Professor Barbara Shollock, who will take up the new position in January 2019, joins King’s from the University of Warwick, where she is Academic Director at WMG and the Tata Steel Research Chair in Surfaces and Advanced Characterisation.

Prior to joining Warwick, Professor Shollock was at Imperial College London’s Department of Materials, where she led a successful bid, and subsequent renewal, for a Silver Athena SWAN award. The award recognises the advancement of gender equality, representation, progression and success.

Professor Shollock’s work focuses on the physico-chemical aspects relating to steel and advanced alloy manufacture and usage. Applications include the development of more sustainable and efficient manufacturing processes for new high performance materials, particularly for the automotive sector and for land-based and aero gas turbines.

A member of the EPSRC Engineering Strategic Advisory Team Professor Shollock has extensive links with industry, including with Rolls-Royce plc, GE, NASA, Tata Steel, Cummins and Jaguar Land Rover.

Speaking about her appointment Professor Shollock said: ‘It is a privilege to be appointed the Head of Engineering at King's and to lead the Department in its mission to become a leading international presence in engineering and technology. Through further developing our education and research we will address the global challenges ahead and transfer the benefits of our work to industry and society.’

‘Now is the right time for King's to establish a vibrant and innovative engineering teaching and research environment. We will educate the engineers of the future to take a creative approach to problem solving, to investigate and inquire as well as to innovate and create.’

King’s new engineering programmes aim to attract as diverse a student body as possible. Teaching will combine both traditional, bench-based teaching with modern, project-based learning, catering for the needs of our students and the industries in which they will work.This transformation of engineering education will enable students to work across disciplines and develop whole systems approaches for discovering novel technology solutions, incorporating aspects of the human factors in engineering, and shaping technology policy.

Executive Dean of the Faculty of Natural & Mathematical Sciences, Professor Michael Luck said: ‘King’s is delighted to have Professor Shollock lead our new Department of Engineering at this incredibly exciting time.‘Her wealth of experience, depth of knowledge and invaluable industry connections will allow us to broaden and deepen the outstanding Engineering research and education already taking place at King’s and mean that students will have access to the latest education and industry thinking, which will help prepare them for the challenges of the 21^st Century.’