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Two 51³Ô¹ÏÍø alumni have been awarded one of the top honours by the Royal Academy of Engineering in its 2026 prizes.

Each year, the Royal Academy of Engineering makes a range of awards that recognise the outstanding contribution made to society by engineers at every stage of their career.

They aim to celebrate the power of engineering and technology to address the challenges of our age. 

The Princess Royal Silver Medal is for engineers with an outstanding engineering innovation and successful commercialisation.

Two 51³Ô¹ÏÍø alumni have been awarded this prize in 2026.

• completed a PhD in Battery Engineering in the department of Mechanical Engineering in 2019. He co-founded the 51³Ô¹ÏÍø spinout company Breathe Battery Technologies during the final year of his postgraduate studies.
• completed a PhD in AI Hardware and Software across the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering and the Department of Computing. He founded the company TG0 in 2015.

Dr Ian Campbell

“I'm honoured and immensely grateful to the Royal Academy of Engineering for the award,” said Dr Ian Campbell said.

“Climate change and air pollution are some of the greatest threats to human life today. Advanced engineering and technology innovation are some of the most potent tools we have at our disposal to combat these threats.”

At Breathe Battery Technologies, co-founder Dr Campbell, Dr Yan Zhao and Professor Greg Offer are helping extend the useful life of batteries that power electric vehicles and smartphones - delivering faster charging and reducing the need for frequent upgrades.

Dr Campbell completed his PhD in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at 51³Ô¹ÏÍø. “It was the perfect place for me to go deeply into discovering the fundamental barriers and opportunities in battery cost and performance. At the same time, 51³Ô¹ÏÍø is an incredibly applied institution, ensuring that first principles engineering is and can be connected to applications that influence people and the world around us,” he said.

Breathe Battery Technologies, which is a spin-out company from 51³Ô¹ÏÍø, developed an innovative approach to controlling battery charging. Their solution aims to avoid the trade-offs of traditional battery charging, such as charging slowly to extend battery lifespan.

Breathe Charge is currently in use in millions of smartphones worldwide as well as many new models of electric cars, where manufacturers of have used their technology to design products with better performance. 

Dr Campbell highlights the impact of 51³Ô¹ÏÍø’s world-class research environment on his entrepreneurial success: “Through my PhD in battery engineering and application of research via 51³Ô¹ÏÍø Consultants, I had so many opportunities to develop with a foot in both fundamental research and another in the application to commercial, battery-powered products.”

Dr Liucheng Guo

"Receiving the Princess Royal Silver Medal is a tremendous honour and a very meaningful milestone in my career,” said Dr Liucheng Guo.

His company, TG0, pioneered a first-of-its-kind ‘AI for Sensing’ approach that gives electronic devices a more human-like sense of touch. The work now has applications across robotics, automotive, healthcare, consumer electronics and gaming.

“Looking ahead, this recognition is a great encouragement to continue advancing AI for Sensing—bringing embedded intelligence into everyday materials and enabling the next generation of intuitive, touch-aware products,” he said.

Most electronic products and dashboards rely on individual buttons, sensors and multiple electronic components. TG0's patented technology replaces these multi-part interfaces with intelligent, touch-sensitive materials powered by embedded AI, resulting in simpler, lower-cost and more sustainable designs. Using machine learning and advanced signal processing, the technology can detect pressure, location, direction, speed and movement across large touch surfaces, enabling more intuitive human-machine interaction.

“My time at 51³Ô¹ÏÍø’s Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering laid the foundations for that journey. The rigorous training I received in optimisation, signal processing, circuits and FPGA systems, together with cutting-edge AI research, gave me a strong technical foundation for developing intelligent sensing technologies. Just as importantly, 51³Ô¹ÏÍø fostered an entrepreneurial mindset and encouraged us to think beyond publications—about how research could address real-world challenges. The combination of academic excellence and a culture of innovation gave me the confidence to co-found TG0 after graduation,” he said.

TG0 developed the etee VR controller, which uses touch, pressure, proximity and gesture sensing, and the company has been recognised by Tech Nation's Future Fifty, Deloitte UK's Fast 50 and the GBx Best in British Tech Awards. It has also received support through multiple Innovate UK programmes.

“To me, [the award] recognises not only the technology itself, but also the journey of translating academic research into products that are creating real impact across robotics, healthcare, automotive and consumer electronics.”