- Professor O’Farrell is one of five academics from the University of Sheffield to have been elected to the Royal Academy of Engineering as Fellows in recognition of their outstanding contributions to engineering and technology
- The Royal Academy of Engineering is one of the world’s leading engineering institutions, with Fellows being elected each year by peer-review
- The University of Sheffield has more engineers being elected this year than any other UK university, along with Imperial College London
- Five is believed to be the highest number of academics elected from Sheffield at any one time
Five academics from the University of Sheffield have been honoured with one of the most prestigious awards in engineering, announced today (20 September 2023).
Professor O’Farrell (Electronic and Electrical Engineering) is joined by Professor Joby Boxall (Civil and Structural Engineering), Professor Ashutosh Tiwari (Automatic Control and Systems Engineering), Professor Iain Todd (Materials Science and Engineering) and Professor Keith Worden (Mechanical Engineering) in being elected to the Royal Academy of Engineering’s Fellowship in recognition of their outstanding contributions to engineering and technology.
The Academy is one of the world’s leading engineering institutions. It brings together some of the best engineering researchers, innovators, entrepreneurs, business and industry leaders through its Fellowship, which elects new Fellows each year by peer-review in recognition of their outstanding and continuing contributions to the profession.
This year sees five engineers elected from Sheffield - more than any other university in the UK along with Imperial College London. It is believed to be the highest number of academics elected from Sheffield at any one time.
Sheffield’s engineers will be formally admitted to the Academy at a special ceremony in London on 28 November 2023. In joining the Fellowship, the academics will lend their unique capabilities to achieving the Academy’s overarching strategic goal - to harness the power of engineering to create a sustainable society and an inclusive economy for all.
In wireless communications, Professor Timothy O’Farrell has made significant contributions in waveform and energy-efficiency (EE) design for radio access networks (RANs). He has translated significant research into industry through standards, products and practices. As Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer of Supergold Communication Limited, he accomplished strategic breakthroughs by determining the IEEE802.11g Wi-Fi standard, as well as developing standardised practices for measuring EE in RANs and producing software-tools for modelling RAN performance. He led the UK Research Strategy Community Organisation in Communications, Mobile Computing and Networking within the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council portfolio and is currently leading the UKRI National 6G Radio Systems Facility - a UK first - which is set to officially open at the University of Sheffield later this year.
Professor O’Farrell said: “I am delighted that my contributions to engineering have been recognised by the Royal Academy of Engineering. I look forward to contributing to the goals of the Academy through engineering leadership and independent expert advice. This is also an opportunity to promote the excellence of engineering research and teaching at the University of Sheffield.”
Professor Koen Lamberts, President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sheffield, said: “It is fantastic that so many researchers from Sheffield have been elected to the Royal Academy of Engineering this year. Engineering has always been a significant part of the University of Sheffield's identity, and our academics are known around the world for their engineering research and expertise.
“I am delighted that the Academy has recognised the outstanding dedication, hard work and skills of our engineers, and the positive impact their research has on society.”
Professor Conchúr Ó Brádaigh, Vice-President for Engineering at the University of Sheffield, said: “I am really proud to see that five of our academics have been elected to the Royal Academy of Engineering this year. The Academy is one of the world’s leading engineering institutions, so for them to recognise so many of our academics at once is a real honour.
“The University of Sheffield is one of the biggest providers of engineering research and education in the UK, and this award illustrates just how well regarded our engineers are, not only in academia, but throughout industry.
“Our academics who have been elected are working in a range of disciplines - from electronics, 3D printing and telecommunications to digital manufacturing, structural dynamics and water engineering - all of which bring major benefits to society and the economy. Engineering has a crucial role to play in some of the major challenges of our time and I’m delighted that the work our engineers are doing as part of this has been recognised by the Academy.”