Pro-Vice-Chancellor, in 2013, Alex Lewis was living as a publican and family man in Hampshire with his wife, Lucy, and their young son. That November, he became unwell with what he described as “the dreaded man-flu”. Little did Alex know that his life was about to change forever.

Alex had contracted Group A streptococcus that developed into toxic shock syndrome and acute septicaemia. This combination is almost universally fatal, and his chance of survival was placed at near zero. Yet survive he did, although not without profound cost; Alex had both legs and his left arm amputated, and he lost much of the soft tissue of his face.

Six months on Alex found himself reliving his experiences live on national television with presenter Holly Willoughby – something of a personal victory as he had, in his own words, ‘a massive crush’ on her. However, the celebratory night out that followed ended with him fracturing his last remaining limb, his right arm. This injury revealed a lingering infection and led to a fourth amputation. By 2015, Alex was a quadruple amputee.

For many, these challenges would have been insurmountable. For Alex, they became the foundation of a mission not just to survive but to help others thrive. He founded the Alex Lewis Trust to support amputees and families and became a global advocate for equality and accessibility in assistive technology. In 2023 he co-launched the FLOAT Foundation, a pioneering initiative working to make prosthetic and adaptive technologies more affordable and more widely available. His work has taken him to war-torn Ukraine, where he has supported amputees and helped fit prosthetics for children affected by war.

Alex’s achievements defy the tyranny of expectation: he is the first quadruple amputee to kayak around southern Greenland; the first to paddle the Orange River between Namibia and South Africa; the first to cross 200 kilometres of the Namib Desert on a mobility scooter; the first to cycle across Ethiopia’s Simien Mountains and summit Ras Dashen; and the first to row 350 miles around the south coast of England and then hand-cycle 649 miles back the other way. Alex’s resilience and optimism know no bounds and have inspired millions, redefining what it means to face adversity with strength, with courage and with humour.

At Bath, Alex has collaborated extensively with our researchers in engineering, biomechanics, and health, and is well known by our students as someone always willing to test new ideas – often with complete abandon for his own health and safety – but also as someone genuinely enthusiastic to share his knowledge. He has trialled cutting-edge prostheses, tested sensory-feedback systems, refined 3D scanning of residual limbs, and provided the kind of feedback that engineers rarely get from textbooks. His first question when handed a prototype hand is invariably the same: “Can it open a bottle of wine?” In that quip lies a philosophy: technology must serve life, not merely existence.

Alex is the most inspiring person most of us have ever had the pleasure to meet and his remarkable story has now reached global audiences through documentaries, media and public speaking. He is a genuine thought leader whose lived experience shows that engineering is not just about machines and materials; it is about humanity, dignity, and possibility. His partnership with Bath strengthens our work and inspires our students, and his influence will ensure that the innovations we develop change lives around the world.

Pro-Vice-Chancellor, I present Alex Lewis, who is eminently worthy of the degree of Doctor of Engineering, honoris causa.