Karen Margaret Holford (born 1962) is a Welsh engineer, Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive of

Cranfield University , mottoeng = After clouds light , established = 1946 - College of Aeronautics 1969 - Cranfield Institute of Technology (gained university status by royal charter) 1993 - Cranfield University (adopted current name) , type = Public research uni ...

. She was formerly Deputy

Vice-Chancellor A chancellor is a leader of a college or university, usually either the executive or ceremonial head of the university or of a university campus within a university system. In most Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth and former Commonwealth n ...

Cardiff University , latin_name = , image_name = Shield of the University of Cardiff.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms of Cardiff University , motto = cy, Gwirionedd, Undod a Chytgord , mottoeng = Truth, Unity and Concord , established = 1 ...

. 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 Acoustic emission (AE) is the phenomenon of radiation of acoustic (elastic) waves in solids that occurs when a material undergoes irreversible changes in its internal structure, for example as a result of crack formation or plastic deformation due t ...

and her work has been applied to damage assessment inspections on industrial components.

Education

Holford was educated at Newent Comprehensive School and read

mechanical engineering Mechanical engineering is the study of physical machines that may involve force and movement. It is an engineering branch that combines engineering physics and mathematics principles with materials science, to design, analyze, manufacture, and ...

at the

University of Wales Institute of Science and Technology A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...

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 A Bachelor of Engineering (BEng) or a Bachelor of Science in Engineering (BSE) is an academic undergraduate degree awarded to a student after three to five years of studying engineering at an accredited college or university. In the UK, a Bache ...

degree in 1984 followed by a

PhD PHD or PhD may refer to: * Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), an academic qualification Entertainment * '' PhD: Phantasy Degree'', a Korean comic series * ''Piled Higher and Deeper'', a web comic * Ph.D. (band), a 1980s British group ** Ph.D. (Ph.D. albu ...

from University College, Cardiff in 1987. 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.

Career and research

During her time at Rolls-Royce Holford contributed to the construction of the

Adour The Adour (; eu, Aturri; oc, Ador) is a river in southwestern France. It rises in High-Bigorre (Pyrenees), in the commune of Aspin-Aure, and flows into the Atlantic Ocean (Bay of Biscay) near Bayonne. It is long, of which the uppermost ca. i ...

and

Pegasus Pegasus ( grc-gre, Πήγασος, Pḗgasos; la, Pegasus, Pegasos) is one of the best known creatures in Greek mythology. He is a winged divine stallion usually depicted as pure white in color. He was sired by Poseidon, in his role as hor ...

engines with help from engineers across Europe and the United States and development work in advanced engineering. After completing the course Holford was employed at local company AB Electronic Products as a senior engineer. 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 system An anti-lock braking system (ABS) is a safety anti-skid braking system used on aircraft and on land vehicles, such as cars, motorcycles, trucks, and buses. ABS operates by preventing the wheels from locking up during braking, thereby maintaini ...

s in BMW road cars. Holford also developed electronic products for

Jaguar Cars Jaguar (, ) is the luxury vehicle brand of Jaguar Land Rover, a British multinational car manufacturer with its headquarters in Whitley, Coventry, England. Jaguar Cars was the company that was responsible for the production of Jaguar cars ...

and Rover motor cars. 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. 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 The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) is a British Research Council that provides government funding for grants to undertake research and postgraduate degrees in engineering and the physical sciences, mainly to universi ...

(EPSRC), Innovate UK,

Knowledge Transfer Partnerships Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTP) is a partly government-funded programme to encourage collaboration between businesses and universities in the United Kingdom. History KTP was launched in 2003, replacing the Teaching Company Scheme (TCS), wh ...

(KTP),

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...

and industry. Her primary research is damage assessment inspections using

(AE) applied across several industrial applications, including bridges, aerospace landing gear and composite materials, concrete and metals. 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.

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, 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. She is also Chief Executive and Vice-Chancellor at

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 The Welsh Woman of the Year award was inaugurated in 1994 to honour high-achieving women in Wales. Its stated aim is "to promote the role women have in the workplace and in every sector of society". The award is sponsored by the National Assembly ...

in Science and Technology. She was awarded the

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Excellence Award for “personal contribution to engineering and a long term commitment to supporting girls and young women in science and engineering” in 2007, and in 2016 won the

Chwarae Teg Chwarae Teg (Welsh for "Fair Play") is a United Kingdom based charity working in Wales to support the economic development of women as well as working with businesses and organisations to develop and improve working practices. History Chwarae ...

Womenspire 'Women in Education' Award. Holford is a Chartered Engineer, a Fellow of the

Institution of Mechanical Engineers The Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) is an independent professional association and learned society headquartered in London, United Kingdom, that represents mechanical engineers and the engineering profession. With over 120,000 member ...

(FIMechE),

Fellow A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

of the

Learned Society of Wales The Learned Society of Wales (Welsh: Cymdeithas Ddysgedig Cymru) is a learned society and charity that exists to "celebrate, recognise, preserve, protect and encourage excellence in all of the scholarly disciplines", and to serve the Welsh nation ...

(FLSW), Fellow of the Women's Engineering Society (FWES), and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering (FREng) in 2015. In 2016 she was named in the inaugural ''Daily Telegraph'''s list of the ''Top 50 Women in Engineering''. She won the Suffrage Science award in 2019. She was appointed

Commander of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(CBE) in the

2018 New Year Honours The 2018 New Year Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebratio ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Holford, Karen Living people Academics of Cardiff University Rolls-Royce people Fellows of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers Fellows of the Learned Society of Wales Fellows of the Royal Academy of Engineering Female Fellows of the Royal Academy of Engineering Commanders of the Order of the British Empire 21st-century women engineers Fellows of the Women's Engineering Society 1962 births