Named after HRH The Princess Royal, a lifelong advocate of engineering and Royal Fellow, the Princess Royal Silver Medal recognises outstanding and evidenced personal contribution to UK engineering, which is resulting in successful market exploitation, by an engineer with less than 22 years in full time employment.
Who is eligible to be nominated?
Engineers who are eligible for Princess Royal Silver Medals will satisfy the below three criteria:
- They will be an outstanding engineer who've made a personal contribution to UK engineering
- An engineer who has demonstrated successful market exploitation of an innovation.
- They will have less than 22 years in full-time engineering (any career breaks will be taken into consideration).
Up to four medals are awarded each year. Consideration will be given where an equal contribution has been made by more than one person, in which case, a joint award of two medals may be justified.
Meet our 2026 winners
Dr Ian Campbell
Co-Founder of Breathe Battery Technologies
Dr Ian Campbell is an Irish engineer, entrepreneur, and racing driver who simulates, develops and optimises physical systems to build better futures in mobility and technology.
He combines hardware and software engineering to solve complex problems, optimise product performance and drive cost-structure innovation. Deploying multidisciplinary skillsets from deep technical modelling to world-class branding, he works to tighten the vertical integration of engineering and user experience. He is recognised for his contributions to lithium plating diagnostics and adaptive battery control.
A passionate racing driver, he competes in Formula Ford and has multiple championship wins in motorsport. As a company builder, in 2019 he co-founded Breathe Battery Technologies, an Imperial College London spinout, with Dr Yan Zhao and Professor Greg Offer. Under his leadership, the company’s Breathe Charge technology has been adopted by leading global brands to deliver faster, more consistent charging and significantly extended battery life in both consumer electronics and premium electric vehicles.
Dr Liucheng Guo
Co-founder and Chief Technical Officer at TG0
Dr Liucheng Guo is an AI innovator, as well as Co-Founder and CTO of TG0, a London-based deep-tech company pioneering smart and sustainable human–machine interfaces across automotive, robotics, healthcare, and consumer applications. With a PhD from Imperial College London,
he leads the development of a first-of-its-kind “AI for sensing” approach, embedding AI directly into materials to enable intuitive human–machine interaction. He is a Fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology and BCS – the Chartered Institute for IT. He also holds an Industrial
Fellowship from the Royal Academy of Engineering.
Under his technical leadership, TG0 has developed patented sensing technologies that simplify hardware design, reduce electronic waste, and enable more intuitive and scalable interaction between humans and machines. The company has received recognition from organisations including GBx Best in British Tech, Tech Nation’s Future Fifty, Innovate UK, the Design Council and the European Innovation Council.
Professor Robert R Thomson FREng
Professor of Photonics at Heriot-Watt University
Professor Robert R Thomson FREng’s work exemplifies research excellence translated into lasting global commercial and academic impact. Through his inventions, leadership and mentoring he has delivered major economic and societal impact by turning his pioneering photonics research
into commercial success.
He pioneered the application of ultrafast laser inscription to the fabrication of three-dimensional guided-wave devices – inventing the 3D waveguide interconnect and integrated photonic lantern. His breakthroughs launched Optoscribe Ltd, the Heriot-Watt University spinout he co-founded in 2010. Optoscribe makes 3D glass photonic circuits for telecoms and data communications using its laser direct write technology.
Professor Thomson co-invented a breakthrough single-photon imaging technology for medical device tracking. Supported by the Medical Research Council developmental pathway funding scheme.
News about the Princess Royal Silver Medals
From AI health tech to sustainable dyeing: top UK engineers awarded The Princess Royal Silver Medal
Four of the UK’s leading engineering innovators are to be presented with The Princess Royal Silver Medal, one of the Royal Academy of Engineering’s most prestigious individual awards.
From bionic arms and portable incubators to cybersecurity, four innovators win The Princess Royal Silver Medal
Four of the UK’s leading engineering innovators are to be presented with The Princess Royal Silver Medal, one of the Royal Academy of Engineering’s most prestigious individual awards.
Five pioneering engineers to be presented with The Princess Royal Silver Medal
Robotic skin, miniature AI sensors, a new imaging technique for healthcare or radiation mapping, and new battery solutions are among the medallists’ innovations.