Dr Giorgia Longobardi, a Caius Research Fellow in Engineering, has been named RAEng Engineers Trust Young Engineer of the Year.

Dr Longobardi was picked as one of five young engineers – all women for the first time in history – by the Royal Academy of Engineering (RAEng) who have been outstandingly successful in their respective fields at an early stage of their careers. She received a £3,000 prize.

Dr Longobardi’s research interests include the analysis, modelling and characterisation of high voltage power semiconductor devices with particular focus on gallium nitride (GaN) based devices and trap characterisation.

She is co-founder and CEO of Cambridge GaN Devices Ltd (CGD), a spin-out from the University of Cambridge’s Department of Engineering, which develops highly efficient power electronics that could offer major energy savings in applications ranging from power supplies for consumer electronics to LED drives, data centres and wireless chargers. In 2016, the company shared first prize in the annual Postdoc Business Plan Competition run jointly by the Entrepreneurial Postdocs of Cambridge (EPoC) and Cambridge Enterprise.

Commenting on her recent achievement, Dr Longobardi said, “I’m extremely honoured to be named RAEng Engineers Trust Young Engineer of the Year alongside four exceptional engineers.”

“I’m very grateful to all the people that have contributed to this prize by supporting my work at both the Department of Engineering and Gonville & Caius College. A special thank you goes to my team in Cambridge GaN Devices for their work and commitment towards this amazing venture.”

About Dr Giorgia Longobardi

Dr Longobardi spun her company, CGD, out of the Department of Engineering after completing her PhD, in collaboration with NXP Semiconductors, and soon after receiving EPSRC IAA Follow-on-Fund support. 

After spending a year in Japan sponsored on a JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowship, she led a successful seed fund investment round for CGD. The company now employs 10 people and was recently selected as one of the best deep-tech startups to watch by the School of Entrepreneurship & Innovation in Turin.

Dr Longobardi is passionate about promoting STEM subjects to the next generation, especially women. She has been a STEM ambassador engaging with school students in countries all around the world, including Italy, the UK and Japan.

This article has been adapted from an article published by the Department of Engineering and a press release by RAEng.

Image: Giorgia Longobardi​, Royal Academy of Engineering