Queen Mary recognises outstanding individuals at summer graduations

Professor Susan Smith, Professor Keizo Akutagawa, Dr Martine Rothblatt, Professor John Rose, and Professor Simon Gaskell received honorary awards as part of the University’s 2025 summer graduations.

These individuals were selected to receive honorary awards as their work aligns with Queen Mary’s aims, ambitions and values, while they as individuals mirror the 240-year ethos of the University to be inclusive and open the doors of opportunity to anyone with the potential to succeed.

Professor Susan Smith, Awarded Honorary Doctor of Letters

Susan Smith is an Emerita Honorary Professor of Social and Economic Geography at the University of Cambridge and a leading figure in social geography, known for her work on housing, inequality, and wellbeing. She has held senior roles at Edinburgh and Durham universities and is currently President of the British Academy, where she champions the humanities and social sciences. A Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences and the Royal Society of Edinburgh, she was awarded the Royal Geographical Society’s Patron’s Gold Medal in 2025 for her contributions to geographical science.

Commenting on receiving her award, Professor Smith said: “I feel enormously privileged to receive an Honorary Degree from Queen Mary University of London - an institution whose core principles are closely aligned to my own. Being from a broadly working-class background, I am inspired  by Queen Mary's ongoing commitment to education as a route to social mobility, as well as by its pioneering history as, in part, a College founded for women.

“As someone who has worked for many years on the challenge of inequality, being recognized by an institution that is itself committed to improving social justice makes me especially proud. Through my engagement with Geography at Queen Mary I have seen for myself the kind of leadership that nurtures collegiality as a route to excellence, diversity as an engine of innovation, and cross disciplinary thinking as key to the future. I hope I can play some part in sustaining that spirit and that culture.”

Professor Keizo Akutagawa, Awarded Honorary Fellowship

Keizo Akutagawa is a Visiting Professor at Queen Mary’s School of Engineering and Materials Science. He was awarded his PhD from Queen Mary in 1995, after which he spent over 32 years at Bridgestone, where his research in tyre materials helped drive the company’s global success. He is a member of The Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining and a former editorial board member of the Society of Rubber Industry, Japan, who in 2021 awarded him their 59th Rubber Technology  Achievement Award. Over the course of his career, he has mentored 18 PhD students, while also promoting UK–Japan research collaboration.

Speaking on receiving his award, Professor Akutagawa commented: “I am deeply honored to receive this Honorary Fellowship in recognition of my research into rubber and tyre technologies with academics and research students of the Soft Matter Group in SEMS, as well as my role in the supervision of PhD students and case studies in support of undergraduate modules.

“Although I have been involved in rubber and tyre research for nearly four decades there are still lots of unexplained things. Rubber remains a complex and fascinating material. So, I have decided to work to pass on my knowledge and experience in this field to the generation of researchers being developed here at Queen Mary. I believe this is the best way to give back to Queen Mary and the many people who have supported me throughout my career. I am so proud to have been awarded this Honorary Fellowship for my work in the field.”

Dr Martine Rothblatt, Awarded Honorary Doctor of Sciences

Martine Rothblatt was awarded her Ph.D. in Medical Ethics by Queen Mary, having successfully completed Juris Doctor and MBA degrees at UCLA. She is Chair and CEO of United Therapeutics, a company she founded to save her daughter’s life and a leader in developing therapies and technologies to treat rare diseases and expand organ transplantation using breakthroughs like genetically modified pig-to-human transplants. A prolific innovator, Dr Rothblatt also pioneered Sirius XM satellite radio, holds numerous patents, and has authored books on artificial intelligence and consciousness.

On receiving her award, Dr Rothblatt commented: “Receiving the honorary Doctor of Science degree from Queen Mary filled me with much pride. The University’s centuries long legacy of medical education dovetails perfectly with my passion to create an unlimited supply of transplantable organs as well as ever-better medicines to reduce the need for transplants. Queen Mary’s world-class ranking in research reflects my determination to invest in clinical science as well as computational biology so that people everywhere can enjoy lengthier and healthier lifetimes.”

Professor John Rose, Awarded Honorary Fellowship

John Rose has been a member of the Queen Mary community since 1961. During his career he has earned  international recognition for his research in two-phase heat transfer, with over 300 published papers. A Fellow of both the UK and American Societies of Mechanical Engineers, he has held sabbatical posts at MIT, the US Naval Postgraduate School, and leading Japanese universities. He has consulted widely across industry and served as UK editor of major heat transfer journals for over two decades. John’s work has been recognised with various top honours, including the 2018 Max Jakob Memorial Award, awarded jointly by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, and a 2024 Lifetime Contribution Award from the UK Heat Transfer Committee.

On receiving his honorary degree, Professor Rose  said: "Following many happy and rewarding years at Queen Mary, from penniless student in 1955 to Emeritus Professor at present, the award of Fellowship is a most welcome and sincerely appreciated honour."

Professor Simon Gaskell, Awarded Honorary Doctor of Sciences

Simon Gaskell is a scientist and academic leader who served as President and Principal of Queen Mary from 2009 to 2017. A specialist in mass spectrometry and proteomics, he held academic roles in the UK and US  before returning to lead the development of a new research strategy at the University of Manchester. During his time at Queen Mary, Simon oversaw major growth, including the University’s entry into the Russell Group. He also strengthened the university’s public mission, and championed inclusion and interdisciplinarity. He has held multiple national leadership roles in UK higher education and currently chairs the Governing Body of the University of Plymouth.

Commenting on receiving his award, Professor Gaskell said: "It’s a great honour to receive an Honorary Degree from Queen Mary, a university for which I continue to feel both profound respect and deep affection.  When I recall those distinguished individuals on whom I conferred the degree during my time as President and Principal, I realise what distinguished company I now keep!

It was a particular pleasure to share the Graduation Ceremony with some of this year’s graduands, and to have the opportunity briefly to speak to them.  In that short address, I reflected on my own good fortune in working through a career which has given such personal satisfaction as well as opportunities to further the careers of others.  But I urged the graduands not to look for a “script” for their own working lives but to seek out and seize new possibilities at every stage, evaluating each with respect to their potential to enable a true societal contribution. 

As an alumnus as well as a former Principal, I now have still more reason to look forward to the continuing success of Queen Mary!"