Professor Barbara Evans elected Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering
A Leeds professor has been elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, one of the highest national honours an engineer can receive.
Barbara Evans, Professor of Public Health Engineering in the University of Leeds’ School of Civil Engineering, is among 75 leading figures elected to the Academy in 2026, including a record 24 women. She joins as a Fellow and will use the postnominal FREng.
The Fellowship brings together more than 1,700 engineers and innovators from the UK and around the world. Fellows support the Academy’s work in areas including engineering research, policy, education and public engagement.
Candidates do not apply for Fellowship. They are nominated by two existing Fellows, assessed by a specialist selection panel and considered by the Academy’s Membership Committee before the final election by the Fellowship.
Engineering for public health
Professor Evans’ research focuses on sanitation, hygiene, and water services. Her work centres on the equitable provision of services for low-income communities and the development of resilient sanitation in densely populated urban areas.
It is closely connected to the delivery of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 6, which aims to ensure access to water and sanitation for all. Her research has included global studies on faecal sludge management, the cost of urban sanitation, and climate-resilient water and sanitation services.
A Leeds civil engineering graduate, Professor Evans began her career as an engineering consultant in Sudan, Pakistan and India. She later spent seven years with the World Bank Water and Sanitation Programme, supporting governments and civil society in South Asia, before working independently with UNICEF, the World Health Organization, and WaterAid.
Since joining the University in 2009, she has led the establishment of the cross-faculty MSc in Water, Sanitation and Health Engineering. She is also Director of the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Water and Waste Infrastructure and Services Engineered for Resilience, known as Water-WISER.
Professor Evans said: “The global sanitation and water challenge is immense, but its role in protecting public health is often overlooked. My election to the Royal Academy, the global leader in engineering thinking, is testament to the growing recognition of the vital role that engineering plays in tackling this challenge. I’m excited to continue to support them and our profession in the coming years.”
Sir John Lazar CBE FREng, President of the Royal Academy of Engineering, said: “Our Fellowship has been at the core of our work for the past 50 years, connecting the businesses leaders, entrepreneurs, researchers and policymakers who are at the heart of the UK’s technological progress.
“This year’s cohort will be joining a community of over 1,700 top engineers and innovators in the UK and around the world. Together, we ensure that bright ideas are supported, scaled and shared, turning ambition into innovation and innovation into impact. We aim to strengthen education, skills and inclusion to inspire and equip the engineers of today and tomorrow.”
The new Fellows will be formally admitted to the Academy at a ceremony in London on 19 October, when each will sign its roll book.
