Professor is Inventor of the Year

[Tabloid Special Edition]

Chris Toumazou, professor of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, has won the Inventor of the Year award for Research at the European Inventor Awards. Professor Toumazou won the award for his work on a new device called the SNP Doctor, which uses “small silicon microchips to identify genetic mutations that determine a person’s predisposition to certain hereditary diseases.” Prof. Toumazou was the

only person from the United Kingdom to win the award.

James Stirling, who is the Provost of the College said, “This award really underlines what Imperial researchers do best – taking world leading research and applying it to help solve global challenges. The whole College warmly congratulates Chris. This award is a brilliant acknowledgement of his hard work and his innovative spirit.”

In addition to becoming Imperial’s first Regius Professor during the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee year in 2013, he also won the Gabor Medal at the Royal Society last year. Prof. Toumazou was also the youngest professor at the College when he was appointed at the age of 33.

Prof. Toumazou has set up the DNA Electronics Company through Imperial Innovations in order to market the SNP Doctor. It is thought that the new product would save hospitals large amounts of money, whilst also providing DNA Sequencing results to patients in a matter of minutes instead of weeks. The company has already announced collaborations with major firms such as Roche and Pfizer.