Professor Frances Arnold
Professor of Chemical Engineering, Bioengineering and Biochemistry, Caltech"This unique prize recognizes the intellectual excitement and huge social importance of engineering. I can think of no better career for a young person at this critical time, and no better way to advertise this fact to the world."
Prof Frances Arnold is a renowned American scientist and engineer who has pioneered ‘directed evolution’ to create useful biological systems, including enzymes, metabolic pathways, genetic regulatory circuits, and organisms. She is Professor of Chemical Engineering and Biochemistry at the California Institute of Technology, where she studies evolution and its applications in science, medicine, chemicals and energy. Professor Arnold’s research includes the development of highly active enzymes (cellulases) and microorganisms to convert renewable biomass to fuels and chemicals. Arnold has been elected to the US National Academies for Science and Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. She was awarded the Charles Stark Draper Prize in 2011.
Professor Lord Broers FREng FRS HonFMEdSci
Chair of JudgesPast President, Royal Academy of Engineering
"We have been fortunate in being able to draw together from around the world an amazingly distinguished group of panellists to judge this uniquely important prize, all of them household names in the world of engineering and science, and many of them leaders of internationally pre-eminent institutions and academies."
Professor Lord (Alec) Broers is the former Vice Chancellor of the University of Cambridge and was President of Royal Academy of Engineering and Chairman of the House of Lords Science and Technology Select Committee. He is chairman of the Board of Directors of the Diamond Light Source, which is the UK’s largest new science facility to be commissioned in the last 30 years. He worked in the research & development labs of IBM in the USA for nineteen years, becoming an IBM Fellow. His personal research concerned electron microscopes and the fabrication of nanoelectronic devices. He has served on the boards of several high-technology companies and his publications include the Triumph of Technology, based on his Reith Lectures in 2005.
Professor Brian Cox OBE FInstP
"Engineering is hardwired into us. From the earliest times, people have worked to shape the world around them and improve their lives through engineering. The benefits are obvious and the impact incalculable. Everything we take for granted, from medicine to telecommunica- tions, from computing to aviation, owes its very existence to engineers. It is obvious to me that the symbiotic relationship between science and engineering will define the future of the global economy, and on a wider scale, the future of our civilisation, just as it defined our past."
Professor Brian Cox is a particle physicist, a Royal Society University Research Fellow and a professor at the University of Manchester. He is a member of the High Energy Physics group at the University of Manchester, and works on the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. Since completing his degrees at Manchester University, Cox has championed public engagement in science and engineering. This has led to him becoming an award-winning broadcaster, with internationally syndicated series including ‘Wonders of the Solar System’ and ‘Wonders of the Universe’. Cox is University Research Fellow of the Royal Society, and received the Order of the British Empire in 2010.
Madam Deng Nan
Former Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Secretary of China Association for Science and Technology
Madam Deng Nan is a distinguished academic and politician, former Executive Vice President and former Chief Executive Secretary of the China Association for Science and Technology (CAST).
She graduated from the Physics Department at Peking University before moving to the Semiconductor Research Institute at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). She has been Vice Minister of the State Science and Technology Commission (SSTC, later named as the Ministry of Science and Technology) since 1991. In November 2004, she was appointed the Chief Executive Secretary of CAST, and then elected Executive Vice President of CAST in January 2005. Madam Deng is a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.
Notably, she led China’s Agenda 21 programme identifying challenges in population, environment and sustainable development which was subsequently used as a guiding document by the Chinese government.
She graduated from the Physics Department at Peking University before moving to the Semiconductor Research Institute at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). She has been Vice Minister of the State Science and Technology Commission (SSTC, later named as the Ministry of Science and Technology) since 1991. In November 2004, she was appointed the Chief Executive Secretary of CAST, and then elected Executive Vice President of CAST in January 2005. Madam Deng is a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.
Notably, she led China’s Agenda 21 programme identifying challenges in population, environment and sustainable development which was subsequently used as a guiding document by the Chinese government.
Professor Lynn Gladden CBE FREng FRS
Shell Professor of Chemical Engineering, University of Cambridge
Professor Lynn Gladden is Pro-Vice Chancellor for Research, Shell Professor of Chemical Engineering and former Head of the Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology at Cambridge University. A physicist, chemist and chartered engineer, Gladden studied at Bristol and Cambridge. Today she leads activities at the Magnetic Resonance Research Centre, an international centre of excellence in applying magnetic resonance imaging to chemical engineering. Professor Gladden is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, the Royal Society, the Royal Society of Chemistry and the Institute of Physics. In 2009 she was awarded a CBE for services to science.
Diane B Greene
Director, Google"The Queen's Prize will focus attention on how applied technology is solving our world’s major problems. The prize can make engineering more relevant and exciting for all of us and so importantly, for girls and boys considering their career plans."
Diane Greene co-founded VMware and was President and CEO for 11 years to mid-2008. VMware created today’s virtualisation industry and the products are key to cloud computing. She is a technology investor and entrepreneur, a director of Google and Intuit, and serves on the MIT Corporation and executive committee.
Ms. Greene has degrees in computer science and naval architecture from UC Berkeley and MIT, and in mechanical engineering from UVM.
An expert in software, before becoming an entrepreneur, Greene held technical leadership positions at Silicon Graphics, Tandem and Sybase. She also co-founded VXtreme, a streaming video company purchased by Microsoft.
Professor John Hennessy
President, Stanford University
An electrical engineer and computer scientist, Hennessy is President of Stanford University, California. He joined the faculty in 1977 as an assistant professor, becoming a full professor in 1986. While on a sabbatical leave from 1984 to 1985, Hennessy cofounded MIPS Computer Systems (now MIPS Technologies), commercialising the RSIC chip architecture he helped pioneer. The author of several standard texts on computer architecture, Hennessy was also involved in the development of the FLASH multi-media platform.
A fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a member of the National Academy of Engineering, Hennessy is also a board member of Google and Cisco Systems.
A fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a member of the National Academy of Engineering, Hennessy is also a board member of Google and Cisco Systems.
Professor Dr. Dr. h.c. Reinhard Huettl
President, acatech, Germany
Reinhard Huettl is Scientific Executive Director and Chairman of the Board at the Helmholtz Centre Potsdam – GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, the National Research Centre for geosciences in Germany. He is President of the German National Academy of Science and Engineering (acatech) and VP of the Helmholtz Association and Coordinator of the Research Field “Earth and Environment”.
Huettl studied forest and soil sciences at the Albert-Ludwigs-University (ALU), Freiburg, Germany and at Oregon State University (USA). From 1986 to 1992 he was Head of International Research at Kali & Salz AG/BASF-group. He was a member of the Council of Experts for Environmental Questions of the German Government, and member and chairman of the Scientific Commission of the Scientific Council of the German Government as well as member of the Ethics Commission on the Safe and Secure Provision of Energy of the German Government. He was conferred with the Cross of Merit, First Class of the Federal Republic of Germany in July 2008.
Huettl studied forest and soil sciences at the Albert-Ludwigs-University (ALU), Freiburg, Germany and at Oregon State University (USA). From 1986 to 1992 he was Head of International Research at Kali & Salz AG/BASF-group. He was a member of the Council of Experts for Environmental Questions of the German Government, and member and chairman of the Scientific Commission of the Scientific Council of the German Government as well as member of the Ethics Commission on the Safe and Secure Provision of Energy of the German Government. He was conferred with the Cross of Merit, First Class of the Federal Republic of Germany in July 2008.
Professor Calestous Juma HonFREng FRS
Professor of the practice of international development, Director of the Science, Technology and Globalisation Project, Harvard University"The Queen Elizabeth Prize is what the world has been waiting for since the days of George Stephenson (and his steam engine). It will help inspire a new generation of young people focused on finding practical solutions to global challenges."
An international authority in the application of science and technology to sustainable development, Juma is Professor of the Practice of International Development and Director of the Science, Technology and Globalization Project at Harvard’s Kennedy School. Originally a teacher in his native Kenya, Juma became Africa's first ever science and environment journalist, writing for the Daily Nation newspaper. He later launched the influential Ecoforum magazine.
Having studied science, technology and industrialisation at the University of Sussex, in 1988 he founded the African Centre for Technology Studies (ACTS), one of Africa’s first independent policy research institutions.
Professor Hiroshi Komiyama
President, Engineering Academy, Japan
Hiroshi Komiyama obtained a Ph D in chemical engineering at the University of Tokyo. He is a Japanese scientist and engineer and a global authority on sustainability. His major fields of research include environmental engineering, advanced materials science and knowledge sharing. He is the former President of the University of Tokyo, Chairman of the Mitsubishi Research Institute, and also an advisor to the Japanese Government on subjects ranging from education to aging. In 2010 he founded the 'Platinum Network' to achieve a sustainable society that solves environmental, aging, educational and economic issues.
Dr. Dan Mote
President Elect, National Academy of Engineering
Dan Mote served as president of the University of Maryland for 12 years and on the University of California, Berkeley faculty for 31 years. He was awarded the Humboldt Prize by the Federal Republic of Germany; Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences; Honorary Fellow of ASME; the University of California, Berkeley Distinguished Teaching Award and its Distinguished Engineering Alumnus Award.
He received the Founders Award of the National Academy of Engineering and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Medal in recognition of his work providing results of great practical importance in the vibration and stability of rotating and translating flexible structures, in the biomechanics of snow skiing injuries and also for academic leadership. He serves on the National Research Council Governing Board and co-chairs the Academies Government-University-Industry Research Roundtable. He is President Elect of the National Academy of Engineering.
He received the Founders Award of the National Academy of Engineering and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Medal in recognition of his work providing results of great practical importance in the vibration and stability of rotating and translating flexible structures, in the biomechanics of snow skiing injuries and also for academic leadership. He serves on the National Research Council Governing Board and co-chairs the Academies Government-University-Industry Research Roundtable. He is President Elect of the National Academy of Engineering.
Narayana Murthy CBE
Founder, Infosys"The Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering is a wonderful recognition for modern engineers and their ground-breaking achievements. As an engineer, I consider it a great honour to be part of the panel of judges for this prestigious award."
Murthy is the Founder-Chairman of Infosys, a global software consulting company in Bangalore, India, listed on NASDAQ in 1999. He has served on the boards of Stanford Graduate School of Business, Cornell University, the Wharton Business School and the International Advisory Board of Yale University. He currently serves on the Board of Trustees of Rhodes Scholarship, the Ford Foundation, HSBC, and the International Advisory Board of Tokyo University. The Economist ranked Murthy among the ten most-admired global business leaders in 2005. He topped the Economic Times list of India’s most powerful CEOs for three consecutive years. He has been awarded the Padma Vibhushan by the Government of India, the Légion d’Honneur by the Government of France, and the CBE. He’s a Fellow of the Indian National Academy of Engineering and a foreign member of the US National Academy of Engineering.
Dr Nathan Myhrvold
Co-Founder, Intellectual Ventures
Seattle born Myhrvold is co-founder of Intellectual Ventures, a patent developer and broker, having formerly been Chief Technology Officer at Microsoft. Myhrvold studied mathematics, geophysics and space physics at UCLA prior to taking a Phd at Princeton University. He worked under Professor Stephen Hawking at Cambridge University studying cosmology, quantum field theory in curved space time, and quantum theories of gravitation, before co-founding DSR, a computer business subsequently bought by Microsoft. Myhrvold stayed with Microsoft for 13 years, founding Microsoft Research in 1991. Amongst the many ambitious projects being developed by Intellectual Ventures is ‘TerraPower’, a new concept for safer, cheaper nuclear reactors.
Professor Choon Fong Shih
President, King Abdullah University Saudi Arabia
Choon Fong Shih is Founding President of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia, and was previously President of the National University of Singapore. An international authority on fracture mechanics, he studied at Harvard University and worked in industry before joining Brown University. A foreign associate of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering and a foreign honorary member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Shih holds the French decoration Chevalier in the Order of the Legion d'Honneur. He is also a member of the International Advisory Board of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.
Paul Westbury FREng
CEO, Buro Happold"The importance of engineering to the world is often overlooked; it is engineering in all its many varied forms that enables the world to work. We engineers are our own worst enemies, too busy delivering solutions to talk about them! That's why the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering is such a wonderful opportunity to celebrate engineering's contribution to society.
Buro Happold wholeheartedly supports an award that will recognise this incredibly broad profession at its highest level; we have the ability to both improve lives in the developing world, and to enable all the complex operations required in the developed world to run smoothly and virtually unnoticed."
Buro Happold wholeheartedly supports an award that will recognise this incredibly broad profession at its highest level; we have the ability to both improve lives in the developing world, and to enable all the complex operations required in the developed world to run smoothly and virtually unnoticed."
Westbury is CEO of Buro Happold, the renowned international multidisciplinary engineering consultancy behind ground-breaking projects such as the Louvre Abu Dhabi, Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford and Wadi Hanifah, Riyadh.
Cambridge graduate Westbury joined Buro Happold in 1991, amassing an enviable expertise in the design of large-scale structures, particularly within the sports and entertainment sector; his flagship projects include Emirates Stadium, London 2012 Olympic Stadium, Dublin’s Aviva Stadium and O2 Arena.
Westbury became partner and director at the age of 30 following his 1999 Royal Academy of Engineering MacRobert Award for the Millennium Dome - the first construction-related project to win in 30 years. He is also a Royal Academy of Engineering Silver Medallist.