University of Glasgow Engineers Margaret Lucas and Colin McInnes to Receive Baird of Bute Awards for Breakthrough Research in Ultrasonics, Space Technology and Clean Energy

L-R: Professor Margaret Lucas and Professor Colin McInnes

(IN BRIEF) University of Glasgow engineers Professor Margaret Lucas and Professor Colin McInnes will receive Baird of Bute Awards on the Isle of Bute on 11 September 2026 in recognition of research spanning high-power ultrasonics, medical devices, space propulsion and clean-energy technologies. Professor Lucas, Regius Chair of Civil Engineering and Mechanics and Professor of Ultrasonics, will receive the Innovation Award for work applying high-power ultrasonics to areas including food processing, metal joining, planetary drilling and particularly miniaturised surgical devices for integration with robotic platforms. Her research contributed to the creation of spin-out Nami Surgical. Professor McInnes, James Watt Chair, Professor of Engineering Science and Royal Academy of Engineering Chair in Emerging Technologies, will receive the Aviation Award for pioneering solar-sailing research and his leadership of SOLSPACE, which explores using orbital reflectors to extend solar power generation after sunset. His work also covers asteroid resource utilisation and in-space manufacturing. The awards follow Professor Sir James Hough’s Baird of Bute Innovation Award in 2025 and will be presented after the Lord Smith of Kelvin Lectures.

(PRESS RELEASE) GLASGOW, 10-Sep-2026 — /EuropaWire/ — Two leading engineers from the University of Glasgow’s James Watt School of Engineering are to receive Baird of Bute Awards recognising their contributions to pioneering research spanning high-power ultrasonics, medical technology, space exploration, solar sailing and space-based clean energy.

Professor Margaret Lucas and Professor Colin McInnes will receive their awards on the Isle of Bute on Friday, 11 September 2026.

Presented annually by the Baird of Bute Society, the awards recognise Scots who have made significant contributions to science, technology and entrepreneurship.

The awards are named after Andrew Blain Baird, a Rothesay blacksmith who built his own aircraft and made the first attempted all-Scottish powered flight on Bute in 1910.

Margaret Lucas recognised for innovation in high-power ultrasonics

Professor Lucas will receive the Baird of Bute Innovation Award for her work developing applications of high-power ultrasonics across fields ranging from space exploration to medical devices.

Her research group studies how energetic ultrasonic vibrations interact with materials and uses that understanding to develop new technologies and devices.

The team has investigated high-power ultrasonics for applications including food processing, metal joining and planetary drilling, demonstrating the technology’s potential across a wide range of industrial and scientific environments.

Professor Lucas is particularly recognised for her group’s work on ultrasonic surgical devices, including recent developments in miniaturised systems that can be integrated with surgical robotic platforms.

These technologies are being designed for minimally invasive soft- and hard-tissue surgery, with the aim of expanding the capabilities of robotic surgical procedures.

Surgical technology research led to Nami Surgical spin-out

Research conducted by Professor Lucas and her colleagues has also contributed to the creation of Nami Surgical, a University of Glasgow spin-out company focused on advancing ultrasonic surgical technologies.

The commercialisation pathway demonstrates how fundamental engineering research can be translated into practical technologies with potential healthcare applications.

Professor Lucas is Regius Chair of Civil Engineering and Mechanics and Professor of Ultrasonics at the University of Glasgow.

She said she was proud to receive recognition from the Baird of Bute Society and highlighted the collaborative nature of her career, which has involved working with industries across multiple sectors to identify valuable new uses for high-power ultrasonics.

She said she is particularly proud of her research group’s surgical-device innovations and their potential impact on robotic surgery.

Colin McInnes receives Aviation Award for solar sailing and space energy research

Professor McInnes will receive the Baird of Bute Aviation Award for pioneering work in solar sailing and research into delivering renewable energy from space.

Solar sails use the pressure generated by sunlight as a form of propulsion, eliminating the need to carry conventional propellant for certain types of spacecraft manoeuvres.

Professor McInnes’ research explores how this technology could support future long-duration and high-energy space missions, opening possibilities for new forms of spacecraft operation and exploration.

SOLSPACE project explores solar energy delivery after sunset

Professor McInnes also leads the SOLSPACE project, which investigates whether constellations of solar reflectors placed in Earth orbit could redirect sunlight toward terrestrial solar power facilities.

The concept is designed to explore whether solar energy generation could be extended beyond normal daylight hours by reflecting sunlight onto solar farms after sunset.

The research examines the potential for space-based infrastructure to complement existing renewable energy systems and increase the availability of solar-generated electricity.

Professor McInnes said both solar sailing and the delivery of clean energy from space are becoming increasingly achievable technologies that could provide transformative benefits in the future.

Research also covers asteroid resources and in-space manufacturing

Beyond solar sails and orbital energy systems, Professor McInnes’ research interests include technologies for capturing small near-Earth asteroids for resource utilisation.

He also investigates new approaches to in-space manufacturing, another emerging area that could enable materials, structures or equipment to be produced directly in the space environment rather than being launched fully assembled from Earth.

Professor McInnes is James Watt Chair, Professor of Engineering Science and Royal Academy of Engineering Chair in Emerging Technologies at the University of Glasgow.

He described receiving the Baird of Bute Aviation Award as a major honour and welcomed the recognition of two University of Glasgow engineers in the 2026 awards.

Awards continue University of Glasgow recognition

The honours for Professors Lucas and McInnes follow recognition for another University of Glasgow researcher in 2025.

Last year, Professor Sir James Hough of the School of Physics & Astronomy received the Baird of Bute Innovation Award for his contributions to gravitational-wave research.

The consecutive awards highlight research activity across engineering, physics, medical technology and space science at the University.

Engineers to participate in Lord Smith of Kelvin Lectures

Professors Lucas and McInnes will take part in the Lord Smith of Kelvin Lectures at the Winter Gardens Cinema on Friday, 11 September.

They will be joined by Craig Clark, founder of Clyde Space Ltd, University of Glasgow alumnus and recipient of an honorary degree from the institution.

The Baird of Bute Awards will be presented later the same day at an event at the Glenburn Hotel.

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SOURCE: University of Glasgow