UQ a top incubator of influential engineers

The University of Queensland is the second-highest ranked university in Engineers Australia’s 2015 list of Australia’s Top 100 Most Influential Engineers.

The list aims to highlight the impacts of outstanding engineers in all aspects of society.

UQ researchers Professor Stuart Crozier, Professor Zhiguo Yuan and Professor Mark Kendall are among the top 100.

Professor Crozier was listed by Engineers Australia for the first time in 2015, for his significant impact on the biomedical field. About 70 per cent of the world’s Magnetic Resonance Imaging systems contain his patented technology.

Professor Kendall was recognised for his contribution to the fields of bioengineering and nanotechnology, as the inventor of the needle-free vaccination method, the Nanopatch.

Professor Yuan was also listed for the first time in 2015. He was among the panel’s pick for his influence, and for inspiring others who work in the wastewater management field.

Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology  Executive Dean Professor Simon Biggs said each of the researchers had contributed greatly to their respective fields, and all were internationally renowned for pioneering ground-breaking technologies.

Nine UQ engineering alumni also appear on the list:

• Yassmin Abdel-Magied, Founder and President, Youth Without Borders
• Lizzie Brown, CEO, Engineers Without Borders
• Kathryn Fagg, Board Member, Reserve Bank of Australia
• Kathy Hirschfeld, Director, InterOil Corporation, Transfield Services, ASC, Toxfree Solutions
• Andrew Liveris, Chair and CEO, The Dow Chemical Engineering Company
• Rob Sindel, Managing Director, CSR
• Ross Taylor, Managing Director and CEO, UGL Limited
• Gordon Wyeth, Executive Dean, Science and Engineering Faculty, Queensland University of Technology
• Merryn York, Chief Executive, Powerlink Queensland

“This is an outstanding tribute to UQ engineering, now and in the past,” Professor Biggs said.

“It’s pleasing to see such a high proportion of UQ-educated engineers having significant impact on our state, our nation and across the world.”

Engineers Australia listed the engineers’ influence in any field as the main criterion for selection to the list.

Media: Madelene Flanagan, + 61 7 3365 8525, m.flanagan@uq.edu.au.