Young Warton engineer gets top engineering award

She has been awarded the Sir Henry Royce Medal, one of the Institution of Engineering and Technology’s Achievement Awards which recognise some of the world’s top engineering talent.

The medal is awarded to an outstanding young professional who has excelled in the workplace within the last three years. Warton-based Sophie got the prize for work she contributed to in researching and developing future technologies for the air sector business.

Sophie, 26, from Lytham, who collected her prize at a London award ceremony, became the first graduate to undertake an external placement with Reaction Engines, the Oxford-based company which is pioneering the next generation of hypersonic and space access propulsion – in which BAE Systems has invested.

She said “It’s a real honour to receive this award.

“It’s great to be part of an event that celebrates the great engineering and technology skills we have in the UK and I’ll use this award to help me keep inspiring others.”

Professor Bernard Weiss, Chair of the IET Awards and Prizes Committee, said: “The Achievement Awards allow us to recognise the huge impact that engineers have on all our lives.

"The winners here today are extremely talented and have achieved great things in their careers, whether they are a young professional demonstrating outstanding ability at the start of their journey or an engineer at the pinnacle of their career."