Create the Future

Does knitting qualify as engineering? How do we break down gender barriers between 'crafts' and 'science'? What's the future of wearable technology? And how does Lady Gaga fit into all of this? Welcome to an all-new version of Create The Future from the Queen Elizabeth Prize For Engineering . In this first episode our very own "mega badass engineer" Roma Agrawal - author and structural engineer fo...

Roma Agrawal MBE trails a new start for the podcast from The Queen Elizabeth Prize For Engineering . Subscribe here on your podcast app and follow @qeprize on Twitter , Instagram , and Facebook for updates! www.qeprize.org/podcasts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this Season 3 finale episode of the Create the Future podcast we speak to Emily Calandrelli, an MIT-engineer turned Emmy-nominated TV host and acclaimed author. Listen as we discuss the origins of her passion for engineering, reflect on the importance of representation, and learn why she’s dedicated to making STEM fun and accessible to kids—particularly young girls. We hear how her internship a...

Khalil Ramadi is developing electronic pills that could transform how we treat some diseases. His ingestible micro-devices deliver "bionudges”—bursts of electrical or chemical stimuli—to the gut, potentially helping to control appetite, aid digestion, or regulate hormones. In this episode of the Create the Future podcast, we discover how Khalil’s non-invasive technology targets specific circuits i...

Lily Hevesh is regarded as the #1 domino artist in the world. With engineering principles playing a considerable role in her 3D masterpieces, she now uses her online platform of nearly 4 million YouTube subscribers to raise the profile of science, technology, engineering, art, and maths (STEAM). In this episode of the Create the Future podcast, we speak to Lily about her domino art journey; from p...

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has been making headlines around the world since the release of its first images in July. That first deep-field image was taken by combining images from two of the telescopes’ instruments, one of which is the Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI). Today’s guest played a key role in building it. In this episode of the Create the Future podcast, we speak to Paul Eccles...

Linda Zhang is the pioneering chief engineer behind Ford’s revolutionary new all-electric pickup truck—successfully making believers out of many truck-loving electric vehicle skeptics. For her pioneering leadership, she was named as one of USA TODAY's Women of the Year (2022) and featured on the front cover of TIME Magazine’s Climate Issue. In this episode of the Create the Future podcast, we spea...

In the history of motion picture technology, few people have had a more profound effect on cinematography than today's guest, the Oscar® and Emmy®-winning Garrett Brown. Garrett invented an ingenious camera rig called the Steadicam—a stabilising system for cameras that allows smooth, wobble-free tracking shots. In this episode of the Create the Future podcast, we speak to Garrett about his storied...

Smart cities are well-known for integrating technology with urban environments; sensable cities use that technology to put people at the heart of the city. A prolific inventor, educator, and engineer, Carlo Ratti is the director of the Senseable City Laboratory at MIT. The lab takes an omni-disciplinary approach to cities, combining: designers, planners, engineers, physicists, biologists and socia...

Today’s guest is a renowned chemical engineer and 2015 Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering Laureate, Dr Robert Langer. A pioneer in biotechnology, including large molecule controlled drug delivery and nanotechnology, Langer is also regarded as the founder of tissue engineering. His work is the basis for—among countless other innovations—long-lasting treatments for brain cancer, prostate cancer,...

Hyperloop is a revolutionary high-speed pod-based transportation concept that can take passengers from point “A” to point “B” quicker than the speed of sound. In this episode of the Create the Future podcast, we speak with Dr Siavash Sadeghi, Propulsion and Levitation Technical Lead for Hyperloop Transportation Technologies—one of the world’s leading hyperloop companies. We discuss what makes hype...

Clare Elwell is a professor of medical physics and director of the Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Group and Biomedical Optics Research Laboratory at University College London. Her current research combines physics and engineering to develop novel optical systems for monitoring and imaging the brain. Clare currently leads the Brain Imaging for Global HealTh (BRIGHT) research project, investigating the...

Christine Bland is an aerospace electrical engineer, artist, and photographer. For over 30 years she’s worked for Lockheed Martin, designing electronics for NASA spacecraft including the Spitzer telescope, Phoenix Mars lander, Mars rovers (Spirit and Opportunity), Mars orbiters (Grail, Juno, Odyssey and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter), and deep space probes (Stardust and Genesis). Since 2009, Christi...

Dr Merritt Moore is a STEM advocate, quantum physicist, and professional ballerina with a penchant for connecting technology and the arts. A robotics enthusiast who one day dreams of dancing in space, Merritt explores her dual interests by using Artificial Intelligence to choreograph routines for her dance partner, an industrial robotic arm. In this episode of the Create the Future podcast, we exp...

In this episode of the Create the Future podcast, we ask acclaimed biomedical engineer and policy adviser, Guru Madhavan, “how do engineers think?” Along the way, Guru tells us how he started down the path of investigating the engineering mindset, why he advocates for engineers to engage with the arts, and how he applies his systems engineering background to his work. We discuss the origins of the...

Susan McDonald is an award-winning mechanical and electrical engineer with over 10 years’ experience in overseeing major programmes in the power, utilities and renewables sector. Having previously led on the coordination of 12 offshore wind projects, Susan recently took a career break to help reimagine at-home COVID tests. She now applies her broad engineering and industry experience to help clien...

Data-centric engineering is nothing new, but digital twins open up a whole new world. Digital twins use real-time data from sensors to provide a virtual representation of a physical object or system that engineers can use to monitor real-time performance, reduce maintenance costs, and predict future malfunctions. In this episode of the Create the Future podcast, we speak to Mark Girolami, Chief Sc...

An inventor, robotics enthusiast, and internet creator, Simone Giertz gained popularity with her early viral YouTube videos—employing humour and creativity to make complex engineering principles approachable for all. Originally designing “useless” robots, a brain tumour in 2018 encouraged Simone to shift her focus towards creating unique solutions to everyday problems. In this episode of the Creat...

Professor Pamela Ronald studies the genes that control resistance to disease and tolerance to environmental stress in plants, with the goal of improving food security globally. With enough rice to feed 30 million people lost to flooding every year, together with her collaborators, she has been instrumental in the development of rice that is both disease-resistant and flood-tolerant. In this episod...

Leslie Gaston-Bird is a re-recording mixer and sound editor with over 30 years of audio engineering experience. Currently specialising in mixing feature-length films, she is also a voting member of The Recording Academy (Grammys), was previously Governor-at-Large for the Audio Engineering Society, and is a member of the Association of Motion Picture Sound and Motion Picture Sound Editors. Her book...

In this special episode, we speak to 2022 QEPrize winner , Dr Masato Sagawa, who received the award in recognition for his work in the discovery, development and global commercialisation of the world’s most powerful permanent magnet— the sintered neodymium-iron-boron (Nd-Fe-B) magnet. Dr Sagawa’s innovation has been transformational in its contribution to multiple applications globally, including:...

Faced with retreating glaciers high in the Himalaya, engineer Sonam Wangchuk invented a way to store winter water for irrigation—a 78-foot-tall “ice stupa”. Built in one of the most arid regions of northern India, these artificial glaciers delay the release of meltwater by freezing it into a cone of ice shaped like a stupa—a Buddhist structure which represents enlightenment. In this Season 3 premi...

In this Season 2 finale episode of the Create the Future podcast we speak to Stephen Rouatt, CEO of the UK & Ireland markets for Signify (formerly Philips Lighting) about innovations in LED lighting. We discuss the innovative ways in which the 2021 QEPrize winning technology is being used today, consider the future uses of LED lighting, and Stephen tells us why engineers often make great entre...

Mischa Dohler is a telecommunications innovator known for his pioneering work on 5G wireless communications, the Internet of Skills, and Smart Cities. In this episode of Create the Future, we speak with Mischa about what 5G is and how might improve our lives. We discuss the improvements made to cellular networks since the days of 2G, why collaboration in telecommunications and engineering is becom...

Dr Gladys West is a pioneer in the use of complex mathematics and efficient programming to generate accurate, repeatable and global models of the Earth’s geoid that were eventually incorporated into the mapping functions of the Global Positioning System (GPS). This work required her to process early satellite data and use complex algorithms to account for variations in gravitational, tidal, and ot...