Six engineers who have developed a pioneering approach to deploying robotics and artificial intelligence in hazardous environments have been awarded this year’s Colin Campbell Mitchell Award by the Royal Academy of Engineering.
The Award is made annually to an engineer or small team of engineers who have made an outstanding contribution to the advancement of any field of UK engineering. This year’s winners will receive the Award at the Academy’s Annual General Meeting on Wednesday 23 September.
The 2026 winners are:
- Professor Rob Buckingham OBE FREng, Special Advisor to the CEO on Robotics, UK Atomic Energy Authority
- Professor Michael Fisher, Professor of Computer Science, University of Manchester
- Dr Kirsty Hewitson FRSC, Director, RAICo, UK Atomic Energy Authority
- Dr James Kell, Robotics Technical Director, Amentum
- Professor Barry Lennox FREng, Professor of Applied Control, University of Manchester
- Duncan Steel, Group Director, Technology, Digital & Innovation, Amentum
The cross-organisational team has successfully translated cutting-edge robotics and AI research into operational technologies used across the nuclear, infrastructure, defence, aerospace and space sectors. Across these industries, many critical tasks like nuclear decommissioning or infrastructure inspection continue to expose workers to inaccessible or challenging environments. Although advances in robotics and AI offer significant potential to reduce these risks, research breakthroughs have struggled to transition into real-world industrial deployment.
In response to this issue, the team developed “Robotics Technology for Industry Exploitation”, a first-of-its-kind collaborative model for accelerating the adoption of robotics and AI in industrial settings, bridging the gap between research and industry.
Their work has delivered significant engineering, safety and economic benefits, including robotic deployments that reduce human exposure to dangerous environments, estimated savings of around £20 million for Sellafield and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, and a projected future value of £500 million through wider adoption of the technologies developed. They have also pioneered the use of digital twins and simulation environments to improve safety, training and operational efficiency, while contributing to the development of robotics policy and responsible AI practices in the UK and internationally.
The award reflects the success of two major collaborative initiatives – RAICo (Robotics and AI Collaboration), which includes the UK Atomic Energy Authority, Sellafield Ltd, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, AWE Nuclear Security Technologies and the University of Manchester and CRADLE (Centre for Robotic Autonomy in Demanding and Long-lasting Environments), a partnership between the University of Manchester and Amentum.
“By translating robotics and AI research into real-world industrial applications, this team has transformed how hazardous and complex engineering tasks can be carried out. Their work is reducing risks to people, improving productivity and delivering substantial economic benefits across multiple sectors. Through an outstanding collaboration spanning industry, academia and the public sector, they have demonstrated how engineering innovation can deliver real-world impact. Congratulations to the team on winning this year’s Colin Campbell Mitchell Award.” said Luke Logan FREng, Chair of the Academy’s Awards Committee.
About the Royal Academy of Engineering
The Royal Academy of Engineering creates and leads a community of outstanding experts and innovators to engineer better lives. As a charity and a Fellowship, we deliver public benefit from excellence in engineering and technology and convene leading businesspeople, entrepreneurs, innovators and academics across the profession. As a National Academy, we provide leadership for engineering and technology, and independent, expert advice to policymakers in the UK and beyond.
Our work is enabled by funding from the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, corporate and university partners, charitable trusts and foundations, and individual donors.
