City President honoured with Underground station on ‘Engineering Icons’ Tube map

Stratford Station was renamed ‘Sir Anthony Finkelstein’ this week on an alternative ‘Engineering Icons’ Tube map created in celebration of the 90th anniversary of the now iconic London Tube map’s launch.

Released on National Engineering Day, Wednesday 1 November, the commemorative map was commissioned by Transport for London (TfL) and the Royal Academy of Engineering (RAEng) to honour 274 leading engineers, pasts and present, and to encourage and inspire more people to consider engineering as a career.

The name change to Stratford Station was made in honour of the engineering accomplishments of the President of City, University of London, Professor Sir Anthony Finkelstein CBE FREng. The presence of Anthony’s name on the map’s Jubilee Line is a particular nod to his work in support of the UK’s military and defence, which was the theme chosen for engineers appearing on this map’s version of the line.

The map – now on display at the London Transport Museum – also features distinguished City alumna, Professor Dame Wendy Hall, University of Southampton, who received her MSc in Computing from the University in 1986, and the award of an Honorary Doctor of Science in 2013.

‘Dame Wendy Hall’ (Mornington Crescent Station) can be found eight stops westbound of ‘Sir Anthony Finkelstein’ on the Central Line and then, changing at ‘Rebecca Shipley’, four stops northbound on the Northern Line; the theme of this line recognises Dame Hall’s contribution to computing, technology and AI.

National Engineering Day

The ‘Engineering Icons’ Tube map was created to celebrate the many ways that engineering shapes lives.

The goal of National Engineering Day is to inspire people of all backgrounds to study science, technology, engineering (in particular) and mathematical subjects, and then pursue them professionally.

London would not be the world leading city it is today without the contribution of engineers who have been responsible for creating major projects in the capital.

Engineering acumen

Professor Sir Anthony Finkelstein joined City as the University’s President in June 2021, prior to which he was HM Government’s Chief Scientific Adviser for National Security, a post he began in 2015.

While undertaking this role, he retained a position as Chair in Software Systems Engineering at University College London (UCL), and as a fellow of the Alan Turing Institute , the UK national institute for artificial intelligence and data science, of which he was a founding trustee.

Anthony was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2016 Birthday Honours for services to computer science and engineering and was knighted in the 2022 New Year Honours for public service.

His scientific work is in the broad area of systems engineering.

Dame Wendy Hall is currently Regius Professor of Computer Science, Associate Vice President (International Engagement), and Executive Director of the Web Science Institute at the University of Southampton.

She was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2000 for services to science and technology, became a Dame Commander of the British Empire in the 2009 UK New Year Honours list and is a Fellow of the Royal Society.

In 2023 she was the recipient of the ‘STEM Alumni Distinguished Award’ from the School of Science & Technology, City, University of London.

Her research interests include web science, artificial intelligence and data science.

Speaking of his recognition by the Royal Academy of Engineering and Transport for London, Anthony Finkelstein said:

Stratford is a pretty good station, and it was a real delight to see my name included on the ‘Engineering Icons’ Tube map alongside City alumna Professor Dame Wendy Hall, and truly iconic figures such as Alan Turing and Sir Christopher Wren to name but a few.

Deputy Mayor for Transport, Seb Dance, said:

Engineers played a crucial role in recent major transport projects like the Elizabeth line and the Northern Line Extension, and throughout history have helped shape the capital into the world-leading city it is today.

"I'm delighted TfL has joined forces with the Royal Academy of Engineering to launch this new Tube map celebrating the achievements and contributions of engineers, some well-known and others we should know more about.

"I hope this initiative inspires Londoners from all walks of life to consider engineering as a career, helping us to continue building a better, more prosperous London for everyone.

Dr Hayaatun Sillem CBE, Chief Executive of the Royal Academy of Engineering, said:

So much of London and the daily lives of Londoners has been designed, created and improved by engineers, and today it remains a hub of engineering innovation, from next-generation transport to the development of AI tools to improve cancer diagnosis.

“So I’m delighted that, to mark National Engineering Day, TfL has worked with the Academy to create this map that recognises the achievements of both established and up-and-coming engineers who have shaped our lives. The work of engineers often goes unrecognised, which means many of us have a limited idea of what engineering really is.

“Today is a day to change that and uncover the stories of ingenuity, teamwork and persistence that have made their mark on the city around us.

Find out more

The ‘Engineering Icons’ alternative to the London Underground map can be viewed online on the Transport for London website.

View the full TfL/RaEng map.