'It is nice to have that outside acknowledgement'

Amanda Petford-Long, professor of materials at Oxford University, is the only woman among 44 new fellows announced last week by the Royal Academy of Engineering. She said: "It's a great honour because it's not something I could apply for. It's nice to have that outside acknowledgement."

Professor Petford-Long collaborates with industry on fundamental research into materials that can store a high density of digital information. She will take up a research position in the Department of Energy in the US this autumn.