QEPrize announces appointments to an international judging panel

Academics from Brazil and Saudi Arabia join the judging panel following the launch of nominations last month.

The Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering is delighted to announce the appointment of Prof. Carlos Henrique de Brito Cruz and Dr. Jean-Lou Chameau to the judging panel for the 2017 Prize. The QEPrize, the most prestigious engineering prize in the world, is awarded biennially and celebrates an engineer, or group of engineers, responsible for a ground-breaking innovation in engineering that has been of global benefit to humanity.

Prof. Brito Cruz, an electrical engineer and physicist, is the Scientific Director at the Sao Paolo Research Foundation (FAPESP) in Brazil. Joining him on this year’s judging panel will be French civil engineer Dr Jean-Lou Chameau, President of the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Thuwal, Saudi Arabia.

Together they complete a panel of distinguished judges that includes leaders in a wide range of engineering disciplines from around the world, truly representing the global outlook of the QEPrize. The collective expertise of the judging panel sees these leaders in industry well-placed to assess the importance and impact of global engineering innovations.

Speaking on his appointment to the judging panel, Prof. Brito Cruz commented: “I am honored to be part of the judging panel for this prestigious prize. Engineering can help make the world a better place, and recognizing excellent achievements is a fruitful endeavour that enhances the visibility of excellent engineering across the globe and motivates younger generations.”

Dr Chameau said: “Major engineering discoveries are fueled by people with the ideas, curiosity and passion to create solutions for our world’s grand challenges. I am privileged to join the panel of the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering and help celebrate the most enterprising engineers whose discoveries and innovations will inspire lasting changes for generations to come."

Prof. Sir Christopher Snowden, Chair of the Judging Panel, said:“I am delighted to welcome both Professor Brito Cruz and Dr Chameau to the judging panel to offer their expertise in deciding the winner of the 2017 QEPrize. With leaders in science and engineering drawn from around the world and armed with a wealth of experience across the engineering disciplines, our distinguished and internationally-renowned panel of judges is well equipped to decide who will win this eminent prize.”

This announcement comes as the period for nominations for the third QEPrize gets underway. Nominations opened in April 2016 and will close on 26 August 2017. The judging panel will then convene to discuss the nominations; with the winner(s) expected to be announced in early 2017.

Nominations are welcomed from around the world, and highlight engineers whose innovation has made a significant contribution to humanity.

To submit a nomination, please visit the QEPrize website- qeprize.org/nominate.