King's College London

Professor Sir Bashir M. Al-Hashimi CBE FREng FRS, Senior Vice President for Research and Special Initiatives at King’s, has been elected to the new post of Vice President for International for the Royal Academy of Engineering and will serve as a Trustee on its Board.

Implemented following the recommendations of a recent governance review, the new role on the Academy’s Trustee Board will oversee all international activity at the Academy. This will continue Sir Bashir’s ongoing work as chair of the Academy’s International Committee representing the UK engineering profession amongst other national engineering academies.

Internationally recognised by academia and industry for his significant and sustained contributions to energy-efficient computing, semiconductor chip design and their global implementation, Sir Bashir has held the Arm Professorship of Computer Engineering since 2007 and is Co-Director of the King’s Institute for Artificial Intelligence.

His current role as Senior Vice President for Research and Special Initiatives sees him play a key role in shaping and implementing Strategy 2030, enhancing academic excellence, strengthening key interdisciplinary areas of research, and deepening King’s global research impact to help serve society.

In November 2025, Sir Bashir launched the final report and recommendations of the UK Future Engineering Skills national project to help shape the future of UK engineering education and skills at the House of Lords, which he led on behalf of the Academy.

In the same year he was knighted by HM King Charles III for exceptional leadership in engineering and education, following an appointment as Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) by HM Queen Elizabeth II in 2018 for his contributions to research and innovation.

In addition to many and various senior academic posts in UK higher education and national and international awards for his work throughout his career, Sir Bashir has remained committed to advancing skills, higher education and the responsible use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in research and learning. He is also a regular contributor to global debates on the future of scientific discovery and AI.

Speaking of the appointment, Sir Bashir said “The Royal Academy of Engineering’s international activities have incredible range and impact- from missions to South Korea on AI and autonomous vehicles, to delivering Africa’s biggest prize dedicated to engineering innovation.

“In this new Vice-President role, I’m looking forward to giving this work the profile it deserves, placing it at the heart of the Academy’s strategic ambition. I'm pleased to be starting my tenure with a major international conference in Belfast on 19 November 2026, on the very topical issue of how Europe can enhance the security and resilience of its critical infrastructure in the face of unprecedented threats."

President and Principal of King’s, Professor Shitij Kapur said “International collaboration, building critical skills and responding to the global challenges that shape our world are all central to Strategy 2030. Bashir’s latest appointment brings these ambitions together. I am delighted to see his leadership recognised once again, and proud that King’s can share in this achievement."