Twenty-one outstanding Engineering and Materials Science students were celebrated at our undergraduate prize-giving ceremony for awards sponsored by industry partners and professional bodies.

The event, which took place on Wednesday 9 April in GC701, was hosted by Dr Kshitij Sabnis, Lecturer in Aerospace Engineering, and Dr Oliver Fenwick, Reader in Materials Science. Awards were presented by Dr Sanaa Hafeez, Deputy Director of Education (Student Experience).

Friends and family gathered to celebrate the accomplishments of the students, who had distinguished themselves with outstanding academic performance, innovative research projects, and significant contributions to the wider engineering community.

Lucideon Prizes

Among the many accolades presented was the prestigious Lucideon Prize for the best first-year performances in Materials and Bioengineering, awarded to Khuetu Dac Doan and Charmaine Wong, respectively.

IMechE Best Student Certificates

The IMechE Best Student Certificates honoured top-performing first-year students across Aerospace, Biomedical, Mechanical, and Sustainable Engineering programmes, with ten students recognised for their academic excellence: Said Rustamzade, Warren Fernandes, Rindhiya Ishnu Shankar, Maheen Muhammed, Mankeet Khurana, Yash Vaghela, Faysal Krimmley and Scott Emery.

Materials Industrial Advisory Board Prize

Second-year achievement was celebrated through the Materials Industrial Advisory Board Prize, awarded to Michaela Lastovickova for achieving the highest marks in her year.

IMechE Project Certificates

IMechE Project Certificates were awarded to a number of students who produced exceptional final-year projects:

• Cara Fox (Mechanical MEng), supervised by Yousef Zawareh, for her project, “The Design and Analysis of a Hybrid Formula Student Vehicle.” Cara’s innovative Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KIERS) design and leadership as Team Principal of Queen Mary Formula Student earnt her praise.
• Hamza Maljee (Aerospace MEng), working with Dr Ranjan Vepa, led a team project titled “Design Build & Test of a CUBESAT for Asteroid Deflection.” This work earnt Hamza a place at the prestigious ESA CUBESAT Concurrent Engineering Workshop in Belgium.
• Mostafa Ghonemi (Biomedical MEng) was recognised for his role in developing a quadruped robot using a 5R linkage mechanism, an achievement that took his team to the finals of the 2024 ASME Student Mechanism and Robot Design Competition in Washington, D.C. — where they were the only UK undergraduate team to compete.
• Teha Al-Thani (Sustainable BEng) impressed with her analysis of Rankine Cycle power plants, and was commended for her supportive leadership and professionalism.
• Dias Bazhanov (Mechanical BEng) earnt high praise for his original work on sensitivity analysis and uncertainty quantification in reactor simulations.
• Rebecca Andrews (Aerospace BEng) presented an innovative solution to orbital debris mitigation using electrodynamic tethers — an approach highlighting both ingenuity and a commitment to sustainability.
• Stefani Christoforou (Biomedical BEng) received both subject and project awards for her contributions to the development of light-based 3D printed precision implants, showcasing advanced laboratory and materials testing skills.

Awards for exceptional final year marks

Top-scoring graduating students were also honoured with awards in their fields:

• Sushnitha Baskaran (Mechanical MEng) received the SEMS MEng Academic Achievement Prize for scoring highly across all MEng modules.
• Maria Sohail received the IMechE Frederick Barnes Waldron Best Student Award, recognising her as the top Mechanical Engineering finalist.
• Adam Molokhia earnt the IoM3 Prize for Best Materials Graduate.
• Hamza Maljee was again celebrated with the Royal Aeronautical Society University Prize, as the top Aerospace Engineering finalist.

In her speech at the ceremony, Dr Sanaa Hafeez said: "It’s a real pleasure to celebrate the hard work, talent, and dedication of our incredible engineering students. This prize-giving ceremony isn’t just about academic excellence — it’s about resilience, creativity, teamwork, and the relentless pursuit of solving problems that matter. Engineering is not an easy path. It demands long nights, critical thinking, and constant innovation. But it also rewards those who rise to the challenge — and today, we are recognising those who have done exactly that."

The ceremony was a powerful reminder of the talent and dedication fostered within the School.