Professor Bruce Drinkwater from Bristol’s Faculty of Science and Engineering joins 70 other leading figures who have made exceptional contributions to their own sector, spearheading new innovations, leading progress in business or academia, providing high level advice to government, or promoting wider understanding of engineering and technology.
Professor Drinkwater has pioneered industrial applications of ultrasonic arrays in non-destructive testing, as well developing innovative devices for condition monitoring and particle manipulation. His research has been commercialised through licencing and spinouts and changed industrial practice by inclusion in international standards.
Last year, he was also invited onto BB2 panel show QI to demonstrate the Star Wars-esque acoustic tractor beam, which uses sound waves to create acoustic holograms that can levitate, rotate, and hold objects in midair.
Professor Drinkwater leads the Ultrasonics and Non-Destructive Testing Research Group which has six academic staff and 30 PhD students and resident advisors. He is Director of the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Future Innovation in Non-Destructive Evaluation and Editor-in-Chief of the Journal Non-Destructive Testing and Evaluation International.
He is a passionate advocate of engineering and science and believes in their transformative qualities to improve society.
He said: “I am delighted to receive this Fellowship.
“My work is collaborative, and I am incredibly thankful to all those I have worked with over the years. I also count myself fortunate to work in a place like the University of Bristol that has such as strong research culture. I would not have been able to do what I have done without being surrounded by such amazing people.”
This year’s new Fellows continue to reflect the Academy’s ongoing Fellowship Fit for the Future initiative announced in July 2020, to drive more nominations of outstanding engineers from underrepresented groups ahead of its 50th anniversary in 2026. This commits the Academy to strive for increased representation from women, disabled and LGBTQ+ engineers, those from minority ethnic backgrounds, non-traditional education pathways and emerging industries, and those who have achieved excellence at an earlier career stage than normal.
The new Fellows will be formally admitted to the Academy at a special ceremony in London on 27 November, when each Fellow will sign the roll book. In joining the Fellowship, they will lend their unique capabilities to achieving the Academy’s overarching strategic goal to harness the power of engineering to create a sustainable society and an inclusive economy for all.
The AGM also confirmed the election of Dr John Lazar as the new President of the Academy for a five-year term.
Dr John Lazar CBE FREng, President of the Royal Academy of Engineering, said: “Our new Fellows represent some of the most talented people in the world of engineering and are taken from the ranks of those who are aiming to address some of our most critical problems.
“We are proud to say that many of our newly elected Fellows have come from underrepresented groups in engineering and related sectors and we hope this helps to tackle some of the issues around a lack of diversity within the profession. There is ample evidence that a wider pool of ideas and experiences helps to improve decision-making and develop novel solutions to global challenges.”