Impulsonics Co-Founder elected as Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering

Professor Bruce Drinkwater  has been elected in recognition for his pioneering work in ultrasound. 

Impulsonics, a leading innovator in biotech automation, is thrilled to announce that co-founder and Acoustics Specialist Professor Bruce Drinkwater has been elected as a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering.

Joining 70 other leading figures who have made exceptional contributions to their own engineering sector, pioneering new innovations, leading progress in business or academia, providing high level advice to government, or promoting wider understanding of engineering and technology.

Professor Drinkwater has pioneered industrial applications of ultrasonic arrays in non-destructive testing and has adapted this deep expertise to create world-first devices for cell and particle manipulation using ultrasound. This underlying technology is ultimately what underpins Impulsonics’ unique capabilities. He continues to deploy this deep well of experience to drive forward the company’s technology. 

“I am delighted to receive this Fellowship,” he said ”throughout my career I have been committed to connecting my research to real-world applications and this has recently lead to my involvement in Impulsonics. Together we have created a completely new way of automating many of the processes associated with handling cells. In the short term this will lead to a reduction in the cost and improvement in the quality of cell production. In the future we believe that our technology can underpin the emerging personalised medicine market, making such treatments affordable.” 

“Professor Drinkwater has been instrumental in building Impulsonics,” said Dr Luke Cox, CEO of Impulsonics. “This Fellowship recognizes both his enthusiasm for pushing the boundaries of technology and his commitment to using that to improving the world for everyone. It is that philosophy that underpins our mission to transform biotech automation.” 

The new Fellows will be formally admitted to the Academy at a special ceremony in London on 27 November, when each Fellow will sign the roll book. In joining the Fellowship, they 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. 

The AGM also confirmed the election of Dr John Lazar as the new President of the Academy for a five-year term. 

Dr John Lazar CBE FREng, President of the Royal Academy of Engineering, said: “Our new Fellows represent some of the most talented people in the world of engineering and are taken from the ranks of those who are aiming to address some of our most critical problems. We are proud to say that many of our newly elected Fellows have come from underrepresented groups in engineering and related sectors and we hope this helps to tackle some of the issues around a lack of diversity within the profession. There is ample evidence that a wider pool of ideas and experiences helps to improve decision-making and develop novel solutions to global challenges.”