Defne Nihal Ertugrul was awarded the Overall Excellence in Engineering award, the highest honour of the evening, recognising outstanding achievement across all 14 individual and organisational award categories. She was also named the winner of the Engineering Student of the Year award.
The awards, organised by EqualEngineers, celebrate engineering and technology talent across the UK. The ceremony took place on Friday 9 October 2026 at the Leonardo Royal Hotel London City.
Professor Jason Hallett, Head of Department, Chemical Engineering, said: “We are immensely proud of Defne’s outstanding achievement in winning both awards. Her talent, dedication, and success as an undergraduate are truly inspiring, and she is a wonderful ambassador for our department.”
The recognition highlights her achievements as a Chemical Engineering student, and her wider involvement in research and leadership opportunities. Alongside her studies at Imperial College London, Defne is a Laidlaw Scholar and a UN Millennium Fellow. She has also undertaken research as an Undergraduate Research Fellow at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech).
“"I hadn’t really taken in Engineering Student of the Year when they called my name again for Overall Excellence. Still a bit of a shock, honestly. Thank you to everyone at Imperial who has supported me."
At the same awards, Diya Agrawal, Department of Chemical Engineering PhD student, was also shortlisted for the Engineering Student of the Year 2026. Diya leads the departmental podcast, Imperial ChemEng Cast.
