North East physicist and technology entrepreneur Dr Arnab Basu MBE DL has been elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering in recognition of his contribution to engineering, innovation and technology.

Dr Basu is the chief executive of Kromek Group plc, which he co-founded as a spin-out from Durham University in 2003 after completing his PhD in physics at the university.

Under his leadership, Kromek has grown from a research project into an international technology business employing more than 170 people in the UK and US, with its detection technologies now used across healthcare, defence and national security in more than 60 countries.

His work has centred on commercialising advanced materials science into technologies with practical applications, including handheld radiation detectors used by NATO forces, medical imaging technology and systems capable of detecting airborne pathogens in real time.

Dr Basu is also a named inventor on 31 patents across nine patent families and has authored more than 20 peer-reviewed papers covering advanced materials and sensor technologies.

He is one of 75 leading figures in engineering and technology elected to the Academy’s Fellowship in 2026, the year in which the Royal Academy of Engineering celebrates its 50th anniversary. The new Fellows will be formally admitted at a ceremony in London on 19 October.

Dr Basu said: “It’s a tremendous honour to be elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, particularly in its 50th anniversary year.

“My career has been built in the North East, from completing my PhD at Durham University to helping build Kromek from a university spin-out into an international technology business, so I see this as testament too, to the engineering talent and innovation that exists in our region.

“Engineering has given me the opportunity to take research and turn it into technologies that are now used around the world in healthcare, defence and national security, helping to make the world a safer and healthier place.

“I hope I can use the Fellowship to support the next generation of engineers and, in particular, help widen participation so that careers in engineering and science are open to talented people from every background.”

Sir John Lazar CBE FREng, President of the Royal Academy of Engineering, said: “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.”

Alongside his leadership of Kromek, Dr Basu has played a wider role in the UK’s innovation landscape, including serving on the council of Innovate UK and chairing Health Innovation North East and North Cumbria. He was awarded an MBE for services to regional development and international trade.

The Royal Academy of Engineering’s Fellowship brings together more than 1,700 leading engineers and innovators from business, academia and public life in the UK and around the world.