Annual Campbell Lecture 2008

Professor Julia King gave the 5th Annual Campbell Lecture entitled: “From short cracks to glass ceilings: Alice's advice on a career in engineering” on Weds 21st May. The talk was co-hosted by the Women in Science, Engineering and Technology (WiSET) Group and the School of Engineering Sciences.

Professor King reflected on her research interests and career to date, which has spanned both academia and industry, she has worked in Rolls Royce at senior management level and has now returned to the world of higher education as Vice-Chancellor of Aston University. She particularly reflected on the challenges and opportunities that a diverse work force can offer, with particular emphasis on the issues faced by women in engineering, and showed some interesting analysis of the leaky pipeline effect (decreasing proportions at increasing seniority level) for women in SET, together with some recommendations for good practice that HE institutions should follow.

Professor King has been recognised for her work by many awards and honours during her career, including the Fellowship of the Royal Academy of Engineering in 1997, and the CBE in 1999 for services to Materials Engineering. She has published more than 160 papers on fatigue and fracture in structural materials, materials issues in aero engines, and advances in marine propulsion technology.

Campbell Lecture 2008

Photograph, from left to right: Professor Philippa Reed, Professor Julia King, Professor Bill Wakeham (VC, University of Southampton), Professor Andrea Russell