Previously Head of the Department of Chemical Engineering at Imperial College London, Professor Shah has recently been appointed as one of four co-directors – one each from engineering, science, business and health – of a new School of Convergence Science in Sustainability at Imperial. The new school aims to address big intractable challenges, such as climate change, decarbonisation and sustainability.
Nilay Shah always knew that he wanted to be an engineer. He liked chemistry at school but was more interested in its application than fundamental science, and chemical engineering seemed like a natural career option when he embarked on his studies at Imperial College London. He has now spent almost 40 years at Imperial, working in areas from paint-making to vaccine production, and has seen chemical engineering change in ways that no one could have foreseen.
One of the biggest changes has been the use of information technology, and Nilay’s research developed around modelling, simulation and optimisation of chemical and energy processes from the molecular level up to simulating complete chemical plants and supply chains.
He and four other colleagues from Imperial set up Process Systems Enterprise Ltd, a spinout company to commercialise gPROMS, a software platform to monitor and forecast a processing plant’s performance throughout the process lifecycle, with Professor Sandro Macchietto FREng and then Professor Costas Pantelides FREng as its CEO. The technology has had an impact throughout the processing industry, including oil, pharmaceuticals, consumer products and food. Its models are used for everything from real-time process plant design and optimisation to operator training.The company won the MacRobert Award for UK engineering innovation in 2007 for gPROMS. It became a market leader in process simulation with more than 160 employees and a global revenue of more than £16 million in 2019, when it was acquired by Siemens. His current business ventures include Zero Petroleum, a synthetic fuels startup that he co-founded with former F1 Executive-Director Paddy Lowe FREng.
Professor Shah has brought his business and academic expertise to his work with the Academy, as an active policy advisor on energy, biofuels and sustainability, serving as Deputy Chair of the National Engineering Policy Centre Net Zero working group. Through that he was involved in the NEPC’s advice to government on the Clean Power 2030 Action Plan and the role of hydrogen in a net zero energy system.
Sir John Lazar CBE FREng, President of the Royal Academy of Engineering, says:
“Nilay Shah is an active and strong supporter of the Academy, contributing much to its aims and activities, as a key policy advisor and as a Trustee. As Chair of the Membership Committee, he was instrumental in setting up the Fellowship Fit for the Future campaign, which set an aspiration that at least half of all candidates elected to the Academy each year would be from underrepresented groups in engineering. In fact, the 2024 cohort of new Fellows surpassed this aim with 68% meeting the criteria, the most successful year in the Academy’s history. This simply could not have been achieved without Nilay’s hard work, dedication and effective leadership.”
President's Medal winner Professor Nilay Shah OBE FREng
Notes for editors
- The President’s Medal is awarded to an Academy Fellow who has contributed significantly to the organisation’s aims and work through their initiative in promoting excellence in engineering.
- Annual Awards Dinner 2025. This year’s Royal Academy of Engineering Awards Dinner takes place on 8 July. The event will also celebrate the winners of other awards and prizes including the Princess Royal Silver Medals and the MacRobert Award for UK engineering innovation. https://raeng.org.uk/events/2025/july/awards-dinner-2025/
- The Royal Academy of Engineering creates and leads a community of outstanding experts and innovators to engineer better lives. As a charity and a Fellowship, we deliver public benefit from excellence in engineering and technology and convene leading businesspeople, entrepreneurs, innovators and academics across engineering and technology. As a National Academy, we provide leadership for engineering and technology, and independent, expert advice to policymakers in the UK and beyond.