Julia King CBE

Professor Julia King has been Vice-Chancellor of Aston University since December 2006. She has a career which spans both the academic and industrial sectors with 8 years experience in engineering at Rolls-Royce. She has held the positions Chief Executive of the Institute of Physics and Principal of the Engineering Faculty at Imperial College London.

She brings to the Board a strong appreciation of the issues affecting both the higher education sector and the development of science and engineering skills. She has had considerable exposure to Whitehall contributing to a range of committees and working groups as well as being a Non Executive Director of the Engineering and Technology Board.

After sixteen years as an academic researcher and lecturer at Cambridge and Nottingham universities, Julia joined Rolls-Royce plc in 1994, where she held senior engineering and business appointments. In 2004, she returned to academia as Principal of the Engineering Faculty at Imperial College, London.

Throughout her career, Julia has held a number of senior public appointments and has continued to support universities and voluntary bodies in various roles. She chaired the Defence Science Advisory Council for the MoD from 2003 to 2007, and is a member of the Technology Strategy Board.

She led a Royal Academy of Engineering Working Party on 'Educating Engineers for the 21st Century' which published its final report in June 2007. She was appointed by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in March 2007 to lead the 'King Review' of low carbon cars. The Review's final recommendations are due in March 2008.

Julia's research has been recognised through the award of the Grunfeld, Bengough and Kelvin medals and in 1999 she was made a CBE for 'Services to Materials Engineering'.