Named after Britain’s jet engine genius, the Sir Frank Whittle Medal is awarded to an engineer resident in the UK whose outstanding and sustained achievements have had a profound impact on their engineering discipline.
Who is eligible to be nominated?
- Nominees must be resident in the UK.
- Self-nominations are not accepted. If you wish to be considered but do not have a nominator, please contact the Academy.
Meet our 2025 winner
Dr Fiona Rayment OBE FREng FRSE
Dr Rayment is internationally renowned for her work over three decades, leading fundamental innovation and acting a senior policy adviser at both national and international level. She has also played a key role in the Academy’s ongoing collaboration with the National Academy of Engineering Korea on clean energy.
As Chief Science and Technology Officer at the UK’s National Nuclear Laboratory, she developed new systems to solve nuclear waste problems, including accident-tolerant fuels. Through her leadership of the Nuclear Skills Strategy Group and as current President of the Nuclear Institute, she promotes nuclear engineering and works to inspire students and foster equality and diversity in the profession.
Dr Rayment is recognised internationally; not just through awards such as the Chevalier de L’Ordre national de la Legion D’honneur, but also through roles on key international institutions. She is Chair of the Science Advisory Committee of the Energy Division of the French Atomic Energy Commission, Vice Chair of the OECD NEA’s Steering Committee and Bureau and until recently Policy Director of the Generation IV International Forum, which oversees international cooperation on next generation reactor systems.
Recent winners
About Sir Frank Whittle
Sir Frank Whittle OM KBE CB FEng FRS, was one of the most creative engineers of all time and a Founding Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering. British pioneer of the jet engine, he made an extraordinary contribution to society despite many difficulties.
Frank Whittle was born in Coventry in 1907, the son of a skilful mechanic and inventor. From an early age he experimented in his father’s factory and was fascinated by the fledgling aviation industry. He joined the RAF in 1923 as an apprentice. His talents were soon recognised, and he qualified as a pilot at the RAF College, Cranwell, before reading Mechanical Sciences at the University of Cambridge. While at Cranwell he had developed a thesis on jet propulsion and patented his design in 1930, but officials at the Air Ministry dismissed his ideas as impractical. However, in 1936 he and some associates founded a company, Power Jets Ltd, to develop the theory.
Despite political and financial adversity, Whittle’s jet engine made its maiden flight on 15 May 1941, powering the purpose-built Gloster E28/39. By 1944 the engine was in service with the RAF. The technology quickly spread and has been fully exploited worldwide.
News about the Sir Frank Whittle Medal
Nuclear pioneer Fiona Rayment wins the Sir Frank Whittle Medal
Nuclear pioneer Dr Fiona Rayment OBE FREng FRSE, President of the Nuclear Institute, will tonight receive one of the Royal Academy of Engineering’s highest accolades, the Sir Frank Whittle Medal, in…
Arup designer Tristram Carfrae wins the Royal Academy of Engineering Whittle Medal
Structural designer Tristram Carfrae RDI FREng, former Deputy Chair of Arup, will receive one of the Royal Academy of Engineering’s highest accolades, the Sir Frank Whittle Medal, in recognition of h…