PROFESSOR DAME JULIA HIGGINS DBE FREng FRS FEATUREPROFILE PROLIFIC PROFESSOR PROFESSOR DAME JULIA HIGGINS DBE FREng FRS Dame Julia Higgins’s career has taken her to the top of her profession as a researcher and as a leader of the profession in policy circles. In recent years she has used her position to campaign for more women to rise to the top as engineers and scientists. Michael Kenward talks to her about her career and plans for promoting science, engineering and womens’ role in the profession. Dame Julia Higgins in her office at Imperial College London © Tom Whipps

Scientist or engineer? Dame OVERLAPPING engineering department, I don't PRIORITISING It is no wonder then, that in his 1999 by the UK higher education Dame Julia calls “the whingeing Julia Higgins considers this actually think like other scientists anniversary address to the Royal funding councils, Universities UK brigade”. “The best thing that I question carefully before DISCIPLINES do. I have gone native!” So much PROJECTS Society last year, Lord Rees, and the Office of Science and could do for women in science Bear in mind this is someone answering. Not just because it Boundaries began to fall for so that for the final year before President of the RS, said of Dame Technology, this initiative aims to was to be one, and to be who says that she thinks long came from Ingenia, but because Dame Julia when she chose to she retired in September – in Julia’s workload, “I don't know increase the number of women successful.” and hard before agreeing to take Dame Julia’s career has blurred work on polymers. Like name at least – Dame Julia was how she manages it”. The recruited to top posts in science, on any new task. Among other the boundaries between these materials research in general, Principal of the Faculty of answer, she says, is “by very tight engineering and technology. polymer science is a flexible high profile appointments, she time management. Sometimes Fighting for the position of IN AT THE BEGINNING two cultures. After all, she was Engineering at Imperial College. Dame Julia’s choice of research subject when it comes to already chaired the Engineering with difficulty. I try to take on women in engineering and the first woman to become She had previously tried to area may have helped to finding a home in a university. and Physical Sciences Research things that I really want to do, science was actually a late move both a Fellow of the Royal avoid this job but when it overcome gender boundaries. Sometimes science, sometimes Council (EPSRC) and was the which means that you don't for Dame Julia. “I never did Society and of The Royal became unexpectedly vacant in She was an early expert in a engineering, materials is the Foreign Secretary at the Royal resent having to do it.” campaign for most of my career,” Academy of Engineering. 2006, Imperial wanted time relatively new area of research, quintessential interdisciplinary Society (RS). she says, “I just thought it was a However, as head of one of the before appointing a permanent polymer science, and a brand domain. This latter role was enough pity that there weren’t more of UK’s leading academic replacement. With a year to go new technique, the use of Dame Julia admits though work in itself, with the inevitable THROUGH THE GLASS us.” engineering faculties, at before Dame Julia officially neutron scattering to study the that “fundamentally I am need for foreign travel, not to CEILING Dame Julia preferred a Imperial College, her colleagues retired, and urged to take on the structure of polymers. The few probably a materials scientist”. mention the RS’s decision to This was why Dame Julia Higgins personal approach to the issue clearly see her as being firmly in job by her colleagues, she people around who knew much But, Dame Julia adds quickly, build up its own international accepted the invitation to chair on women in engineering and the engineering camp. abandoned her earlier reluctance. about neutron scattering for “after 30 years in a chemical capability. the Athena Project. Set up in science, rather than joining what polymer science found

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is an enormous difference.” says, helped to persuade other responsibility of being a nuclear weapons. “If Einstein There are, though, still things to organisations to take the issue scientist”, a theme that she first had not written those letters on be done for women in more seriously and to put some started to explore as President of behalf of the nuclear scientists, engineering and science, effort into raising the profile of the British Association for the pointing out what was likely to especially at those senior levels, women in research. The Advancement of Science. This happen, that would have been which is how Dame Julia began to enterprise started with a grant has developed into thinking irresponsible.” be actively involved in the wider of £250,000 from the Higher more broadly about the cause of women in science and Education Funding Council for relationships between scientists engineering in the 1990s. Partly, it England (HEFCE). The amount and engineers, and society. ON THE FRONT LINE This is not how every researcher seems, because being a role seemed enormous to those Some of the problems, says sees the issue. Dame Julia talks model for others to follow was not involved but it was small beer Dame Julia, are down to scientists of her surprise at how long it enough. “I had always assumed for HEFCE, probably the smallest themselves. “Scientists and took a meeting of biologists to that if I looked over my shoulder sum that it could give to engineers have not been very realise that they just might there would be more following up anyone. good at interacting with the possibly have something to say, behind, but there weren’t that HEFCE certainly could not public in a non-paternalistic way.” and a part to play, in influencing many. So I thought I had better spend the money as Athena did, It does not help that some the development, or otherwise, get involved.” in small parcels that could do researchers think that they just of biological weapons. The It was time for Dame Julia some good in the universities. create new knowledge that academics saw themselves as Dame Julia speaking at the Athena Conference with a group of vice chancellors and pro-vice chancellors in February 2002 Higgins to use her own senior “We gave it out as projects, society can then use as it sees fit. completely removed from it, she position for the benefit of those grants or prizes of £10,000, it “I just don’t believe that. Every says with some disbelief. “If themselves in demand from who were following her up the wasn’t so much the money as scientist is also a member of While there are still problems facing women nothing else,”she says, “they are some influential scientists. career ladder. “If you do this when the ‘kite mark’ that universities society. If you are a member of the people who are training the By coincidence, among the you are already professor, dean and got, and having David Sainsbury society with specialist in science and engineering, a lot has students who will go and make people keen to learn about the possibly FREng or FRS you have got give it to them.” knowledge then surely it is your biological weapons. If you can changed for the better during Dame Julia’s technique were two leading a fair amount of clout. I could go responsibility to see that it is train them with the right lights of the scientific and see any senior person and say properly used.” career. “When I became professor here at attitudes, maybe they won’t.” community who also chaired ‘this isn’t working right’.” PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT Dame Julia illustrates her As well as the role of women in Dame Julia does not reserve EPSRC in one of its incarnations point with a lesson from history, Imperial, I was only one of a few women to science, Dame Julia has used her her frustration for blinkered before Dame Julia took on the the famous letters from Albert position as ‘grande dame of scientists. She has worries about do so. There are now 40 or 50.” role – Professor Sir Sam Edwards ATHENA PROJECT Einstein to President Roosevelt The Athena Project, which science’, as one newspaper engineers, not least because, she and Professor Sir Geoff Allen. (in 1939 and 1940), warning him brought together the Academy dubbed her, to talk about “the feels, they are poor As Dame Julia says, “because that Germany might develop and the Royal Society, was an I was using this interesting opportunity to do something technique they got to know me about this. “It involved senior very quickly and they were women and the senior women hugely supportive.”This, she deliberately involved the senior adds was a very positive people at universities. experience and one where “If we organised meetings we being a woman helped. “I have had very senior people there.” always said that, as a woman, if Which is how people like Lord ACHIEVEMENTS you are half-way competent you May and Sir David King ended up Education University of Oxford, BA and DPhil. Her research career has focused on the application of had a huge advantage in that at events. “They were there to they all remember you.” scattering techniques, notably neutron scattering, to the understanding of polymer behaviour. She has make the point.” Dame Julia explored the way that molecular organisation and motion controls material behaviour, most recently in illustrates this with an anecdote RISING TO THE TOP about one woman researcher who polymer blends and mixtures. While there are still problems had been filmed collecting an facing women in science and award from Lord Sainsbury, then Appointed to academic staff in Imperial College in 1976. Professor in 1989, Dean of the City and Guilds engineering, a lot has changed minister for science. The next day, College (Engineering faculty) from 1993 to 1997. Chaired the Academic Opportunities Committee from 1997 for the better during Dame Julia’s when she got back to her career. “When I became professor university, a call from her vice to 2006. Currently the Principal of the Faculty of Engineering, Chair of the Engineering and Physical Sciences here at Imperial, I was only one of chancellor invited her along to Research Council from 2003 to April 2007, Trustee of the National Gallery and of the Daphne Jackson Trust. a few women to do so. There are “come and tell me about your Fellow of the Royal Society and of the Royal Academy of Engineering and a foreign member of the National now 40 or 50.” She then reels off conversation with David Academy of Engineering of the USA. She was made a Dame of the British Empire in 2001 and a Chevalier de a long list of senior positions Sainsbury.” currently held by women. “That The Athena Project has, she la Legion d’Honneur in 2003. She holds honorary doctorates from a number of universities.

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When it comes to the public face of engineering, Dame Julia has high hopes for the Academy’s move to Carlton House Terrace, a few doors down from the Royal Society. This will create something of an academic enclave, where learned societies can work together. “There is a lot that could be done together.”

professor. Even while juggling Being a board member does her portfolio of posts, she fill some slots in the calendar, maintained a long-distance but they are less frequent and research collaboration with a relentless than the treadmill of professor at Dartmouth College recent years. Even though she in the USA. “She does modelling still has a handful of and I have a lot of data on international commitments, polymer blends. Her models are Dame Julia expects to spend the first that I have seen that more time on the longer trips actually tell me something. We she has planned with her have had great fun, and that will partner, a retired chemist. She go on.” might even find time to increase her opera and theatre going, another pursuit sometimes INDUSTRIAL frustrated by a constant round of CROSSOVER official engagements. It certainly Another continuing seems that Dame Julia Higgins commitment is a new adventure has got quite a few more years communicators to the wider down from the Royal Society. for Dame Julia. After a career in before she reaches what she world. “Engineers are very bad This will create something of an which she managed to avoid calls her “sell-by” date. at telling the story. academic enclave, where any temptation to work in “Even within their own learned societies can work industry, in 2006 Dame Julia community, research engineers together. “There is a lot that accepted an invitation to join differ from scientists”, says Dame could be done together.” the board of Lonza Group. “To Julia. For example, many years With feet in both camps, me it is a completely new as a close watcher of the EPSRC Dame Julia is well placed to act experience.” – she was on the council for a as a catalyst in this chemistry. With about 7,000 employees time before being asked to chair She may have retired, but she all over the world, the company it – showed that engineers are gives herself a few more years is based in Basle and makes very hard on grant applications before she reaches, as she puts chemical intermediates and from their colleagues. It isn’t it, her “sell by” date. biopharmaceuticals. Her role is that they mark them down, they What about that retirement? to strengthen their connections just pick each other’s grant Will it really happen? “I will with the R&D community and to proposals to pieces. Scientists certainly not go off into the advise them on innovation aren’t quite so ruthless in their sunset. I will drop about three strategy. “That is going to keep refereeing, it seems. gears, down to a reasonable me busy for a few years.” level.” One ambition is to get back A UNITED FRONT to research after years in the When it comes to the public corridors of power. Imperial has BIOGRAPHY: Michael Kenward OBE face of engineering, Dame Julia made Dame Julia a ‘Senior Michael Kenward has been a freelance writer since 1990 and is has high hopes for the Research Investigator,’their a member of the Ingenia Editorial Board. He is Editor-at-Large Academy’s move to Carlton equivalent of an emeritus of Science|Business. House Terrace, a few doors

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