Karen Holford

Last updated

Dame Karen Holford
Professor Karen Holford.jpg
Professor Karen M. Holford
Born
Karen Margaret Holford

1962 (age 6162) [1]
Education Newent Comprehensive School [1]
Alma mater University of Wales (BEng, PhD)
Awards Suffrage Science award (2019)
Scientific career
Fields Mechanical engineering
Acoustic emission [2]
Institutions Cranfield University
Rolls-Royce Holdings
Cardiff University
Thesis The nondestructive testing of wire ropes by acoustic emission  (1987)
Website https://www.cranfield.ac.uk/about/senior-team/professor-karen-holford

Dame Karen Margaret Holford DBE FREng FLSW FIMechE (born 1962) [1] is a Welsh-domiciled engineer, professor of mechanical engineering and vice-chancellor and chief executive of Cranfield University. She was formerly deputy vice-chancellor at Cardiff University. [3] She is also a former pro vice-chancellor of the College of Physical Sciences and Engineering and head of the School of Engineering. She is an active researcher of acoustic emission [2] [4] and her work has been applied to damage assessment inspections on industrial components.

Contents

Education

Holford was educated at Newent Comprehensive School [1] and read mechanical engineering at the University of Wales Institute of Science and Technology [1] with sponsorship from Rolls-Royce and was the first member of her family to attend a higher education institution. She graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering degree in 1984 [1] followed by a PhD from University College, Cardiff in 1987. [5]

This came after her school art teacher encouraged her to pursue the course, even though her careers advisor had discouraged her from studying engineering, which was perceived as a predominately male area. She later returned to Rolls-Royce. [6] [7]

Career and research

During her time at Rolls-Royce Holford contributed to the construction of the Adour and Pegasus engines with help from engineers across Europe and the United States and development work in advanced engineering. [8] After completing the course Holford was employed at local company AB Electronic Products as a senior engineer. [6] She became involved in project management for technical products which included the development and design of a thin film pressure sensor for anti-lock braking systems in BMW road cars. Holford also developed electronic products for Jaguar Cars and Rover motor cars. [8]

She started her academic career in 1990 as an advisor at Cardiff University for their Integrated Engineering course, which aimed to increase industrial participation in degree teaching and provide a cross-discipline education, and was employed by the University in the same year as a lecturer in engineering. [6] Holford has published over 170 research works, including 100 peer-reviewed journal papers. She has led research projects totalling over £7.5 million funded from a wide variety of sources, including Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), Innovate UK, Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTP), European Union and industry. Her primary research is damage assessment inspections using acoustic emission (AE) applied across several industrial applications, including bridges, aerospace landing gear and composite materials, concrete and metals. [9] Holford and her team later focussed on the improvement of AE damage location techniques, energy harvesting and embedded sensors aimed at the development of autonomous structural health monitoring systems. She also served as the faculty advisor for Cardiff University's Formula Student team, an UpRising ambassador, and a Director of the Compound Semiconductor Centre. Outside of academia Holford entered the first rounds of the 2004 Formula Woman Championship behind the wheel of a Caterham 7. [7]

External service

Holford has served as a council member for UKRI STFC and a member of the ESPRC Strategic Advisory Network, having previously served as the external chair of the EPSRC Engineering Strategic Advisory Team. In 2019 she joined the NPL Science and Technology Advisory Council, [10] and in 2020, took up the role of chair of the Royal Academy of Engineering Research Committee. Holford is a leading advocate of engineering and is part of several committees and organisations that actively encourage young people to consider a career in the field. [11] She is also chief executive and vice-chancellor at Cranfield University. [12]

Awards and honours

Holford's work has earned her several awards. In 2002 she was awarded a Royal Academy prize for 'Engineering Excellence' in TCS work. In 2006, she was a recipient of Welsh Woman of the Year in Science and Technology. She was awarded the WISE Excellence Award for “personal contribution to engineering and a long term commitment to supporting girls and young women in science and engineering” in 2007, [8] and in 2016 won the Chwarae Teg Womenspire 'Women in Education' Award. [13]

Holford is a Chartered Engineer, a Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (FIMechE), Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales (FLSW), Fellow of the Women's Engineering Society (FWES), and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering (FREng) in 2015. [9] In 2016 she was named in the inaugural Daily Telegraph's list of the Top 50 Women in Engineering. [14] She won the Suffrage Science award in 2019. [15] She was appointed Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2018 New Year Honours and a Dame of the same order (DBE) in the 2024 Birthday Honours. [16] [17]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cranfield University</span> British postgraduate public research university

Cranfield University is a British postgraduate-only public research university specialising in science, engineering, design, technology and management. Cranfield was founded as the College of Aeronautics (CoA) in 1946. Through the 1950s and 1960s, the development of aircraft research led to growth and diversification into other areas such as manufacturing and management, and in 1967, to the founding of the Cranfield School of Management. In 1969, the College of Aeronautics was renamed the Cranfield Institute of Technology, was incorporated by royal charter, gained degree awarding powers, and became a university. In 1993, it adopted its current name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julia King, Baroness Brown of Cambridge</span> British engineer (born 1954)

Julia Elizabeth King, Baroness Brown of Cambridge, is a British engineer and a crossbench member of the House of Lords, where she chairs the Select Committee on Science and Technology. She is the incumbent chair of the Carbon Trust and the Henry Royce Institute, and was the vice-chancellor of Aston University from 2006 to 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Gregson (engineer)</span> British research engineer and academic (1957–2024)

Sir Peter John Gregson, FREng was a British research engineer and Chair of the Henry Royce Institute. He was previously the Vice-Chancellor of Cranfield University from 2013-2021 and President and Vice-Chancellor of Queen's University Belfast from 2004. Prior to that he was deputy Vice-Chancellor at the University of Southampton from 2000-2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Grant (engineer)</span> British academic (born 1947)

Sir David GrantFLSW is a British academic who was the vice-chancellor of Cardiff University in Wales from 2001 to 2012. Following his appointment, Grant oversaw the merger between Cardiff University and the University of Wales College of Medicine, which was completed in 2004, and the award of university status to Cardiff.

Dame Jean Olwen Thomas, is a Welsh biochemist, former Master of St Catharine's College, Cambridge, and Chancellor of Swansea University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ann Dowling</span> Engineering professor

Dame Ann Patricia Dowling is a British mechanical engineer who researches combustion, acoustics and vibration, focusing on efficient, low-emission combustion and reduced road vehicle and aircraft noise. Dowling is a Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Professor of Mechanical Engineering, and from 2009 to 2014 she was Head of the Department of Engineering at the University of Cambridge, where she was the first female professor in 1993. She was President of the Royal Academy of Engineering from 2014 to 2019, the Academy's first female president.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jason Reese</span> British engineering scientist (1967–2019)

Jason Meredith Reese (24 June 1967 – 8 March 2019 was a British engineering scientist, and Regius Professor of Engineering at the University of Edinburgh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Loughhead</span> British businessman

Prof John Neil Loughhead is a British engineer and businessman. He is Industrial Professor of Clean Energy at University of Birmingham, Chair of the Redwheel-Turquoise ClimateTech Investment Committee, and Council member at the University of York. He is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, of the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering, and of the Chinese Academy of Engineering. He was formerly Chief Scientific Adviser to Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and to Department of Energy & Climate Change. He was appointed OBE for services to Technology in 2011 and CB in 2018. In 2014, he was voted as one of the Top 500 Most Influential People in Britain by Debrett's and The Sunday Times.

Colin P. Smith CBE FRS FREng FRAeS FIMechE was director of engineering and technology at Rolls-Royce plc.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Fisher (biomedical engineer)</span> British biomedical engineer

John Fisher, CBE, FREng, FMedSci is a British biomedical engineer who was director of the Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering until he stepped down from the role in summer 2016. He remains professor of mechanical engineering and deputy vice-chancellor at the University of Leeds.

Isobel Anne Pollock-Hulf is visiting professor in Engineering and Design at the University of Leeds.

In 2016 the Women's Engineering Society (WES), in collaboration with the Daily Telegraph, produced an inaugural list of the United Kingdom's Top 50 Influential Women in Engineering, which was published on National Women in Engineering Day on 23 June 2016. The event was so successful it became an annual celebration. The list was instigated by Dawn Bonfield MBE, then Chief Executive of the Women's Engineering Society. In 2019, WES ended its collaboration with the Daily Telegraph and started a new collaboration with The Guardian newspaper.

Dame Dawn Elizabeth Childs is a British engineer who has moved between several engineering disciplines including mechanical engineering, aeronautical engineering and civil engineering. She has been the first woman engineer in several posts in the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the first female head of engineering at a major international airport. Childs has a track record of developing women within her organisation as well as working to bring more women and girls into the discipline. Childs is currently the chief executive officer of Pure Data Centres Group Ltd, following her role as UK Change Director at National Grid plc.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry Royce Institute</span> UK national institute for materials research

The Henry Royce Institute is the UK’s national institute for advanced materials research and innovation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anne Neville (engineer)</span> British academic (1970–2022)

Anne Neville was the Royal Academy of Engineering Chair in emerging technologies and Professor of Tribology and Surface Engineering at the University of Leeds.

Jessica Leigh Jones is a Welsh engineer and astrophysicist from Cardiff. She is credited with becoming the first female to win the UK Young Engineer of the Year Award in 2012 for her work designing a portable uterine contraction monitor which cut manufacturing costs by 99%. She was later rewarded for her efforts to commercialise the technology, receiving the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) Intel Inspiration Award for Entrepreneurship in the same year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wendy Sadler</span> British science communicator and lecturer

Wendy SadlerFInstP FHEA FLSW is a British science communicator and lecturer at Cardiff University. She is the founding director of Science Made Simple, which focuses on engaging audiences with the physical sciences. Her areas of interest include inspiring the next generation of scientists, engineers and communicators; women in STEM; and making STEM subjects accessible to diverse audiences.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lucy Rogers</span> British science writer

Lucy Elizabeth Rogers is a British author, inventor, and engineer. She is a visiting professor of engineering, creativity and communication at Brunel University London and has served as a judge on the BBC Two show Robot Wars from 2016 to 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carolyn Griffiths</span> Railway engineer

Carolyn Griffiths is a railway engineer. She founded and lead the UK's Rail Accident Investigation Branch, where she had the position of Chief Inspector, reporting directly to the Secretary of State for Transport. She was president of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers for 2017/18.

David Mba is the vice chancellor of Birmingham City University, UK. He was awarded the Institution of Mechanical Engineers Ludwig Mond Prize in 2010 for his contributions to the chemical industry. He serves on the advisory board of the Association for Black and Minority Ethnic Engineers (AFBE-UK).

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Anon (2017). "Holford, Prof. Karen Margeret" . Who's Who (online Oxford University Press  ed.). Oxford: A & C Black. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U286206.(Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  2. 1 2 Karen Holford publications indexed by Google Scholar OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  3. Karen Holford on X OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  4. Baxter, Matthew Geoffrey; Pullin, Rhys; Holford, Karen M.; Evans, Sam L. (2007). "Delta T source location for acoustic emission". Mechanical Systems and Signal Processing. 21 (3): 1512–1520. Bibcode:2007MSSP...21.1512B. doi:10.1016/j.ymssp.2006.05.003. ISSN   0888-3270.
  5. Holford, Karen Margaret (1987). The nondestructive testing of wire ropes by acoustic emission. library.wales (PhD thesis). University College Cardiff. OCLC   499862712. EThOS   uk.bl.ethos.378397.
  6. 1 2 3 Pettorelli, Nathalie (5 June 2015). "Discovery is what drives me: Meet Karen Holford". Soapbox Science. Archived from the original on 15 April 2016. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  7. 1 2 "They told me I couldn't become an engineer … so I did it anyway – Karen Holford, Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Cardiff University and Pro Vice-Chancellor, College of Physical Sciences and Engineering". womanthology.co.uk. 23 December 2015. Archived from the original on 1 June 2016. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  8. 1 2 3 "Staff Profile: Prof K M Holford". Cardiff School of Engineering. Archived from the original on 6 April 2016. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  9. 1 2 "Pro Vice-Chancellor, College of Physical Sciences & Engineering". Cardiff University. Archived from the original on 14 April 2016. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  10. "Karen Holford". National Physical Laboratory. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
  11. "Deputy Vice-Chancellor". Cardiff University. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
  12. McIntyre, Fiona (22 April 2021). "Cranfield University picks engineer as next vice-chancellor" . Research Professional News. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
  13. "Pro Vice-Chancellor recognised by Chwarae Teg". Cardiff University. 15 April 2016. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
  14. Evans, Gareth (24 June 2016). "Cardiff University professor named in the inaugural list of the Top 50 Women in Engineering list". walesonline.co.uk. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
  15. "Suffrage Science Awards 2019: 12 role models in engineering & physical sciences awarded heirlooms". MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences. 12 March 2019. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
  16. "New Year's Honours 2018" (PDF). gov.uk. Government Digital Service. 29 December 2017. p. 16. Archived (PDF) from the original on 30 December 2017. Retrieved 29 December 2017.
  17. "Awards for Birthday Honours List 2024" (PDF). gov.uk. Retrieved 14 June 2024.