Honorary graduates, honorary fellows and prize winners
2025
Honorary graduates
At each of our Graduation ceremonies we bestow honorary degrees on distinguished people who have had a major influence on the subject areas in which we specialise.
Here are the biographies of the honorary graduates that we are proud to appoint in 2025.
Professor Jim Al-Khalili CBE FRS HonFREng
Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Physics, University of Surrey, quantum physicist, author and broadcaster
Jim Al-Khalili is a quantum physicist, author and broadcaster. As an academic, he is Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Physics at the University of Surrey. He received his PhD in nuclear physics in 1989 and has published over 150 papers in the field. His current research interests include the exciting new field of quantum biology.
As a science communicator Jim hosts BBC Radio 4’s long-running show, The Life Scientific, which attracts over two million weekly listeners. His many TV science documentaries over the past two decades include Atom, The Story of Electricity and the Bafta-nominated Chemistry: A Volatile History. His 15 books on popular science and the history of science have been translated into 26 languages. He is currently working on an ambitious new book on the nature of time, due out next year.
Jim is a past president of both the British Science Association and Humanists UK. He is a recipient of the Royal Society Michael Faraday medal, the Wilkins-Bernal-Medawar medal, the Institute of Physics Kelvin Medal and the Stephen Hawking medal. He received an OBE from the Queen in 2007 and later a CBE in 2021, both for ‘services to science and public engagement in STEM’. He is a trustee and commissioner on the board of the 1851 Royal Commission and a Fellow of the Science Museums Group.
Jim lives in Southsea, Hampshire with his wife, Julie. He has two adult children and is waiting for grandchildren.
Professor Jim Al-Khalili CBD FRS HonFREng - Cranfield Honorary Graduand 2025
Professor Jim Al-Khalili CBD FRS HonFREng - Cranfield Honorary Graduand 2025
“It is with genuine pride that I accept this honorary doctorate from Cranfield University. As an academic scientist I have seen the value of interdisciplinary research by thinking across boundaries and bringing different expertise together to tackle real-world problems that cannot be solved by one discipline alone. As a science communicator I see how important it is to instil an appreciation of science and its value in wider society. These are visions I feel I share with Cranfield.”
Sanjay Kapoor
Entrepreneur, Advisor and Board Member
Sanjay Kapoor is a seasoned business leader, entrepreneur, advisor, mentor, investor and board member. Best known for his tenure as CEO of Bharti Airtel (India and South Asia), Chairman of Micromax and 40+ years of experience - including 25 years in telecom - Sanjay has played a pivotal role in shaping India’s telecom and digital landscape.
At Airtel, Sanjay was instrumental in transforming the company into India’s top telecom player, driving growth, market leadership and representing the industry on global and cross-industry platforms like GSMA, CII, COAI, and NASSCOM. As Chairman of Micromax, he led the company’s shift from a device-only brand to a device-and-services ecosystem player, significantly boosting its market value and strategic appeal.
Now pursuing a plural career, Sanjay runs a leading E-commerce retail company. He is engaged in investing in and mentoring early-stage ventures across sectors. He serves/has served the boards of Saudi Telecom (GCC’s leading telco), VLCC (India’s largest wellness company), Bennet Coleman (India’s largest diversified media company), Tanla Platforms (Cloud communications), OnMobile Global (mobile entertainment), Indus Towers (the world’s largest tower company) and Tech-Connect Retail (E-Commerce retailer), among others. Additionally, he is a Senior Advisor at Boston Consulting Group and a mentor to Circles.Life, Singapore and Tanla Platforms Ltd.
Sanjay serves the Government of India as a Strategic Advisory Committee member for the Centre for Development of Telematics and the Department of Telecom.
He was awarded the title of Distinguished Alumni 2021 by the School of Management, Cranfield University.
An alumnus of Delhi University, Cranfield School of Management (UK), and Wharton’s Advanced Management Program, Sanjay continues to shape the future of digital transformation and emerging industries.
Sanjay Kapoor - Cranfield Honorary Graduand 2025
Sanjay Kapoor - Cranfield Honorary Graduand 2025
“I am honoured to receive this Degree of Doctor of Science Honoris Causa from Cranfield University. My full-time MBA at Cranfield, 28 years ago, was truly foundational — not only was it inspiring and invigorating, but its varied curriculum opened the door to an exciting world of opportunities. It enabled me to successfully transition into a new industry, scale numerous businesses, and fashion a dynamic entrepreneurial career far beyond the corporate world. Mentoring full-time MBA students at Cranfield continues to be a deeply rewarding experience for me.”
Sir Richard Knighton KCB ADC FREng
Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal in the Royal Air Force (RAF)
Brought up in Derbyshire and educated at the local comprehensive school, Air Chief Marshal Knighton joined the Royal Air Force (RAF) in 1988 as a University Cadet and studied Engineering at Clare College Cambridge. He spent his early career in frontline roles working on Nimrod Maritime Patrol Aircraft, Tornado and in several roles on the Harrier Force. He has served as the Station Commander at Royal Air Force Wittering where he was also the RAF’s Logistics Force Commander.
He has held a range of staff appointments in the Ministry of Defence, Air Command and in equipment acquisition and support. He has been closely involved in strategic and capability planning for the Royal Air Force and Defence. He was the Assistant Chief of Air Staff during the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review, where he was responsible for the strategic coherence and coordination of the Royal Air Force and planning for the RAF 100 Centenary.
The most senior role he has held in the Ministry of Defence was as the Deputy Chief of Defence Staff for Military Capability. Before his appointment as Chief of the Air Staff, he was Deputy Commander Capability and People at Air Command, responsible for the strategic planning and delivery of all aspects of Royal Air Force capability including people, equipment, infrastructure and training. Air Chief Marshal Knighton took over as the Chief of the Air Staff on 2 June 2023.
He has completed the Advanced Command and Staff course at the Royal College of Defence Studies, the UK Pinnacle Course and the joint UK/US Rising Leaders course. He is also a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineers and has an Honorary Doctorate from Derby University. He is an ambassador for the Royal Air Force Charitable Trust, and the Royal Air Forces Association, and is President of the Royal Air Force Winter Sports Federation, Hockey Association and Powerlifting Association. He was appointed to the Military Division of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath as a Commander (CB) in 2017 and as Knight Commander (KCB) in 2023.
In September, Sir Richard will be taking up the role of Chief of the Defence Staff for the UK’s Armed Forces. Becoming the most senior military officer for the nation, Sir Richard will drive military strategy and deliver the transformation outlined in the Strategic Defence Review.
Sir Richard Knighton KCB ADC FREng - Cranfield Honorary Graduand 2025
Sir Richard Knighton KCB ADC FREng - Cranfield Honorary Graduand 2025
“I am honoured and delighted to receive this award from Cranfield University with its long and prestigious association with military aviation and leadership and management.”
Professor Dame Angela McLean DBE FRS
Government Chief Scientific Adviser
Professor Dame Angela McLean DBE FRS is the Government Chief Scientific Adviser, having taken up the role in April 2023. She is also Head of the Government Science and Engineering Profession. Prior to this Angela was the Chief Scientific Adviser for the Ministry of Defence.
Until April 2023, Angela was a Professor of Mathematical Biology in the Department of Zoology at Oxford University and a Fellow of All Souls College. Her research interests lie in the use of mathematical models to aid our understanding of the evolution and spread of infectious agents.
Angela is interested in the use of natural science evidence in formulating public policy and has co-developed the Oxford Martin School Restatements, an activity which restructures and presents the evidence underlying an issue of policy concern or controversy in a short, uncharged, intelligible form for non-technical audiences.
Angela established Mathematical Biology at the Biotechnology and Biological Science Research Council’s Institute for Animal Health in 1994. Before this, Angela was a Royal Society Research Fellow at Oxford University and a Research Fellow at the Institut Pasteur in Paris.
In 2009 Angela was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society. She has been awarded the Gabor Medal in 2011 and the Weldon Memorial Prize in 2018. She received her damehood in the 2018 Queen’s Birthday Honours. In 2024 Angela was appointed an Honorary Distinguished Professor of Loughborough University.
Professor Dame Angela McLean DBE FRS - Cranfield Honorary Graduand 2025
Professor Dame Angela McLean DBE FRS - Cranfield Honorary Graduand 2025
“It is a great privilege to receive this honorary degree from Cranfield. Cranfield’s deep specialisation and expertise in critical areas of science, engineering and technology brings real benefits to the UK and beyond, and I personally have felt very fortunate to be able to call on that expertise when needed. Congratulations to today’s graduates, who I’m sure will take the academic and practical skills they have developed here and go on to make a real impact.”
Kara Owen CMG CVO
British Diplomat, His Majesty's Ambassador (Designate) to Ireland
Kara is a British diplomat who has spent over thirty years representing the UK, most recently as High Commissioner to Singapore. During her tenure, the UK signed a Free Trade Agreement with Singapore, the UK’s first Digital Economy Agreement and a Green Economy Framework. Working with the support of UK businesses and universities, she negotiated the UK’s Strategic Partnership with Singapore, deepening collaboration in the areas of economy, climate, science, defence and security with a key partner in South East Asia.
After graduating from Sheffield University (History), Kara joined the Diplomatic Service in 1993. As well as Singapore, she has been posted to Hong Kong, and to Hanoi and Paris as Deputy Ambassador. In the UK she has led the UK’s strategy on consular issues, on diversity and equality, and the UK’s approach to the Americas. Earlier in her career, Kara spent four years working directly for the Foreign Secretary and Ministers at a particularly challenging time in global politics (2001-2005). In September, she will take up her next appointment as Ambassador to Ireland.
Kara has demonstrated a career-long commitment to personal development, learning Cantonese, Vietnamese, French and Irish, but also gaining a Master of Science in Strategy and International Diplomacy (LSE, 2013) and International Human Resource Management (Cranfield, 2016).
Kara is passionate about leadership, supporting colleagues to be of their best and aligning organisational culture right to strategic goals. Kara was made Commander of the Victoria Order in 2014 following her delivery of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s State Visit to France. In 2020 she became a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George for her contribution to UK Foreign Policy.
Kara Owen GMG CVO - Cranfield Honorary Graduand 2025
Kara Owen GMG CVO - Cranfield Honorary Graduand 2025
“For me, Cranfield’s motto of 'knowledge into action' encapsulates why it is a phenomenal educational and research institution. Belonging to the Cranfield community provides access to world-class researchers and faculty who are as interested in your lived experience in business and government as they are in their own research. This honorary degree means even more to me because I am an alumna. My time as an executive student at Cranfield changed the way I think and lead. So it’s a double 'thank you'!”
Professor Julia Sutcliffe
Chief Scientific Adviser, Department for Business and Trade
Julia is Chief Scientific Adviser (CSA) at the Department for Business and Trade where she provides science and engineering advice and independent challenge to ministers and senior officials, championing an evidence-based approach to decision making. She is also the departmental Head of the Government Science and Engineering Profession, accountable for building science capability across government.
Julia previously worked in the aerospace, defence and security sector in both the UK and Australia, at BAE Systems, where she was the Chief Technologist for the Air Business and spent many years at the forefront of technology and product innovation in areas such as autonomy, robotics, networked sensing, human-machine teaming and big data. She is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society, a Chartered Engineer and holds an Honorary Professorship at the University of Manchester in the Department of Computer Science.
She has represented UK science and technology and industry through a range of advisory roles with organisations including, for example, NATO Science and Technology Board, UK Atomic Energy Authority and the National Physics Laboratory. She is a Council Member of Innovate UK and is an advocate for diversity and inclusion in science, technology, engineering and mathematics professions.
Professor Julia Sutcliffe - Cranfield Honorary Graduand 2025
Professor Julia Sutcliffe - Cranfield Honorary Graduand 2025
“I am delighted and honoured to be recognised by Cranfield University in this way. We are at a time of great need for the opportunity that science, engineering and technology can deliver. Challenges across health, climate, the environment and defence will only be solved by innovation and collaboration and I am incredibly proud to be part of the wider Cranfield family engaged in this endeavour.”
Dr Peter Thompson CBE FREng FInstP FRSC
Chief Executive Officer, National Physical Laboratory
Dr Peter Thompson CBE FREng FInstP FRSC is CEO of NPL, a national laboratory spanning science, innovation and technology and the UK’s National Metrology Institute (NMI).
In 2015 Peter joined NPL as CEO and has overseen the laboratory’s development and growth in recent years aligned to the UK’s National Challenges. This has included providing strategic leadership and oversight of NPL-led programmes including the Cancer Research UK Rosetta Cancer Grand Challenge, National Timing Centre programme, Quantum programme, Measurement for Recovery programme, the Advanced Machinery and Productivity initiative and the UK Telecoms Lab (UKTL).
For outstanding leadership of the National Physical Laboratory and the sustained impact of metrology on UK prosperity and quality of life, Peter was awarded the Institute of Physics 2022 Richard Glazebrook medal and award.
Peter brings a passion for diversity and inclusion in science and engineering and a focus on maximising impact for end users. His previous roles include Strategic Advisor to the MOD’s Chief Scientific Adviser, Board Member and Deputy Chief Executive of Dstl and Head of the Counter Terrorism, Science and Technology Centre.
Peter is a Visiting Professor at the University of Surrey, a Non-Executive Director of the High Value Manufacturing (HVM) Catapult and a Trustee of the Institute of Physics.
He is the recipient of two MOD Chief Scientific Advisor Commendations and the US National Intelligence Meritorious Unit Citation (NIMUC) award.
Peter was awarded a CBE in the 2025 King’s New Year Honours List in recognition of his services to science and technology.
Dr Peter Thompson CBE FREng FRSC - Cranfield Honorary Graduand 2025
Dr Peter Thompson CBE FREng FRSC - Cranfield Honorary Graduand 2025
“I am delighted to receive this honorary degree, having enjoyed three transformative years at Cranfield, approaching my PhD and broader opportunities with equivalent energy. The tutoring and autonomy I experienced served me well in the next stage of my career as a researcher in defence, and the leadership opportunities I have been fortunate to do have been enabled by the confidence I developed during my time here. Having stayed in contact and collaboration for 30+ years I continue to recommend Cranfield to anyone motivated by leading, purposeful, impact focused, research and innovation.”
Honorary fellowships
We also confer honorary fellowships on people who have contributed significantly in furthering the work or interests of the University.
Professor Melvyn Peters
Emeritus Professor - former Chair of Supply Chain Practice and Director of Education
Melvyn originally qualified as a non-metallic materials technologist before moving into the distribution industry and subsequently gaining his MSc in Transport Studies at Cranfield University in 1984. Melvyn returned to Cranfield in 1989 where he developed his specialist areas of interest and research in sourcing and procurement strategy, urban logistics, road freight productivity and logistics outsourcing.
In 2000 he was joint winner of the prestigious US Plowman award from the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals for his research into 'the effectiveness of information systems in supporting extended supply chains'.
He has taught widely overseas, including at the University of Barcelona (current), TIAS School for Business and Society, Copenhagen Business School, Bordeaux Ecole de Management (ESC Bordeaux), Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and Monash University.
Melvyn was instrumental in taking Cranfield University into the Global Executive MBA consortium and led the team which launched the UK’s first Level 7 Executive MBA apprenticeship programme, delivered in partnership with Grant Thornton.
Honorary fellow Professor Melvyn Peters
Honorary fellow Professor Melvyn Peters
“I feel privileged to receive this honorary fellowship. I doubt any other University would have allowed me the freedom to develop my academic career in the way I did. I must thank all my colleagues and past students for making my journey at Cranfield so rewarding. I have worked with some truly amazing people and the legacy I leave is that Cranfield and supply chain management are synonymous.”
Prize winners
Congratulations to all prize winners this year!
Each year there are two prestigious prizes awarded across the University - one for doctoral students and the other for taught master's degree students.
The Lord Kings Norton Medal
Named after Lord Kings Norton, Cranfield's first Chancellor, the Lord Kings Norton Medal is the only prize awarded across all doctorate students at the University.
In recognition of the calibre of their PhD, their drive and contribution to the University, we congratulate the 2025 Lord Kings Norton Medal winner
Dr Anis Daghar
Vice President, Supply Chain Planning and Analytics, Cemex U.S.
(Leadership and Management PhD 2025)
“This award means a great deal to me. It reflects not just my hard and dedicated work but also the unwavering support of my supervisors and wife. The PhD journey transformed me. It gave me unshakable confidence and taught me that even the hardest obstacles can be overcome through discipline, patience and self-belief. I am proud to be the first recipient from the School of Management and hope this paves the way for others from the same school to receive this honour in the future.”
The Vice-Chancellor's Prize winner
This is the only prize awarded across all postgraduate taught master's degree students at the University.
For outstanding grades, dedication and contribution to the University, we congratulate the 2025 Vice-Chancellor's Prize winner
Olga Catalan Aragall,
PhD Candidate / Researcher, University of Hamburg
(Aerospace Computational Engineering MSc 2024)
“I am truly honoured to receive this award, which recognises not only the effort, but also the passion, perseverance, and support of everyone who has been part of this journey. It inspires me to keep growing and contributing, and I hope it encourages others — especially future women in engineering — by showing that hard work, curiosity and dedication truly matter.”
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