“I am thrilled to be joining the Royal Academy of Engineering as an Honorary Fellow. It is a tremendous privilege to be able to take an active role in shaping the direction of engineering in the UK. The Academy’s role in influencing policy with the aim of improving lives is pivotal and I look forward to collaborating with the network to support improved patient outcomes and experiences using robotic surgery.”
Professor Prokar Dasgupta OBE FRCS HonFREng, School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, Chair of Robotic Surgery and Honorary Consultant Urological Innovation
24 September 2025
Prof Prokar Dasgupta OBE elected Royal Academy of Engineering Honorary Fellow
Professor Prokar Dasgupta OBE, King’s College London, has been elected as an Honorary Royal Academy of Engineering Fellow (HonFREng), recognising his work exploring public perceptions concerning robotic surgery.
The prestigious Royal Academy of Engineering Fellowship recognises the UK’s strongest researchers, innovators, entrepreneurs and business leaders with up to 60 new Fellows, as well as 10 international and five honorary, nominated and elected by existing Fellows each year.
Professor Dasgupta joins the community of almost 1,700 Fellows – all working to build a sustainable and inclusive society and economy supported by engineering – as an Honorary Fellow, recognising his outstanding contributions to engineering, although not a practising engineer himself.
A globally recognised clinician-scientist, educator, polymath and British Journal of Urology International (BJUI) Editor-in-Chief, Professor Dasgupta pioneered robotic urology surgery in the UK.
He has led on ground-breaking innovations including the ‘Dasgupta Technique’ – a urological procedure using a flexible telescope to inject Botulinum toxin (Botox) into hyperactive bladder nerves – image-guided and 3D printed prostatectomies, and world-first trials in telerobotics and surgical techniques.
Professor Dasgupta’s work so far includes more than 1,100 published articles, training of over 340 surgical students, and playing a key role in advancing surgical simulation.
He has also been recognised with accolades including the St. Peter’s Medal (2020), Padma Shri (2022), Wickham Lifetime achievement award (2023), Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) (2023) for services to Surgery and Science, and the European Association of Urology (EAU) Innovators Award 2024.
As chair of the working group for Responsible AI in Health and Social Care, part of the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)-funded Responsible Ai UK ecosystem, Professor Dasgupta is exploring patient attitudes to autonomous surgery.
Robotic and AI surgery has significant potential as a cost-effective and minimally invasive treatment solution that can lead to benefits such as faster recovery times and reduced pain, however a reluctance towards fully autonomous surgery persists among the public, Professor Dasgupta’s work finds.
When considering how open patients are to clinical trials involving fully autonomous robotic surgery Professor Dasgupta says, “The simple answer is – not yet. While people are willing to be part of trials to evaluate AI and autonomous robotic surgery, they still want a human in the loop.”
Understanding and improving patient trust in robotic surgery then is a major priority for Professor Dasgupta’s work, supported by the fellowship, going forward.
“The Royal Academy of Engineering is central to driving innovation and excellence in engineering and technology in the UK. Professor Dasgupta’s work in surgical robotics is some of the most pioneering in recent times and I’m pleased to see it recognised by the Academy with this most prestigious of honours.”
Professor Sebastien Ourselin, FREng FMedSci, Assistant Principal (Innovation), Head of School Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences
“I am absolutely delighted that Prof. Prokar Dasgupta’s impactful contributions have been recognised in this way. His passion for engineering and technology, as well as his innovative application of both to improve patient healthcare outcomes, truly merit this prestigious recognition.”
Professor Sir Bashir M. Al-Hashimi, Vice President (Research & Innovation)