The Royal Academy of Engineering has announced the winners of The Princess Royal Silver Medal, one of the Royal Academy of Engineering’s most prestigious individual awards. Professor Robert Thomson FREng, Professor of Photonics at Heriot-Watt University, is receiving one of three 2026 awards for inventing the integrated photonic lantern. This lantern is a tool for astronomy capture starlight to look for evidence of exoplanets.
Besides Professor Thomson, this year’s winners of The Princess Royal Silver Medals are:
Dr Ian Campbell, Co-founder of Breathe Battery Technologies, who has created software that makes batteries more sustainable, andDr Liucheng Guo, Co-founder and Chief Technical Officer of TG0, who has applied AI to make touch-responsive materials.
The three will receive their medals on 8th July at the Academy Awards Dinner in London. The medals will be given by HRH The Princess Royal, who is a Royal Fellow of the Academy.
Professor Thomson said:
“I am delighted to receive the Princess Royal Silver Medal. Throughout my career, I have been motivated by the challenge of translating fundamental discoveries into technologies that create tangible benefits for society. I have also been fortunate to work with outstanding students, researchers, clinicians and industrial partners, and this award reflects their contributions as much as my own.”
Professor Steve McLaughlin, Vice-Principal of Heriot-Watt University, said:
“Robert Thomson’s work in ultrafast laser microfabrication has redefined the art of the possible in photonics. His seminal inventions – the 3D waveguide interconnect and the integrated photonic lantern – are not only academic breakthroughs but transformative for industry.”
Published by James Hydzik
James Hydzik is a technology geek focused on the junction of engineering, writing, and coffee. He joined Orbital Today in 2020 to help make sense of the Johnson government’s decision to buy OneWeb. Since then, he has taken on interviewing and editor-in-chief roles. James learned the ropes of editing and writing with Financial Times magazines, The World Bank, PwC, and Ericsson. Thus far, interviewing New Space movers has put the biggest smile on his workaday face. The son of an Electrical Engineer, James understands the value of putting complex topics into clear language for those with a lay person’s understanding of the subject. James is a European transplant from the United States, and as ex-KA3LLL, he now holds European amateur radio licenses. His next radio project is a portable 10GHz EME (moonbounce) station, as it combines his childhood interests in antennas and space.