Athena SWAN Lecture: Professor Karen Holford

Professor Karen Holford will deliver Brunel University London’s second Athena SWAN lecture entitled ‘Damage Identification in Engineered Structures’. This is the second Athena SWAN lecture since the University gained its bronze Athena SWAN award in April 2012.

The Athena SWAN Charter evolved from work between the Athena Project and the Scientific Women’s Academic Network (SWAN), to advance the representation of women in science, engineering and technology (SET). Brunel’s Athena SWAN action plan, endorsed by its Council, includes the introduction of an annual Athena SWAN Research Award scheme to support members of academic staff in the continuation of their research careers in addition to an annual lecture series.

Professor Holford, CEng FIMechE FICE CPhys FInstP FLSW, is Pro Vice-Chancellor, Head of College of Physical Sciences and Engineering, at Cardiff University. She is a member of the EPSRC Strategic Advisory network (SAN) and Chair of the EPSRC Engineering Strategic Advisory Team (SAT). She also contributes enthusiastically to external activities on a voluntary basis: she is a founding member of the WISE in Wales committee; an advisory board member for ‘Science made Simple’ and a trustee of the Engineering Education Scheme for Wales. In 2006 she received the Welsh Woman of the Year in Science and Technology in recognition of notable achievements in her field and in 2007 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.

For more information about the speaker, please visit Professor Holford's profile on the Cardiff University website here: http://www.engin.cf.ac.uk/whoswho/profile.asp?RecordNo=26.

The lecture will be held in the Eastern Gateway Building Auditorium here at Brunel and will start promptly at 5.30pm. Light refreshments will follow the lecture and the event is expected to end by approximately 7.30pm.