Coventry University academic recognised for engineering excellence

A nuclear energy and aviation expert from Coventry University has been named among the UK’s top engineers with the award of a prestigious Fellowship by the Royal Academy of Engineering.

Professor Michael Fitzpatrick, Coventry University’s Pro-Vice Chancellor for Engineering, Environment, and Computing has received the award, one of the highest national honours an engineer can receive.

Fellows are nominated by their peers based on their engineering accomplishments.

Professor Fitzpatrick has published more than 260 research papers and is one of a small number of experts awarded Fellowships this year.

His research focusses on structural integrity and over the years he has worked closely with the nuclear and aviation industries, both high-tech sectors where safety is critical.

He is also a Director of Feraru Dynamics Ltd, a University spin-out focused on ensuring prevention of vibration-related injury in manufacturing and construction.

The Royal Academy of Engineering champions excellence in all fields of engineering.

Professor Fitzpatrick, who was formally elected to the Fellowship on 19th September, said: “I’m absolutely delighted to be receiving this recognition from the senior engineering community. I hope it shows that I have delivered meaningful impact to engineering industry and supported the next generation of engineers. I’ve been lucky enough to build great relationships with organisations such as Airbus and the US Air Force Research Laboratory, being able to deliver technical solutions for them.

“I hope that this award also demonstrates that Coventry is an institution where engineers are able to thrive and succeed.”

Professor Sir Jim McDonald FREng FRSE, President of the Royal Academy of Engineering, said: “Engineering is everywhere, but nowhere the same, and our new Fellows represent the great breadth and diversity of engineers who are striving to address some of the world’s most complex challenges – benefiting society and the economy in the process. From next generation power networks and water systems to quantum computing and artificial intelligence, our new Fellows are shaping the future.

“We live in an era of rapid change across our communities, our country, and of course our planet. Today we welcome to our Fellowship an inspiring group of people who are harnessing their creativity, courage and commitment to drive positive change in the world around us and we look forward to their contribution to our work.”

In joining the Fellowship, Professor Fitzpatrick will support the Academy’s mission to harness the power of engineering to create a sustainable society and an inclusive economy for all.

For more information about engineering at Coventry University visit https://www.coventry.ac.uk/study-at-coventry/faculties-and-schools/engineering-environment-and-computing/

For more about the Royal Academy of Engineering visit https://raeng.org.uk/

About Coventry University

Coventry University is a global, modern university with a mission of Creating Better Futures. We were founded by entrepreneurs and industrialists in 1843 as the Coventry School of Design and we continue to have strong links with the public and private sector, providing job-ready graduates with the skills and creative thinking to improve their communities.

With a proud tradition of innovative teaching and learning, Coventry University has world-class campus facilities, the UK’s first standalone 5G network and a digital community of learning. Our students are part of a global network that has 50,000 learners studying Coventry University degrees in more than 40 different countries and partnerships with 140 higher education providers worldwide.

We have greatly increased our research capacity and capability with a focus on impactful research, delivered for and with partners to address real-world challenges and support business and communities to grow. The depth and breadth of our rapidly growing research portfolio was validated by the latest UK research assessment, which saw us jump 22 places in the research power rankings.

Over two centuries, we have flourished in Coventry and Coventry University Group now also delivers access to our range of high-quality services and partnerships through bases in London, Scarborough, Belgium, Poland, Egypt, Dubai, Singapore and Africa. We will be teaching students at a new campus in China in a joint institution with the Communication University of China in the near future.

In April 2022, we were honoured with the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in the category of International Trade, the UK’s most prestigious business award. In recent years, we have won many awards and vastly improved our rankings in the league tables that matter to students – but what matters to us is delivering transformational change for our students, partners and communities around the world as we continue to evolve into a global education group.