A space buff from Kingston University has scooped one of the industry's top awards – a 'space Oscar'.

Dr Chris Welch, a lecturer for 20 years, snapped up the 2009 Sir Arthur Clarke Award for Achievement in Space Education for his work across all age groups.

The 49-year-old of Borough Road, Kingston, has had a varied career – he was a finalist in the competition to be the UK's first astronaut in 1989, narrowly losing out to Helen Sharman. Since then he has focused on teaching, and on top of his university duties recently spoke to a class of six year olds at St Agatha's Primary School about a space shuttle mission.

Back in 2004 he worked as an advisor on the BBC series Space Odyssey: Voyage to the Planets, and this summer he is due to head off to the NASA Ames Research Centre in California for three weeks to work with new qualified space professionals to explore how space can help solve the world's energy crisis.

"I'm very interested in how to get the space message our to a wider audience," he said. "As well as my professional work in space engineering I have organised, participated in and advised on a wide range of events from comedy performances and television programmes to art shows and museum exhibitions."

Winners of the awards – known as the Arthurs – were voted for by colleagues, research institutions and space-related organisations.

"Nominations are sought on the basis that candidates impress, intrigue or inspire and I hope to keep on doing as many of the three as possible for my students," said Dr Welch. "Without their enthusiasm for space to fuel me I wouldn't be able to fly so high."

Dr Welch collected his Arthur at the 2009 UK Space Conference at Charterhouse School in Godalming, Surrey, on April 4.