Australian Professor Graeme Clark AC, the pioneering scientist whose vision and persistence led to the development of the multichannel cochlear implant, has been named one of the recipients of the 2026 Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering (QEPrize).
Professor Clark is recognized alongside eight fellow laureates for their collective contributions to modern neural interface technologies. The laureates were formally announced at the Science Museum in London this week and will share the £500,000 prize.
The breakthroughs acknowledged this year span cochlear implants, deep brain stimulation, brain-computer interfaces and electronic spinal stimulation, advancing the restoration of hearing, movement and communication for people around the world.
Pioneering Work in Cochlear Implants
Professor Clark was the lead researcher of the team that created the world’s first multichannel implant. His device was developed by Cochlear to become the first that was approved for use outside of clinical research.
Professor Clark’s leadership laid the scientific and engineering foundations for what is today a global standard of care for people with severe to profound hearing loss.
More than one million people worldwide now use cochlear implants, an extraordinary legacy that began with Professor Clark’s determination to help those with severe deafness, inspired by his family’s own experience of hearing loss.
Recognition for Advances in Neural Interface Technologies
Dig Howitt, Cochlear CEO & President, congratulated Professor Clark on the accolade:
“Professor Clark’s vision transformed what was once considered impossible into a life-changing reality for people around the world. His pioneering work not only laid the foundations for Cochlear as a company, but opened the door for millions to experience sound, connection, and opportunity. We congratulate Professor Clark and celebrate his extraordinary contribution to engineering, healthcare, and humanity. We also congratulate the other laureates whose breakthroughs continue to push the boundaries of what neural interface technologies can achieve.”
Professor Clark, who is in London this week to receive the award, said his research was inspired in part by his father’s experience with hearing loss:
“My work in auditory brain science began with the aim of restoring hearing for people with severe deafness, inspired in part by my own family’s experience. Over time, this research showed that multi-channel stimulation of the auditory nerve could restore elements of hearing, opening the door to an entirely new field of medical engineering. I am honoured to be recognised alongside my colleagues by the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering, and proud to see how this field has grown to help people with a wide range of neurological conditions.”
Cochlear’s technology continues to advance, highlighted by last year’s launch of the Cochlear™ Nucleus® Nexa™ System – the world’s “first and only smart cochlear implant system”. Its intelligence is enabled by the implant’s programmable microprocessor, internal memory and upgradeable firmware.
This year’s QEPrize also honours Erwin Hochmair, Ingeborg Hochmair and Blake Wilson for foundational advances that helped develop cochlear implants into reliable, widely adopted clinical technologies; John Donoghue for pioneering brain-computer interfaces to restore movement and communication; Alim Louis Benabid and Pierre Pollak for modern deep brain stimulation to treat movement disorders; and Jocelyne Bloch and Grégoire Courtine for electronic spinal stimulation enabling people with spinal cord injuries to regain voluntary movement.
Together, these achievements define a new frontier in neuroprosthetics.
About Cochlear Limited (ASX: COH)
People have always been Cochlear’s inspiration, ever since Professor Graeme Clark set out to create the first multi-channel cochlear implant after seeing his father struggle with hearing loss. Since 1981, Cochlear has helped more than 750,000 people of all ages in more than 180 countries to hear. As the global leader in implantable hearing solutions, Cochlear connects people with life’s opportunities, and welcomes them to the world’s largest hearing implant community.
Cochlear has a global workforce of more than 5,500 people, with a passion for progress, who strive to meet the needs of people living with hearing loss. The company continually innovates to anticipate future needs, investing more than AUD$3 billion to date in research and development to push the boundaries of technology and help more people hear.
www.cochlear.com
About the QEPrize
Awarded annually, the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering (QEPrize) champions bold, groundbreaking engineering innovation which is of global benefit to humanity. The prize celebrates engineering’s visionaries, inspiring young minds to consider engineering as a career choice and to help to solve the challenges of the future. The prize also encourages engineers to help extend the boundaries of what is possible across all disciplines and applications.
About Professor Graeme Clark AC
Professor Graeme Clark AC is an Australian surgeon-scientist whose pioneering research led to the invention of the multichannel cochlear implant, the first device to restore useful hearing to people with severe-to-profound deafness. He is a University of Melbourne Laureate Professor, with much of his groundbreaking research undertaken at the University.
Born in Camden, New South Wales in 1935, he was inspired by his father’s struggle with hearing loss and went on to specialise in otolaryngology before completing a PhD in auditory science.
Professor Clark’s groundbreaking achievements have been recognised with some of the world’s most prestigious honours, including Australia’s highest civilian distinction, the Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) and the Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award, one of the most renowned international prizes in biomedicine. He has also received Germany’s Zülch Prize for neuroscience and the Lister Medal, regarded as the leading global award in surgical science—affirming the profound impact of his pioneering work on hearing science and medical engineering.
References
- MacRae M. Engineering’s “Noble” Prize [Internet]. New York (NY): American Society of Mechanical Engineers; [date unknown] [cited 2026 Feb 02]. Available from: https://www.asme.org/topics-resources/content/engineerings-noble-prize
- Hearing implant market data. February 2023.
- Dowell RC, Mecklenburg DJ, Clark GM. Speech Recognition for 40 patients receiving multichannel cochlear implants. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 1986 Oct;112:1054-1059.
- Hearing implant market data. February 2023.
Source: Cochlear
