The department’s Shell Professor of Chemical Engineering, Prof Dame Lynn Gladden, has chaired the 2026 Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering (QEPrize), one of the world’s leading awards for innovations with real-world impact.

This year’s prize has been awarded to nine scientists – Graeme Clark, Erwin Hochmair, Ingeborg Hochmair, Blake Wilson, John Donoghue, Alim Louis Benabid, Pierre Pollak, Jocelyne Bloch and Grégoire Courtine – for the design and development of modern neural interfaces that restore human function.

The 2026 Laureates have delivered new achievements in neuro-engineering, demonstrating the extraordinary power of engineering to overcome physical limitations. Their work enables technology to interact directly with the brain and nervous system to restore abilities such as hearing, movement, and communication for people affected by sensory loss, paralysis, and neurological disease.

Reflecting the department’s long-standing focus on translating fundamental science into practical technologies, Prof Gladden said: “This year’s winning innovation stood out for the judges because of its clear and demonstrable impact on people’s lives.

"Modern neural interfaces represent engineering at its most powerful, translating deep scientific understanding into practical solutions that restore essential human functions.

"While the field encompasses a range of different technologies at different stages of maturity, together they exemplify the engineering excellence the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering seeks to recognise - work that combines rigour, creativity, and major contributions to society.”

Entering its 13^th year, the QEPrize continues to celebrate engineers whose work delivers profound benefits to society. The award was formally announced by Lord Vallance, Chair of the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering Foundation and Minister of State for Science, Innovation, Research and Nuclear, at the Science Museum in London in early February.

Previous winners of the Prize are: Modern Machine Learning, Modern Wind Power Technology, PERC Solar Cell Photovoltaic Technology, The World’s Strongest Permanent Magnet, LED lighting, Global Positioning System (GPS), Digital Imaging Systems, Controlled Drug Delivery and The Internet and the Web.