Zayna Ahmed, a final-year student on the Design, Innovation and Creative Engineering (DICE) course, has been awarded a prestigious scholarship from the Royal Commission Exhibition of 1851.

Originally established with the profits from the 1851 Great Exhibition, the Royal Commission funded South Kensington’s museum district and Imperial College London. Today, it continues its mission to “extend the influence of science and art upon productive industry” by supporting individuals and projects through fellowships and funding.

Zayna has been awarded the Industrial Design Studentship, which funds science and engineering graduates to pursue a master’s degree in industrial design. The programme aims to “stimulate industrial design capability among the country’s most talented science and engineering graduates.”

When Zayna heard about the scholarship, she had doubts about her chances, “but I knew I’d regret it if I didn’t try” she said.

After submitting her application and explaining her career aspirations in British industry, she was interviewed by the head of the Royal Commission and academics from the universities of Cambridge and Loughborough, where she gave more detail about the projects she had been a part of on the DICE programme:

“…a huge functional zip made from wood, accessible clothing for wheelchair users, a radio that tunes into sounds around the QM campus, and a robot that reacts to conversations. I’m especially proud of my final year projects, working with the Royal London Hospital to reduce the amount of significant incidents in the ER department, and my individual project working on an augmented reality headset that allows deaf musicians to experience music without sound.”

The scholarship will fully cover Zayna’s tuition and living expenses for two years while she undertakes the highly competitive joint MSc/MA programme with Imperial College and the Royal College of Arts.

“The scholarship is such an incredible opportunity. I know how inaccessible living in London can be and this scholarship removes a lot of the stress and extra work I would’ve had to do to afford it. Another great thing about the scholarship is the network of people I will be able to meet through the Royal Commission. Being able to talk to a variety of talented individuals will be an incredible opportunity,” she said.

Zayna joins fellow DICE alum Daphné Biestro, who began studying on the joint Imperial and RCA design MSc/MA programme in 2023, and was awarded the Royal Commission's Industrial Design Fellowship to support her studies in 2024.