Wednesday, 24 September 2025
Svetan Ratchev, Cripps Professor of Production Engineering and founding director of the Institute for Advanced Manufacturing at the University of Nottingham has been elected Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering.
Professor Ratchev is one of 70 leading figures in the field of engineering and technology to be awarded a fellowship.
The group consists of 60 Fellows, nine International Fellows and five Honorary Fellows. They are drawn from every specialism from within the engineering and technology professions and cover sectors ranging from energy and defence to new materials. They have made exceptional contributions to their field: pioneering new innovations within academia and business, providing expert advice to government, and fostering a wider comprehension of engineering and technology.
Professor Ratchev was the driving force behind the creation of the Nottingham Institute of Advanced Manufacturing that opened in 2012. Since then he has continued to drive forward its development to establish it as an internationally acknowledged centre of excellence in manufacturing research and industrialisation. He also continues to make a major contribution to the development and growth of the HVM Manufacturing Technology Centre and currently serves as non-executive director on its board.
Svetan also leads the Omnifactory Research Centre (omnifactory.com) delivering large research programs in digital manufacturing, factory integration and assembly automation including the Made Smarter Centre for Connected Factories. He has a strong record of working with major international companies in the aerospace and defence industry on implementing new solutions for cost effective and sustainable manufacturing of low-volume high-complexity products.
I am honoured and humbled to be elected to Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering. I look forward to contributing to the invaluable work of the Academy in promoting engineering excellence, shaping industrial policy and developing new generations of manufacturing engineers
The new Fellows will be formally admitted to the Academy at a special ceremony in London on 18 November, when each Fellow will sign the roll book. In joining the Fellowship, they will lend their unique capabilities to achieving the Academy’s overarching strategic goal to engineer better lives.
Sir John Lazar CBE FREng, President of the Royal Academy of Engineering, said: “As we approach our 50th anniversary next year it’s a good time to reflect on how much we have achieved. The Academy is built on the foundation of our Fellowship, and that remains as true today as half a century ago. Our story began as a ‘Fellowship of Engineering’ of 130 Fellows including such pioneers as Air Commodore Sir Frank Whittle, Lord Hinton of Bankside and Sir Ove Arup, driven by the support of HRH The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.”
Today’s cohort join a community of around 1,700 of some of the most talented engineers and innovators in the UK and around the globe. Their knowledge and experience make them uniquely well placed to tackle the biggest challenges facing the world, and our determination to advance and promote excellence in engineering remains undimmed.
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More information is available from Professor Ratchev on Svetan.Ratchev@nottingham.ac.uk
Notes to editors:
About the University of Nottingham
Ranked 97 in the world and 17th in the UK by the QS World University Rankings, the University of Nottingham is a founding member of Russell Group of research-intensive universities. Studying at the University of Nottingham is a life-changing experience, and we pride ourselves on unlocking the potential of our students. We have a pioneering spirit, expressed in the vision of our founder Sir Jesse Boot, which has seen us lead the way in establishing campuses in China and Malaysia - part of a globally connected network of education, research and industrial engagement.
Nottingham was crowned Sports University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024 – the third time it has been given the honour since 2018 – and by the Daily Mail University Guide 2024.
The university is among the best universities in the UK for the strength of our research, positioned seventh for research power in the UK according to REF 2021. The birthplace of discoveries such as MRI and ibuprofen, our innovations transform lives and tackle global problems such as sustainable food supplies, ending modern slavery, developing greener transport, and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
The university is a major employer and industry partner - locally and globally - and our graduates are the third most targeted by the UK's top employers, according to The Graduate Market in 2024 report by High Fliers Research.
We lead the Universities for Nottingham initiative, in partnership with Nottingham Trent University, a pioneering collaboration between the city’s two world-class institutions to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing for residents in the city and region we are proud to call home.
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