Heriot-Watt University Wins the Queen’s Anniversary Prize
Heriot-Watt University has achieved the highest honour in UK education, the Queen’s Anniversary Prize. The award is in recognition of their pioneering research in science. The prize is the highest honour available nationally to the UK higher and further education sector.
The prize is awarded every two years to the best college or university in their field following an independent and rigorous assessment. Awarded by the Queen on guidance from the Prime Minister, the winning entries must show innovative, excellent, and public benefit to the wider world.
To win this prize seeks to the impact and quality of the university/college’s frontier research and its application to deliver a positive impact on the greater society. Heriot-Watt University was chosen for its sustained and ground-breaking research that helped to advance photonics technology over the last five decades.
They have been a key contributor to the sector and have made real practical applications to this technology since its beginnings. Their laser technology is applied in manufacturing from the nanoscale of the smartphone’s integrated circuits to the macroscale of ship-building. In addition, its optical fibre sensor research applications vary from monitoring of oil gas reservoirs across the ocean floor to medically critical measurements in human bodies.
Senior Deputy Principal at Heriot-Watt University, Julian Pones said in response to the award: “Our work in photonics reflects Heriot-Watt University’s purpose and heritage. Our research has contributed to economic benefits across the globe, achieved by working personally with our colleagues in business and industry, and by supporting our doctoral, postgraduate, and undergraduate programs.”
“The award is a huge honour and recognises our role in enhancing lives across the world through its application and research. I would like to extend my thanks to those inside and outside of the university that contributed”.
The university has been presented with the award on three prior occasions, in 1994, 2015, and 2019.
