Julia_Higgins
Julia_Higgins
Julia_Higgins
Education
Higgins was educated at the Ursuline High School,
Wimbledon and Somerville College, Oxford where she
was awarded Master of Arts and DPhil
degrees.[8][9][10]
Career
Higgins in 2019
In 1999, Higgins was elected as a member of the Born Julia Stretton Downes
National Academy of Engineering for the application 1 July 1942[1]
of neutron scattering and reflectivity to polymeric Surbiton, London, England[2]
materials, and for service to the scientific community. Alma mater Somerville College, Oxford (MA,
DPhil)
Higgins chaired the Advisory Committee on
Mathematics Education (ACME) from 2008 to 2012. Awards Sir Frank Whittle Medal (2020)
She is also a former chair (1998–2003) of the Athena Holweck Prize (2006)
Project, which aims for the advancement of women in DBE (2001)
science, engineering and technology (SET), in Higher FRS (1995)
Education. Between 2003 and 2007, she was also chair
FREng (1999)
of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research
Council. Higgins was president of the Institution of Scientific career
Chemical Engineers 2002–03, and president of the Fields Polymer science
British Association for the Advancement of Science
Neutron scattering
2003–04. She was elected a Fellow of the Royal
Society in 1995,[9] and was its foreign secretary 2001– Institutions Imperial College London
In April 2003, she became chair of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and was
succeeded by John Armitt on 1 April 2007. In June 2006, Higgins was appointed principal of the Faculty
of engineering at Imperial College London. The Faculty of engineering at Imperial College is one of the
largest in the UK, comprising nine departments with 1,000 staff, over 4,200 students and an annual
turnover of around £80 million. She is a member of the World Knowledge Dialogue Scientific Board,
president of the ESPCI ParisTech Scientific Committee.[15]
She is a Patron of WISE, a charitable organisation that encourages young women to pursue careers in
Science, engineering and Construction,[16] as well as a member of the Advisory Council for the
Campaign for Science and Engineering.[17]
She served as president of the Institute of Physics from 1 October 2017 to 30 September 2019.[18]
After obtaining a first degree in Physics the candidate undertook research in the field of
Physical Chemistry. She started using neutron scattering as a tool for investigating molecular
structure and dynamics at this stage, first applying the techniques to the study of polymers
while a post-doctoral research assistant in the Chemistry Department at Manchester. She was
closely involved with the development of new techniques, their application in Polymer Science
and the formation of an international community of scientists using these techniques while
employed as a Physicist at the Institut Laue-Langevin, Grenoble.[9] Since [sic] returning to the
UK at Imperial she has built an internationally recognised group. She is well-known for her
studies of the dynamics of polymer molecules, especially in the bulk state and, more recently
the thermodynamics and demixing processes in polymer blends. Dr Higgins has a wonderful
ability for recognizing when a new area of polymer science is ripe for experimental study and
has a row of 'firsts' to her credit.[19]
References
1. "HIGGINS, Dame Julia (Stretton)" (https://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whoswh
o/U20092). Who's Who. Vol. 2014 (online edition via Oxford University Press ed.). A & C
Black. (Subscription or UK public library membership (https://www.ukwhoswho.com/page/subscri
be#public) required.)
2. Higgins, Julia (2011). "Professor Dame Julia Higgins" (https://sounds.bl.uk/related-content/T
RANSCRIPTS/021T-C1379X0055XX-0000A1.pdf) (PDF). National Life Stories: An Oral
History of British Science (Interview). Interviewed by Thomas Lean. The British Library. Ref
no: C1379/55.
3. Julia Higgins's publications (https://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.url?authorId=740211972
4) indexed by the Scopus bibliographic database. (subscription required)
4. "Dame Julia Higgins profile" (http://www.imperial.ac.uk/AP/faces/pages/read/Home.jsp?pers
on=j.higgins&_adf.ctrl-state=12wlum3ndv_131&_afrRedirect=1728436067837551).
Retrieved 18 April 2014.
5. Professor Dame Julia Higgins' profile (http://www.ingenia.org.uk/ingenia/articles.aspx?Index
=423) Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20150924035139/http://www.ingenia.org.uk/ing
enia/articles.aspx?Index=423) 24 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine, Ingenia,
September 2007
6. Symposium Opening speech by Julia Higgins 2008 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MB
FIXB2kTjw) on YouTube
7. The Royal Society's The Vision Committee's Vision for the future of Science and Maths
Education (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwSe1nQaiQ4) on YouTube, chaired by Julia
Higgins
8. Higgins, Julia Stretton (1968). Inelastic scattering of neutrons from clathrate inclusion
compounds and molecules in molecular sieves (http://solo.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/OXVU1:LSCO
P_OX:oxfaleph020545024). bodleian.ox.ac.uk (DPhil thesis). University of Oxford.
9. "Life Stories in association with the British Library" (https://sounds.bl.uk/related-content/TRA
NSCRIPTS/021T-C1379X0055XX-0000A1.pdf) (PDF). Sounds.bl.uk. Retrieved 1 December
2016.
10. Al-Khalili, Jim (2016). "Julia Higgins on polymers, interview on The Life Scientific" (https://w
ww.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b083n2jg). bbc.co.uk. London: BBC.
11. "List of Fellows" (https://web.archive.org/web/20190402080731/https://www.raeng.org.uk/ab
out-us/the-fellowship/list-of-fellows). Royal Academy of Engineering. Archived from the
original (https://www.raeng.org.uk/about-us/the-fellowship/list-of-fellows) on 2 April 2019.
Retrieved 2 July 2022.
12. "Professor Dame Julia Higgins" (https://www.imperial.ac.uk/people/j.higgins/honours-and-m
emberships.html). Retrieved 21 April 2018.
13. "The Queen's birthday Honours" (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/uk/2001/birthday_hono
urs_2001/1390779.stm). News.bbc.co.uk. 2001. Retrieved 17 April 2014.
14. "Somerville College Oxford web-site" (http://www.some.ox.ac.uk/people/julia-stretton-higgin
s/). Some.ox.ac.uk. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
15. "ESPCI Paris : Conseil scientifique international" (https://web.archive.org/web/20110720215
318/http://www.espci.fr/fr/espci-paristech/organisation/conseil-scientifique-international).
Espci.fr. Archived from the original (https://www.espci.fr/fr/espci-paristech/organisation/cons
eil-scientifique-international) on 20 July 2011. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
16. "About Us" (https://web.archive.org/web/20081231204024/http://www.wisecampaign.org.uk/
about_us.cfm). Archived from the original (http://www.wisecampaign.org.uk/about_us.cfm)
on 31 December 2008. Retrieved 22 December 2008.
17. "Advisory Council of the Campaign for Science and Engineering" (https://web.archive.org/w
eb/20100828110110/http://www.sciencecampaign.org.uk/about/who/advisory.htm).
Sciencecampaign.org.uk. Archived from the original (http://www.sciencecampaign.org.uk/ab
out/who/advisory.htm) on 28 August 2010. Retrieved 11 February 2011.
18. "Dame Julia Higgins to be the IOP's next president-elect" (http://www.iop.org/news/15/may/p
age_65632.html). Iop.org. Retrieved 10 July 2015.
19. "EC/1995/11: Higgins, Dame Julia Stretton" (https://www.webcitation.org/6RTYB2Iih?url=htt
ps://collections.royalsociety.org/DServe.exe?dsqIni=Dserve.ini&dsqApp=Archive&dsqDb=C
atalog&dsqCmd=show.tcl&dsqSearch=(RefNo==%27EC/1995/11%27)). London, UK: The
Royal Society. Archived from the original (https://collections.royalsociety.org/DServe.exe?ds
qIni=Dserve.ini&dsqApp=Archive&dsqDb=Catalog&dsqCmd=show.tcl&dsqSearch=(RefNo=
=%27EC/1995/11%27)) on 31 July 2014.
20. "Board of Trustees" (http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/about-us/organisation/board-of-trustee
s/minutes-of-the-board/march-2010). National Gallery. 2010. Retrieved 17 April 2014.
21. "Heriot-Watt University Edinburgh: Honorary Graduates" (https://web.archive.org/web/20160
418163907/http://www1.hw.ac.uk/graduation/honorary-graduates.htm). 1.hw.ac.uk. Archived
from the original (http://www1.hw.ac.uk/graduation/honorary-graduates.htm) on 18 April
2016. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
22. "THE uk's MOST OUTSTANDING WOMEN IN SET ANNOUNCED : News from UK
Resource Centre for Women (UKRC)" (https://web.archive.org/web/20110721032413/http://
www.pandct.com/media/shownews.asp?ID=24492). Archived from the original (http://www.p
andct.com/media/shownews.asp?ID%3D24492) on 21 July 2011. Retrieved 19 November
2010.
23. "Imperial unveils historic portrait of leading female scientist" (http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/new
sandeventspggrp/imperialcollege/newssummary/news_23-6-2014-9-56-15).
3.imperial.ac.uk. 23 June 2014. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
24. "State of the Nation: Science and mathematics education 14–19" (https://royalsociety.org/to
pics-policy/projects/state-of-nation/14-19/). royalsociety.org. 2008. Retrieved 1 January
2020.
25. "Sir Frank Whittle Medal" (https://www.raeng.org.uk/grants-prizes/prizes/prizes-and-medals/i
ndividual-medals/whittle-medal). Retrieved 14 September 2020.