The Colin Campbell Mitchell Award commemorates the life and work of one of Scotland's most accomplished marine engineers, Edinburgh-born Colin Campbell Mitchell OBE FRSE (1904-69).
He had a long and distinguished career with Brown Brothers Engineering, where he pioneered the development of the steam catapult for use on aircraft carriers.
The award is given to an individual or team of up to six engineers, either working or studying in the UK. It is awarded for having made the greatest contribution to the advancement of any field of engineering within the period of the four years prior to the making of the award.
A cash prize of £3,000 will be awarded to an individual and £6,000 will be awarded to a team.
2025 winner
Occuity
The team have invented a handheld optical device, designed to measure corneal thickness – a key step in diagnosing glaucoma – without touching the eye.
Occuity’s innovative PM1 pachymetry device is handheld and designed to measure corneal thickness in a matter of seconds without touching the eye. Previously this was done with ultrasound and required anaesthetising eye drops and contact with the eye, which could be both unpleasant for the patient and time-consuming for the clinician. Up until now the alternative, non-contact pachymeters, were desk-bound and expensive.
The Occuity team had to address multiple challenges to invent this handheld device, including miniaturisation of complex optical systems, development of high-speed lens scanning and advanced algorithms in order to achieve reliable results. They also had to put in place a medical device certified manufacturing facility in Reading to make them.
From left to right: James Reynolds, Shashin Lad, Sharon Brand, Martin Newman, Jamie Serjeant
Their PM1 device is now on market in nearly 20 different countries and the Occuity team are working on further developing their platform optical technology to produce meters to screen for other ophthalmic conditions including myopia. In the mid-term, the technology is being advanced to address systemic diseases such as diabetes and Alzheimer’s Disease. The intention is that these Oculomics products will help in the prevention of, rather than just the treatment of, these major chronic conditions
The Occuity team includes Dr Robin Taylor, Co-Founder and Chief Technical Officer; James Reynolds, Chief Optical Engineer; Sharon Branch, Chief Operating Officer; Shashin Lad, Senior Firmware and Electronics Engineer; Martin Newman, Senior Manufacturing Technician and Jamie Serjeant, Lead Engineer (and a recipient of the Academy’s 2024 Young Engineer of the Year award).
Recent winners
2024: The Arm Architecture Formal Team
The Arm Architecture Formal Team developed practical tools to model and test computer chips, paving the way for more reliable computing systems.
2023: Professor Mohan Edirisinghe OBE FREng
Professor Edirisinghe OBE FREng was recognised for his world-leading contribution to the industrial application of polymeric fibres by inventing novel fibre manufacturing vessels and processes.
2022: Rolls Royce ACCEL
The Rolls-Royce ACCEL (short for ‘Accelerating the Electrification of Flight’) project received the 2022 Colin Campbell Mitchell Award. The Spirit of Innovation aircraft represents the world’s fastest electric vehicle and was developed to accelerate the electrification of aerospace and demonstrate the potential for sustainable net zero aviation.