IMarEST Outstanding Contribution Award Presented at London Ceremony
Last night (30 April), the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology (IMarEST) honoured Professor Jin Wang with its flagship Outstanding Contribution Award. The award was presented at the Institute’s prestigious Annual Dinner by new President, Professor Deborah Greaves.
Professor Wang, professor of marine technology and director of the Liverpool Logistics, Offshore and Marine (LOOM) Research Institute, received the 2026 IMarEST Outstanding Contribution Award for his dedication to marine education and training. The past three decades have seen him tackle all aspects of the field, from continuing professional development (CPD) to postdoctoral research.
As both a researcher and educator, Professor Wang has also been a pioneer in research-led teaching as well as developing innovative degree programmes and curricula. He has also launched outreach initiatives that inspire young people to pursue careers in marine engineering and technology.
This is the second time Professor Wang has been presented with the Outstanding Achievement Award. The first was in 2017, for his contribution to marine safety.
Professor Wang said: “I am truly honoured to receive this recognition from the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology. This award reflects the collective efforts of colleagues, students, and partners worldwide. As our sector advances toward safer, smarter, and more sustainable maritime systems, it remains vital to foster collaboration, innovation, and the next generation of talent.”
Chris Goldsworthy, CEO of the IMarEST, said: “Professor Wang is a true inspiration to our sector and a role model for those entering the profession. I hope his achievement will encourage more people to put themselves forward for our awards programme, which exists to recognise and nurture talent across the sector.”
In addition to the Outstanding Contribution Award, three other honours from IMarEST’s suite of professional accolades were presented during the evening: two Denny Medals and the Royal Navy Operational Engineering Award.
To honour academic excellence, the Denny Medals were awarded to the lead authors of the best papers published in the IMarEST’s journals: the Journal of Marine Engineering and Technology (JMET) and the Journal of Operational Oceanography (JOO).
This year’s winners were Nan Lin for his paper "Towards reliable control takeover in ship remote-control system: a cyber-physical fusion testing approach", and Jonathan Turton, for his paper “The Met Office moored buoy network - sentinels for severe weather and extreme events". Both papers were published in 2024.
The final award of the evening went to LET Meghan Cuthbert, who received the Royal Navy Operational Engineering Award, in recognition of her exceptional engineering skills and outstanding performance. LET Cuthbert’s innovative contributions and significant achievements in enhancing operational efficiency have shown her to be a valuable asset to HMS LANCASTER's Weapon Engineering Department.
