Cranfield Alumni win two British Council Study UK Alumni Awards

Above: Dr Raúl González Muñoz (second left) and Debora Comparin (third left) at the Study UK Alumni Awards for France 2025.
Courtesy Cranfield University

The awards recognise outstanding achievements by international graduates of UK universities, showcasing their global impact in business, innovation, science, and social action.

Debora, who studied for an MSc in Thermal Power in 2014, won the Business and Innovation Award. In 2023, she co-founded the Secure Identity (SIDI) hub, a collaborative platform uniting standards organisations, governments and non-profits to address cross-border digital identity interoperability challenges. Debora is also chair of the Open Standards (OSIA) Initiative and Standardization Expert at Thales Digital Identity and Security.

Commenting on the award, Debora said: “The journey to establishing SIDI Hub and reaching its current stage of development has been challenging. This award is a testament to SIDI Hub’s impact and significance and, above all, a source of encouragement to keep pursuing what I believe in.

“Pursuing a degree at Cranfield University not only equipped me with a strong academic foundation but also allowed me to start my career at the top biometric technology firm working to solve the identity challenge.”

Raúl is a leading expert in space policy and European strategic autonomy and he received the Science and Sustainability Award. He studied for both an MSc in Knowledge Management for Innovation (2014) and a PhD in Manufacturing (2017) at Cranfield and he is currently Lecturer in Space Policy and Economy at the University of Leicester and a Research Fellow focusing on the Geopolitics of Outer Space at the Academy of International Affairs NRW in Germany.

Raúl said: “This is a tremendous acknowledgement of my career and my research in space policy and European strategic autonomy.

“It also reassures me that I’m on the right path – having gained experience in industry, policy making and now academia – to help advance Europe’s ambition to become a truly independent actor in space.

“Conducting a PhD in Aerospace Manufacturing at Cranfield University provided me with solid foundations on how to conduct proper academic research and also, thanks to its strong links with the aerospace industry, allowed me to start my career already within the biggest aerospace conglomerate in Europe, Airbus.”

Cranfield also had a third alumnus, Harald Joset, nominated as a finalist for the Science and Sustainability award.

Professor Dame Karen Holford DBE FREng, Chief Executive and Vice-Chancellor of Cranfield University, expressed her pride: "At Cranfield, we are immensely proud of our global alumni community and the brilliant contributions they make to society. Debora and Raúl exemplify the excellence, innovation and leadership that Cranfield nurtures. We extend our heartfelt congratulations to them both."

Debora and Raúl now progress to the global final which will be held in August 2025.

For more information on the British Council Study UK Alumni Awards and to see all the regional winners and finalists, visit the British Council website.