George Imafidon named Young Engineer of the Year

George Imafidon – a UCL Mechanical Engineering alumnus currently working with Sir Lewis Hamilton’s Team X44 electric racing team – has been recognised by the Royal Academy of Engineering with a Young Engineer of the Year award.

The prestigious prize is awarded to UK engineers who have demonstrated excellence in the early stages of their careers. The academy selects five winners of the prize annually, but only one overall winner receives the Sir George Macfarlane Medal. George Imafidon is the overall winner this year.

George is no stranger to accolades and awards – after being awarded a First-Class MEng degree in Mechanical Engineering by UCL in 2020, he was selected to join Formula One world champion Sir Lewis Hamilton’s Hamilton Commission as one of its 14 members. He has also worked with companies such as Google, Rolls-Royce and J.P Morgan. Imafidon is also the co-founder of the award-winning app Motivez, for which he won the Diana award in 2019, and has chaired the #AB1Million campaign to raise £1 million for the Amos Bursary to ensure opportunities for talented men of African and Caribbean to excel in education and beyond. Professor Nigel Titchener-Hooker, Executive Dean of UCL Engineering, said: “These are hard-won accolades and speak to the brilliance of the student whilst reflecting on the education and insights they have received. I know all of the staff and students across the Faculty will join me in congratulating George for this tremendous achievement and for raising our expectations and aspirations still higher”. Professor Yiannis Ventikos, Head of UCL Mechanical Engineering, has also praised George for his achievement, saying: “I speak for the whole department, and for UCL Engineering in general, conveying my most heartfelt congratulations to George for this totally deserved recognition. From his student years, and beyond, after he graduated, George has made us all very proud, championing the open, inclusive and world-changing engineering that the world so desperately needs. From all of us, Congratulations George!”. Prize-winner George said: “I started off fixing bikes, and it took me to where I am now, and Motivez is essentially the vehicle that we use to share that story. And I hope that inspires other young people that if they’re having second thoughts about going into STEM or engineering in particular, that they can make a difference”.

Image credits: Royal Academy of Engineering

Further links

• RAEng Engineers Trust Young Engineer of the Year webpage 
• George Imafidon joins Lewis Hamilton’s diversity commission 
• Motivez

Watch