Laura Jones has been elected as a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering – recognising her outstanding achievements and contributions to UK defence and security
Laura, who joined the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) in 2008 after 13 years in industry, is a national authority on advanced, critical and hazardous materials.
Her work has shaped the UK’s national strategy for critical materials and she continues to influence national and international research collaborations in areas of advanced materials.
Laura said:
Dstl Chief Science and Technology Officer Prof Andy Bell said:
Laura joins 70 other leading figures in the fields of engineering and technology to be elected to the Fellowship this year.
Dr John Lazar CBE FREng, President of the Royal Academy of Engineering, said:
Laura’s early work in industry led to a breakthrough in materials research for the transducers that enable 4D ultrasounds of unborn babies that will be today be familiar to many parents, later translating these approaches to develop new sonar transducers for defence applications.
She also carried out work on hazard detection devices for the visually impaired, anti-counterfeiting technologies for the European Central Bank, and was one of the first to pioneer the use of 3D printing for fuel cells more than 20 years ago. In total she holds 5 patents.
Laura said:
Laura has built a reputation as one of the nation’s eminent materials experts. Over a decade she has built from scratch an expert capability and methodology to understand and manage the risks associated with sovereign defence reliance on critical materials – most recently leading MOD’s input into the UK Strategy for Critical Materials and the National Security Act.
Over the past 2 years she had a leading role in the Dstl team that created the Defence Materials Centre of Excellence (DMEx), including serving as the Centre’s Associate Director during the Initial Operating Capability 7 month phase. DMEx comprises more than 20 leading research organisations hosted by the Henry Royce Institute in Manchester. The collaboration brings together many of the best minds in materials research, development and manufacturing from across the UK.
She was also recognised with a distinguished service award for her work with international allies, including the US, Australia, Canada and New Zealand.
Laura said:
Reflecting on her work at Dstl, she added:
As well her new appointment as a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, Laura is a Dstl Fellow, a Fellow of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining, a Chartered Engineer, and a Chartered Environmentalist. Her election also recognises her 28 years of volunteering in support of the engineering profession, including for the past 15 years as a certified assessor for the Chartered Engineer qualification.
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