Dr. Peter Cripton has been named a 2026 recipient of the UBC Applied Science Dean’s Medal of Distinction, recognizing his contributions to the field of engineering and his impact on the broader UBC community.
The award is presented as part of UBC Applied Science’s annual Applied Science Celebration, which recognizes members of the Applied Science community for their achievements and contributions. Dr. Cripton is among the 2026 recipients of the Dean’s Medal of Distinction.
Dr. Cripton’s research sits at the intersection of engineering, biomechanics and human health. His work has helped advance understanding of how the human body responds to mechanical forces, with applications in injury prevention, medical devices and the design of safer environments.
More recently, Dr. Cripton has focused on improving vehicle safety for pregnant people. His research has examined how pregnancy-related changes in body shape and anatomy affect seatbelt fit and positioning, helping to identify opportunities to improve vehicle safety systems for pregnant occupants.
Dr. Cripton has also brought this area of research into the classroom through a new UBC course focused on sex differences in injury biomechanics. The course explores how differences in anatomy and physiology can influence injury mechanisms and the performance of safety systems, highlighting the importance of considering diverse human bodies in biomedical engineering and injury prevention research.
Through his research, teaching and collaborations with industry, Dr. Cripton is helping advance a more comprehensive understanding of injury biomechanics and how engineering can contribute to safer technologies and environments.
The School of Biomedical Engineering congratulates Dr. Cripton on this well-deserved recognition and celebrates his contributions to the UBC engineering community.