World leading engineers win at IET Achievement Awards

One of this year’s most significant awards, the Faraday Medal, goes to Professor Arogyaswami Joseph Paulraj for the invention, advancement, and commercialisation of Multiple-antenna Input, Multiple-antenna Output (MIMO) wireless technology. MIMO is a fundamental breakthrough technology that multiplied the link speed and improved the range and reliability of wireless networks. The performance of today’s extensive 4G/5G mobile and Wi-Fi networks would not be impossible without MIMO.

On winning his award, Professor Paulraj said: “The Faraday Medal is such an honour. I am humbled to be included in this distinguished cohort of former recipients. Though the prize is presented to an individual, it also recognises the field of wireless communications systems and the thousands of researchers and engineers who contributed to MIMO technology for the benefit of humanity.”

The IET Achievement Awards 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.  

Other notable winners include:  

• Professor James Collins was awarded an IET Achievement Medal in Biomedical and Healthcare for his pioneering work on synthetic gene circuits and programmable cells – which has helped to establish the field of synthetic biology, enabling engineers to program biological systems with novel functions for a variety of applications
• Professor David Cumming was awarded an IET Achievement Medal in Electronics for his internationally recognised work in semiconductor sensors and microsystems. He has pioneered metabolomic sensing for diagnostic applications, allowing multiple disease markers to be measured simultaneously on a single chip for cancer diagnosis and blood disorders
• Professor Mark Lythgoe was awarded an IET Achievement Medal in Medical Imaging for his pioneering work in developing cutting-edge imaging technologies in advancing the early diagnosis and treatment of cancer and neurodegenerative diseases

He said: “We’re honoured to present these talented individuals with our Achievement Awards. Our medal winners are innovators and pioneers, making a difference to the world in which we live. The apprentices and technicians recognised and awarded are fantastic, already achieving great things in their careers and inspiring others around them. They should all be proud of their achievements – they are incredible role models for the next generation.”

Luke Kwan is named the IET’s Engineering and Technology Apprentice winner; Lance Corporal (LCpl) Connor O’Neill wins the IET’s Armed Forces Technician Award; and Isaac Jones 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.