Imperial honours alumni achievements at celebration dinner

Imperial's 2025 Alumni Award winners

Alumni and key university stakeholders came together at the Marylebone Hotel for the Alumni Awards 2025 Celebration Dinner.

Hosted by Imperial’s President, Professor Hugh Brady, the evening brought together Imperial’s leaders in research, education, innovation and enterprise with members of the alumni community for an opportunity to connect, exchange ideas and explore potential collaborations.

The highlight of the evening was the celebration of the 2025 Alumni Award winners, who were honoured with their awards during the event. Several past recipients were also in attendance to recognise this year's winners.

President Brady said: “From tackling climate change and strengthening global health systems, to reshaping infrastructure, advancing equity, and improving access to education, our alumni are making a profound and tangible difference across the world.”

“Behind every award is a story of perseverance, discovery and collaboration. Our winners inspire us not only with what they have achieved, but with the promise of what lies ahead.”

A global village

Host for the evening was Helen Arney. A songwriter, comedian and science presenter known for her unique mix of stand-up, songs and science, Helen graduated from Imperial with a BSc in Physics in 2002. 

Reflecting on the diversity of Imperial’s alumni community of entrepreneurs, scientists, engineers and changemakers, Helen said: “Tonight feels like the multitalented global village that I remember from when I was an undergraduate, and that’s something that I love and that I still seek today.”

Addressing the Alumni Award winners in the room, Helen noted a shared drive that underpins their achievements, despite their diverse fields: “We all share this love of discovering something new in science, of stretching our brains in new directions. We all share a love of communicating what we do and making things happen – and that can take many different creative forms.”

A lifetime of trailblazing

Space scientist, science communicator and business founder: Dame Maggie Aderin-Pocock (Physics 1990, PhD Mechanical Engineering 1993) was awarded Imperial’s Distinguished Alumni Award 2025. This award recognises individuals who have demonstrated sustained excellence and impact throughout their careers.

Best known to the general public as a presenter on the BBC's Sky at Night, Maggie is also an accomplished scientist and has contributed to numerous space missions including the development of instruments for the James Webb Space Telescope. She was awarded an MBE in 2009 for her services to science education, and a Damehood in 2024 for services to science education and diversity. Maggie is also the founder of Science Innovation Ltd, which provides interactive science experiences to schools and the public. 

“Imperial gave me the skills to become a space scientist against the odds, to study the universe, and do things like work on the James Webb Space telescope, the largest space telescope ever built.” Dame Maggie Aderin-Pocock Winner of the Distinguished Alumni Award 2025

In her acceptance speech, Maggie said: “My biggest dream [as a child] was understanding the universe, because the universe is transformative. [It] unites humanity.”

“I felt lucky to attend Imperial. I used to go to Science Museum a lot because I loved the Space Gallery. I looked across the room and there was Imperial College London, and that’s where the clever people went, but I never saw myself amongst them. So, the idea of being here is still a bit mind-boggling.”

“Imperial gave me the skills to become a space scientist against the odds, to study the universe, and do things like work on the James Webb Space Telescope, the largest space telescope ever built.”

Maggie credited her passion for science communication to her experience with the Pimlico Connection during her time as a student at Imperial. Launched as the university’s first outreach programme in 1975, the peer-tutoring scheme for local schools works to raise aspirations for students in STEM subjects by providing them with positive role models. “That’s how I started in science communication, and that has gone on to me forming my company, Science Innovation Ltd, which is 21 years old this year. Since then, I’ve spoken to over 600,000 people.” 

5 years, more than 50 stories of impact

Since the launch of the Alumni Awards programme in 2020, 53 Imperial graduates have received awards in recognition of their significant contributions to science, engineering, medicine, business and society.

“Behind every award is a story of perseverance, discovery and collaboration. Our winners inspire us not only with what they have achieved, but with the promise of what lies ahead.” Professor Hugh Brady President of Imperial

President Brady said: “Some of the winners here tonight have created new ways to diagnose disease, or pioneered carbon-capture technologies that could reshape our environmental future. Others are building companies, mentoring students, or changing lives in communities across the globe.”

Previous winners of the Alumni Awards include Ambassador Yvette Stevens (MSc Electrical Power Systems and Machines 1974), Sierra Leone’s first female engineer and the country’s first Permanent Representative to the UN, Professor Sir Stephen Holgate CBE (MBBS Medicine 1971), a physician who has made a significant contribution to respiratory research, and Dr Jean Marc Feghali (MEng Civil Engineering 2018, PhD Civil and Environmental Engineering 2022) and Gökhan Meriçliler (MSc Business Analytics 2022), creators of smart cane manufacturer WeWalk.

A transformative force for good

Despite their demanding careers and successful ventures, 'giving back' is unanimously important to Alumni Award winners, and many generously give their time, insight and expertise to support the Imperial community.

Whether through mentoring students, speaking at events or collaborating on cutting-edge research, these graduates continue to play a vital role in shaping Imperial’s future and bringing the university’s recently launched Science for Humanity strategy to life.

Sharing expertise

Over the years, many Alumni Award winners have returned to Imperial to share their career journeys and insights.

Dr Marily Nika (MSc Computing, PhD 2014), an AI Product Management leader, educator and Emerging Alumni Leader Award winner, led a masterclass on how to hack your career after graduation, offering practical advice on overcoming imposter syndrome and seizing professional opportunities (alumni can watch this event on Imperial Plexus, the online community platform for Imperial alumni).

In 2024, Distinguished Alumni Award winner Ambassador Yvette Stevens (MSc Electrical Engineering 1973), Sierra Leone’s first female engineer and the country’s first Permanent Representative to the UN, delivered the annual Vincent Briscoe Security Lecture on national security and resilience in the 21st century. She also contributed to the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering’s Black History Month programme, delivering a lecture on the contribution of the black community to modern science and technology over the ages.

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Imperial has also hosted a series of Alumni Spotlight events, featuring inspiring graduates like Ayesha Ofori (MSci Physics 2007) and Dr Veronica Bray Durfey (PhD Earth Science & Engineering 2009), who shared their career paths, lessons learned and advice to encourage students to follow in their footsteps.

Supporting students and entrepreneurs

Graduates have also played a vital role in supporting the next generation of students and entrepreneurs by offering mentorship, creating opportunities and helping to nurture innovation within and beyond the university.

As the Founding Director of the Imperial Venture Mentoring Service, the late Dr Paul Atherton (PhD Physics 1978), joint winner of Imperial’s inaugural Alumni Entrepreneur Award in 2021, mentored countless early-stage entrepreneurs, invested in world-changing ideas and technology, and helped recruit more than 80 successful entrepreneurs and investors from a range of business backgrounds.

Alastair Kilgour (MSc Management Science 1981), winner of the Entrepreneur Alumni Award 2025 and co-founder of Parkwalk Advisors, recently spoke at an alumni event about how angel investors can engage with and invest in Imperial start-ups, helping pave the way for a new generation of investors and supporters of university innovation (the recording is available on Imperial Plexus).

Medtech entrepreneur Lucy Soo-Min Jung (MSc Innovation Design Engineering 2019), founder of Charco Neurotech and LYEONS and 2025 Entrepreneur Alumni Award winner, has directly supported Imperial students by offering placement opportunities to 11 individuals, four of whom have since secured full-time roles at her companies. She has also involved students in user testing, giving them hands-on experience in real-world healthcare innovation.

Joint recipient of the 2025 Emerging Alumni Leader Award, Dr Shiladitya Ghosh (MEng Chemical Engineering 2016, PhD 2021) has been a proactive member of the Imperial alumni community since graduating. A dedicated volunteer for the Activate Student Mentoring Programme and Ask an Alum, he also signed Imperial’s Entrepreneurs’ Pledge in 2023 and has shared his insights as a keynote speaker at numerous events for students, donors and friends of the university. 

Fellow 2025 Emerging Alumni Leader Award winner Abdirahman Ismail (MEng Civil Engineering 2021) is actively involved in outreach activity for year 10-13 students and has mentored over 500 students through programmes like STEM Potential. As a lead coordinator for the maths segment of the programme, he also provides guidance on admissions and interviews. 

Pushing boundaries

With their extensive experience in research and industry, Imperial graduates are helping to shape the future of science and technology.

In 2022, Alumni Entrepreneur 2021 winner Dr Ali Baghdadi (MSc Computing 1977, PhD 1979) became an advisor for the Karman Space Programme. Launched by Aeronautical Engineering students Shapol M., Shakil Perera, Tian Fang and Mohammad Kapadia, the student-led initiative aims to be the first university team to send a reusable rocket into space.

Ellin Ivarsson (MSc Transport and Business Management 2015), winner of the Emerging Alumni Leader Award 2025, has been supporting students with their dissertations, acting as a mentor and telling them about the problems in Bogotá, where she is based. She has also facilitated Imperial’s inclusion in the World Bank Data Lab’s University Data Fellows Program, bridging the gap between theoretical research and practical, on-the-ground challenges in international development.

These are just a few examples of the lasting and transformative impact Imperial’s Alumni Award winners are having, not just for the university but for society.

Do you know an Imperial graduate who should be honoured with an Alumni Award? Nominations will open again this summer. Keep an eye on our website for more information. Alumni can sign up to email communications to be the first to hear when nominations open.