Dick led HP Labs, Hewlett-Packard’s central research and development organisation, from 1999 until his retirement this year. In this role he was responsible for research activities in seven laboratories across the globe, providing leading-edge technologies to HP's businesses and creating new technology-based business opportunities for the company.
He managed a research portfolio that covered long-term fundamental breakthroughs in nanotechnology, as well as networking, security, digital photography and publishing, economic modelling and service-oriented architectures.
Dick is well-known for his passion regarding the need for research collaborations between industry and academia, which led to his associations with the Georgia Institute of Technology and Carnegie Institute of Technology, as well as creation of the MIT-HP Alliance for Digital Information Systems.
Sir Terence Matthews
Terry Matthews has been elected an Honorary Fellow of the IET for his contributions to telecommunications industry and entrepreneurship.
Terry founded the company MITEL in Canada and grew it into a world leader in the design and manufacture of electronic private switchboard products. The company expanded quickly and became a global leader in its field. Having sold it to BT in 1985, he founded Newbridge Networks, focusing on data networking. This was another success, eventually sold to Alcatel in 2000.
In 2001, he purchased the worldwide Communications Systems division of Mitel, and the Mitel name, and is now non-executive Chairman of Mitel Corporation, a company focused on providing next generation IP telephony solutions for broadband networks. Terry also serves on the board of directors for a number of high technology companies and is Chairman of March Networks, which develops Internet Protocol systems for enterprise applications.
