SUTD Chancellor and President of the Republic of Singapore, Tharman Shanmugaratnam,

Sir James Dyson, our esteemed guest,

Mr Png Cheong Boon, Chairman, Economic Development Board

Students, Faculty and Staff,

Distinguished Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good afternoon.

Today, we are gathered to recognise a true pioneer in innovation — Sir James Dyson. His contributions to the world of design and engineering have been nothing short of transformative.

Over the past five decades, Sir James has redefined modern design and engineering through his relentless pursuit of better solutions. He has reshaped entire industries and set new benchmarks for functional design. From the world’s first bagless vacuum cleaner to bladeless fans, hand dryers and hair stylers, his inventions have changed how people interact with and use technology in their everyday lives.

But beyond his inventions, Sir James has made it his life’s work to nurture and inspire the next generation of inventors and engineers. He founded the Dyson Institute of Engineering and Technology to train the next generation of engineers and established the James Dyson Foundation to inspire young people to pursue careers in engineering and design, while supporting education, medical research, and design innovation.

Through the Foundation, he also created the James Dyson Award, an international design competition that challenges students to “design something that solves a problem.” Such opportunities allow students to apply creativity and innovation to real-world challenges, and to benchmark their ideas on a global stage.

I am proud that two SUTD students, Shane Kyi Hla Win and Danial Sufiyan Shaiful, were recognised globally under the Sustainability category of the 2024 James Dyson Award for their invention, airXeed Radiosonde. In fact, they will be giving an aesthetic representation of the engineering process of the airXeed Radiosonde as a gift of appreciation to Sir James later.

Sir James’ commitment to education and innovation also extends to our own campus. In 2022, SUTD partnered the James Dyson Foundation to launch the Dyson–SUTD Innovation Studio, which aims to inspire greater interest in design and engineering among younger students and the wider community. It is now an integral part of SUTD’s design-centric learning ecosystem, a vibrant space for our own students to develop solutions to real-world problems under the mentorship of Dyson engineers — a powerful embodiment of learning by doing, which lies at the heart of SUTD’s educational philosophy.

Sir James has not only transformed how the world approaches everyday design challenges; he has also redefined what it means to invent with purpose. His belief that design and engineering should begin with curiosity, be driven by experimentation, and grounded in real human needs resonates deeply with SUTD’s mission — to nurture technically grounded leaders and innovators who design with empathy and impact.

For his myriad achievements, we are deeply honoured to confer upon Sir James Dyson the Honorary Doctor of Engineering. This is the University’s highest form of recognition, awarded to individuals who have made exceptional contributions to society and advanced the boundaries of human ingenuity.

May Sir James’ example continue to inspire bold thinking, fearless experimentation and human-centred innovation among our students, and among inventors and dreamers around the world.

Congratulations, Sir James.