Prestigious Fellowship of the Royal Academy of Engineering awarded to Surrey professors

Professor Lu is President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Surrey. He is one of the world’s highly cited chemical engineers and nanotechnologists. He has made several landmark contributions to the synthesis, surface characterisation and applications of nanoporous materials, nanocrystalline oxide photocatalysts and electrochemical materials for renewable energy conversion and storage. He is currently a member of the Prime Minister’s Council for Science and Technology, and Board Director of UK Research and Innovation and National Physical Laboratory.

Adrian Hilton, Distinguished Professor at the University of Surrey and Director of the Centre for Vision, Speech and Signal Processing (CVSSP) since 2012, is one of the eminent researchers in computer vision. CVSSP, which celebrated its 30^th anniversary earlier this year, is among the largest research centres in the UK specialising in AI and audio-visual machine perception. The centre is ranked 1^st in Computer Vision in the UK, 3^rd in Europe and 11^th in the world. Over the past three decades, the centre has pioneered technology underpinning award-winning spin out companies in the biometric, communication, medical and creative industries.

The Surrey professors will now join nearly 1,600 renowned engineers from both industry and academia.

The Academy’s Fellowship is a very prestigious recognition awarded to inspiring engineering leaders from the UK and around the world for their outstanding impact in the field. Each year there are about 50 fellows elected by their peers.

Professor G Q Max Lu, President and Vice-Chancellor at the University of Surrey, said: “I am grateful to my colleagues at the Royal Academy of Engineering for this great honour. I am delighted to join their illustrious ranks, among individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to engineering and transforming lives across the world.”

Professor Adrian Hilton, Director of CVSSP at the University of Surrey, said: “I am incredibly proud to receive the Royal Academy of Engineering Fellowship from this distinguished institution. This honour wouldn’t be possible without the dedication of all members of CVSSP who lead ground-breaking research in the field of machine perception for the benefit of society. This recognition is truly humbling and inspirational.”

Professor Dame Ann Dowling OM DBE FREng FRS, President of the Royal Academy of Engineering, said: “Our Fellows are at the heart of all Academy activities and I am delighted to welcome these highly successful, creative and inspiring engineering leaders to the Fellowship. There has never been a more important time for the Academy to advance and promote excellence in engineering so that the engineering profession can continue to contribute to societal wellbeing and economic growth.”