Adventurer Alex Lewis Receives Honorary Degree

Fundraiser and adventurer Alex Lewis has been awarded an honorary degree by King's Department of Engineering at this year's Summer Graduation Ceremony.

Following a citation from long-time collaborator Senior Lecturer in Engineering Dr Nicola Bailey, Alex picked up his hat and gown with the rest of the graduating Engineering cohort on July 28th.

A disability advocate for those who need prosthetic limbs, the quadruple amputee has previously worked with King's to design a custom set of prosthetic arms that helped him row the length of the South Coast for charity in a world first.

First falling ill with a bacterial infection in 2013, Alex was given only a 2% chance of survival and went on to lose all four limbs. Since then, he has gone on to found multiple foundations making assistive technology like prosthetics available to all, touring schools, universities, private companies and even the hospital wards of Ukraine to collaborate on projects and raise money.

A large part of his charitable work is as a role model for others with limb difference, and Alex is the first quadruple amputee to: kayak around the Southern tip of Greenland and the Orange River in Southern Africa, hand-cycle through the Simien Mountain range in Ethiopia and summit it's highest mountain, and trek through the Namib desert in Namibia.

Commenting on the award, Dr Bailey said "By honouring Alex with this degree, we celebrate his courage, ingenuity, and impact - he's an extraordinary testament to the power of human determination.

"It is well-deserved recognition for all his hard work and dedication as a motivational speaker, researcher, and advocate. He inspires me and others at King's, he encourages so many people not just only in the assistive technology world, but far beyond it too."

Speaking after the award ceremony, Alex said "I'm truly humbled to have received this award and incredibly kind of Nicky to have put me forward for it. You feel a bit of imposter syndrome up on that stage looking out; I didn't study here, I didn't take those tests, but I did contribute, and it makes me feel like I'm in control, even if just a bit, of the technology I rely on every day.

"We need more people like me going into universities to do the research work, and King's have been so fantastic. This is just the beginning of, I hope, many more collaborations."

Now a recipient of an honorary degree from King's, he joins other notables from across the sciences and humanities including Nobel Prize-winning mathematician Professor Georgio Parisi who was awarded his degree last year.