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Professor George Jackson FRS has been awarded a Royal Society Yusuf Hamied Visiting Fellowship, recognising his outstanding international scientific leadership and fostering new research collaborations with India.

The Fellowships support world‑leading scientists to develop partnerships with Indian institutions and promote the exchange of knowledge on global scientific challenges. 

Working with Imperial's Global hub in India, and with Professor Saroj Nayak’s team at IIT Bhubaneswar in particular, George will help strengthen our international platform for partnerships. Professor Omar Matar Head of Department, Chemical Engineering

Professor Omar Matar, Head of Department, Chemical Engineering said: "Congratulations to Professor George Jackson on this well-deserved Fellowship. Working with Imperial's Global hub in India, and with Professor Saroj Nayak’s team at IIT Bhubaneswar in particular, George will help strengthen our international platform for partnerships, talent exchange, and real-world impact in one of the world's fastest-growing science and innovation ecosystems."

Building research links with India

As part of the award, Professor Jackson will collaborate with researchers at the , strengthening links between research teams and sharing expertise through lectures, seminars and discussions.

The Fellowship will also see Professor Jackson collaborate with , Professor of Physics and Director of Hydrogen Valley at IIT Bhubaneswar, on research spanning across ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½, and IIT Bhubaneswar. 

IIT Bhubaneswar is spearheading the Hydrogen Valley Innovation Cluster (HVIC) in the eastern Odisha region, bringing together a multidisciplinary consortium comprising scientists, engineers, metallurgists, innovators, academic leaders, and industry partners, including stakeholders from hard-to-abate sectors, working together to enable scalable hydrogen solutions. HVICs are a first-of-its-kind concept in India, funded by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and administered by the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, under the National Green Hydrogen Mission (NGHM).

The long-term aim is to maximise hydrogen supply and demand through on-site production, localised utilisation, and the efficient integration of renewable energy resources. Odisha and the surrounding regions host critical mineral and material industries, including coal, steel, iron, and aluminium which researchers will be hoping to tap into. The Fellowship will support an extended research visit of up to 12 weeks, enabling in‑depth collaboration and the exploration of new research opportunities.

Professor Nayak and I are delighted that this Fellowship will provide us with a platform for collaborative research, bringing together world-leading institutions towards one common goal. Professor George Jackson Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, and recipient of the Royal Society Fellowship

On being awarded the Fellowship, Professor Jackson said: “Professor Nayak and I are delighted that this Fellowship will provide us with a platform for collaborative research, bringing together world-leading institutions towards one common goal. We will use multiscale physics to address fundamental and applied scientific problems in green hydrogen generation, storage, and utilisation, with a particular focus on scalable solutions for hard-to-abate industries.”

Supporting global science

The programme was launched in 2017 with support from the Yusuf and Farida Hamied Foundation. It aims to foster long‑term international partnerships and bring together the UK and Indian scientific communities to address shared challenges through science.

, Academic Co-Director of Imperial’s Global India hub, said: “This Fellowship is a fantastic springboard for the research partnership between IIT Bhubaneswar and Imperial. It comes at just the right moment supporting India's National Green Hydrogen Mission.” 

Professor Jackson is one of three researchers selected to begin their Fellowships in 2026, reflecting both his research excellence and Imperial’s strong commitment to global collaboration.