Two professors from the University of Glasgow have been elected as Honorary Fellows of the Royal Academy of Engineering, joining the likes of Sir Richard Sykes, Rector of Imperial College London. Some of Britain's brightest minds will join the UK's engineering elite following the Academy's AGM on 7 July, where 37 new Fellows and two Foreign Members were also elected.

"Engineering is a hugely important discipline that underpins almost every aspect of our lives so it's a great honour to be recognised by the Royal Academy of Engineering, which represents the UK's most distinguished engineers," says Sir Richard Sykes. "Throughout my career in the biosciences industry I have seen how engineering is playing an increasingly prominent role in improving medicine and healthcare."

Professor Jonathan Cooper, Professor of Biolectronics and Bioengineering at the University of Glasgow, was the pioneer of the "lab-on-a-chip" principle. He is currently working on the world's first "lab-on-a-pill", a sensor loaded tablet that patients will swallow so that it can collect data from the inside as it passes through the body. For more details please see: http://www.sli-institute.ac.uk/research/isli/lab_in_pill.htm.

Professor of Computing Science, Cornelis (Keith) Van Rijsbrgen has been with the University of Glasgow since 1986. He previously completed a PhD from the University of Cambridge and was appointed chair of the Computer Science at University College Dublin. His research has been devoted to information retrieval, covering both theoretical and experimental aspects. His current research is concerned with the design of appropriate logics to model the flow of information. Fore more information see: http://www.dcs.gla.ac.uk/people/personal/keith/.

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For more details please contact Mike Findlay in the University Press Office on 0141 330-3535.

Founded in 1976, the Royal Academy of Engineering promotes the engineering and technological welfare of the country. Our fellowship - comprising the UK?s most eminent engineers - provides the leadership and expertise for our activities, which focus on the relationships between engineering, technology, and the quality of life. As a national academy, we provide independent and impartial advice to Government; work to secure the next generation of engineers; and provide a voice for Britain?s engineering community. The Academy now has 1250 Fellows, 26 Honorary Fellows and 83 Foreign Members.

First published: 12 July 2004