Award winners 2019

Bessemer Gold Medal

Jon Bolton

Liberty Steels

Jon Bolton is the CEO of liberty Steel. He is a globally recognised leader in the steel industry and a leading advocate for the importance of investment and renewal of the industry in a modern industrial economy. With international experience of senior leadership in Europe and North America, Jon has successfully led the acquisition, development, commissioning and operation of steel facilities across a range of products. In addition to his leadership roles within the business for which he works, Jon has for a number of years been the Chairman of UK Steel and he co-chairs the Steel Council, along with the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

It is his achievements, his high-profile advocacy of steel and the impact he has had on the industry, that elevates him apart from his peers, but it is his personal qualities of modesty, generosity of time, understanding and care for his staff, that assures his inclusion in the roll call of the titans of the industry from the dawn of the steelmaking age.

Chapman Medal

Prof John Fisher FREng CEng CSci FIMechE FIPEM

University of Leeds

John is Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Leeds and has over 40 years of experience in medical engineering research and development in academia, industry and the health service. He is the founding Director of the Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering, one of the world's leading medical engineering research units which was awarded the Queen's Anniversary Prize in 2012. John's outstanding contributions to the field of Biomedical Engineering were recognised in 2013 by receipt of a CBE. He is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences, Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Fellow of the Institute of Physics & Engineering in Medicine, a Chartered Engineer and Scientist. He was PVC/DVC of the University of Leeds from 2001-16 and is currently Director of the EPSRC Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in Medical Devices, Director of EPSRC Innovation and Knowledge Centre in Regenerative Therapies and Devices and Director of the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Tissue Engineering & Regenerative Medicine. John has published over 500 peer-reviewed journal papers, has a publication h factor of >50 and has supervised over 100 PhDs. His research work of improving the longevity of artificial joints and developing novel regenerative scaffolds and devices, is aimed at delivering 50 active years after 50® and addressing the needs of an ageing population. 

Futers Gold Medal

Sandy Gray MAusIMM

Geko Systems

Sandy Gray invented his first jig at 17 years of age in the Curnamona Basin in South Australia's outback, where he learnt his craft in the field. Now with over 36 years of experience in mining and mineral processing operations, Sandy is now Technical Director of Gekko Systems. Since co-founding Gekko, Sandy has rejuvenated the art of continuous gravity separation and he has become a world leader in low energy and pre-concentration flowsheets encompassing gravity methods, flotation, concentrate leaching for the gold and silver sector. He invented many of Gekko's patented systems including the InLine Pressure Jig, G-Rex Resin Exchange and the Python Processing Plant. His inventions are breakthroughs in the field of mineral processing, with over 600 installations at mines in 43 different countries. Sandy is a world recognised expert and innovator in Minerals Processing and Extractive Metallurgy. He has made many technology leading inventions now widely installed in operations throughout the world.

Gold Medal

Dr Geoff Scamans CEng FIMMM

Innoval Technology Ltd

Geoff is Chief Scientific Officer at Innoval Technology and Professor of Metallurgy at Brunel University. Geoff's remarkable record of internationally acclaimed, multidisciplinary research spans several decades and every element of the materials cycle. While he is perhaps best known for his pivotal work on surface engineering and corrosion mechanisms in aluminium alloys, work that remains the leading reference material on the subject to this day, he has also campaigned tirelessly for sustainable manufacturing and efficient use of materials. Geoff has been responsible for over 20 successful collaborative research projects over the past decade, with impact spanning applications from transportation to construction, packaging, energy and defence. These have delivered major technological advances, including the development of high performance alloys with excellent mechanical properties and structural integrity that can be fabricated using 100% recycled content and vehicle assembly. Geoff is extremely passionate about inspiring the next generation of materials engineers, regularly lecturing at conferences, industry events and training courses around the world. He has authored around 150 publications, a remarkable achievement for someone based in industry.

Griffith Medal & Prize

Prof David Jones FREng FIAE FIMMM FRSS FRSC CStat CEng CChem

Awarded for his outstanding contribution to, and scientific discoveries in biomaterials science/engineering. Engineering of medical devices/implants with functionalities to improve clinical performance. Having developed clinically relevant models to understand the processes of microbial attachment to and encrustation formation on medical devices, Jones has devised novel engineering strategies to address these problems. Jones' research has provided a fundamental insight into the effects of the mechanical properties, notably polymer viscoelasticity on the clinical performance of urological, oral and ophthalmic medical implants and employed this understanding to design implants with improved functionalities, including adherence to the application site and defined drug-elution rates. Applications include the improved treatment of infection within the oral cavity, reduced medical-device related infection/encrustation and as novel stoma sealants. A previous Royal Society Industrial Fellow, Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and Founding member and Director of two spin-out companies (Xiomateria/Re-Vana), Jones is a world leading authority on biomaterial science/engineering related to implantable medical devices/dosage forms. He is a distinguished and outstanding candidate for the AA Griffith award.

Platinum Medal (joint)

Prof Robert Young FRS FREng CEng FIMMM

Robert is one of the world's foremost materials scientists and this has been recognised through his elections as a Fellow of the Royal Society, the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Academy of Europe. His innovative research has transformed our understanding of the relationships between structure and mechanical properties in polymers and composites. He has introduced of a number of revolutionary techniques that have given a completely new insight into the micromechanics of deformation in fibres and composites. In particular, he has pioneered the use of Raman spectroscopy for the analysis of deformation processes that take place in fibres at the molecular level. This research has been recognised through numerous invitations to give Plenary and Keynote lectures at International Conferences and by IOM3 through the awards of the Griffith Medal (2002), Leslie Holliday Prize (2011) and Swinburne Medal and Prize (2012). In addition to his achievements in research he has undertaken considerable administrative duties in support of the materials discipline. Between 2004–2009 was the founding Head of the School of Materials in the University of Manchester, which is now the largest university materials department in the UK and the focus of major UK materials research initiatives such as the Henry Royce Institute. He also chaired the Materials Panel in the 1996 and 2001 Research Assessment Exercises for the HEFCE. Furthermore he is co-author of the highly-successful, best-selling textbook, "Introduction to Polymers", the third edition of which was published in 2011.

Platinum Medal (joint)

Prof Roger W Whatmore FREng CEng FIMMM

Professor Whatmore has an outstanding record in industry and academia of research accomplishment in the field of ferroelectric materials and their applications in electronic systems. He is the world's most-highly cited author for his work in pyroelectric and electrocaloric materials. He was responsible with a Cambridge University team for the measurement of giant electrocaloric effects in ferroelectric thin films. This work was published in Science and has triggered an upsurge in interest in electrocalorics and has now been cited 750 times. From 2006 to 2012 he was Chief Executive of Tyndall National Institute in Cork, Ireland which develops electronic materials, devices and systems. He oversaw growth from 300 people in Jan '06 to >460 in Dec '11. He also initiated and led the ferroelectric thin films research there that gave the first demonstration of magnetically-induced switching of ferroelectric domains in Aurivillius multiferroic thin films and a feature article in J Am Ceram Soc in 2013, which now has over 90 citations.

Silver Medal

Dr Kate Thornton CEng MIMMM

Croda

Kate has made outstanding contributions in materials science including her significant commitment to the IOM3, supporting younger members, as well as excelling in her career at Croda. Kate has continuously championed the views of younger members through her voluntary positions on the managing board, council and younger members' committee of the IOM3, leading her to becoming one of the youngest vice-presidents of the Institute. She has driven a number of initiatives, providing networking opportunities for younger members, and was instrumental in setting up the Institute's Early Career Mentoring scheme and has taken a major role in dictating the future direction of professional engineering institutes, through 21st Century PEI's initiative. She has also had an impact on outreach within materials science by starting and organising several of the Materials Matter events. She has just finished a period as a Process Development team leader, during which she led a team which influenced multi-million pound products and resulted in significant cost reductions by reducing the amount of raw material used by 60%, and by identifying a new chemical which increased the effectiveness of the process. Moreover, Kate also introduced a number of other initiatives to help improve company processes, which included: standardising the record keeping process to improve traceability, identifying external training to improve the use of laboratory techniques, as well as developing the Croda Bay outreach event, which was a finalist in the Croda Innovation award.

Sir Andrew Bryan Medal

Barry Lye CEng CSci FIMMM

Barry is a widely respected ceramicist throughout his working life and developed an international reputation. He has served on international committees representing the UK ceramics industry. Barry has had a level of involvement at the highest level within IOM3, including as President for three years. His level of commitment has been unsurpassed. He is the only President of IOM3 to serve for a full three years, two being the normal term of office. He was due to step down in 2009, when the President elect decided to pull out with less than four weeks’ notice. Consequently, Barry agreed to continue for a further year at very short notice, despite having other commitments. As can be seen from his biography, he served on several committees for a significant length of time. He is an experienced assessor (for interviewing and scrutineering) and has played a substantive role in assessing Fellowship applications, particularly by the nomination route, and thus played a significant role in the Membership Growth Initiative. He has always been approachable and helpful, particularly and has been a stalwart in IOM3.

Sir Colin Humphreys Education Award

Dr Russell Goodall CEng FIMMM

Dr Goodall has been involved in outreach since his undergraduate days. He has always seen outreach as an essential counterpart to his professional role as a research academic, to be integrated with his research and teaching work. He has served as a STEM ambassador since 2010, and on the IOM3 Education Committee from 2010-2018 (chair for last 3 years). He has given many talks to non-specialists, from primary schools to retired people and also acted as the administrator for the annual Hatfield Memorial Lecture, the largest public lecture on materials in the UK, from 2008-2015.

One of Russell's major contributions to outreach in 11-18-year-olds has been the development of a simple and engaging demonstration for the mechanical properties of materials; the Charpy impact testing of chocolate. Russell has guided his teaching to expand on the high-quality Materials Science & Engineering outreach available. For later year students, such as those undertaking PhD programmes, or final year MEng undergraduates, he has designed and implemented a module where the students develop, run and evaluate their own outreach activities. This module, which has run for 10 years (>150 students) and continues to expand, ensures that as well as there being continual innovation in the development of new resources, there is a good opportunity for students at an early stage of their professional careers to become deeply involved in and experience outreach, while remaining in a supportive environment.

These programmes, devised by Russell, led to developments such as the board game Materials Monopoly, distributed to >1,000 teachers worldwide, animations like the Metals Lab on YouTube and a large number of other video and interactive resources.

Colwyn Medal

Dr C Michael Roland

Dr Roland is the preferred candidate due to his innovative  contributions to both fundamental and practical aspects of rubber physics and engineering. Developments he has made have had impact and his efforts and support of the sector have been recognised by his peers. His contribution to the rubber industry has also been acknowledged by the awards of both the prestigious Melvin Mooney Award and Charles Goodyear medal by the Rubber Division of the American Chemical Society. His publications have been cited over 16,000 times. He authored Viscoelastic Behavior of Rubbery Materials, Oxford Univ. Press (2011). Papers in Macromolecules (1991), Physical Review Letters (2014), J. Chemical Physics (2017), and J. Applied Physics (2018) were featured by journal as 'most innovative and influential', 'particularly noteworthy', and 'ground-breaking'.

Prince Philip Award

NEXTEK

NEXTEK has grown into an organisation with global reach, involving itself in projects around the world to tackle  issues of Plastics Pollution. By working with other companies to help manage the waste stream and developing new materials and processes to tackle the problem, NEXTEK has become engaged in a number of global projects involved in the clean-up of plastics from the oceans and tackling the waste issue at source in developing countries. Its remit is wholly topical, and of global importance to the survival of the planet and its resources and thus truly satisfies the criteria of this award – For polymers in the service of mankind.Formed as a consultancy to advise on the recycling of Polymers NEXTEK has grown into an organisation with global reach, involving itself in projects around the world to tackle this issues of Plastics Pollution. It has done this through working with other companies to help manage the waste stream and developing new materials and processes to tackle the problem. It has clearly focused on packaging recycling and re-use, and worked to develop new materials and processes to deal with the packaging problem. This is seen as one of the main issues with plastics and NEXTEK have taken the approach of looking at the prevention of the issue by developing materials and products that can be made and usefully used, from the waste materials. It has become engaged in a number of global projects involved in the clean-up of plastics from the oceans and tackling the waste issue at source in developing countries.