Honorary graduates 2015-16

Professor Dame Julia King DBE FREng (DSc)

Thursday 16 July 9:00am

After starting her academic career at Cambridge University, Julia King held senior business and engineering posts at Rolls-Royce plc. She returned to academia as Principal of the Engineering Faculty at Imperial College London, becoming Vice-Chancellor of Aston University in December 2006.

Julia currently advises Government as a member of the Committee on Climate Change, the Airports Commission, and as the UK’s Low Carbon Business Ambassador. She was a non-executive Director of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills for five years, led the ‘King Review’ (2008) on reducing CO2 emissions from vehicles, and was a member of the ‘Browne Review’ (2011) on university funding.

A former member of the World Economic Forum Automotive Council, Julia is currently a member of the WEF Global Agenda Council on Decarbonizing Energy, a non-executive director of the Green Investment Bank, a member of the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, the Board of Directors of the National Centre for Universities and Business, and the Board of Universities UK, chairing its Innovation and Growth Policy Network.

Julia’s work has been recognised by the award of a number of international medals and honorary degrees, Fellowship of the Royal Academy of Engineering, a CBE and, in 2012, a DBE.