Julia King became Principal of the Faculty of Engineering in autumn 2004.

Professor King was awarded her PhD in metal fatigue and fracture from New Hall, Cambridge.

After 16 years as an academic researcher and university lecturer, in 1994 she joined Rolls-Royce Aerospace Group as Head of Materials, was appointed Managing Director of Rolls-Royce Fan Systems in 1998, and in 2000 she joined the newly enlarged Rolls-Royce Marine Business as Director, Engineering and Technology. In 2002 Julia left Rolls-Royce to take on a new challenge as Chief Executive of the Institute of Physics.

Julia received her CBE in the 1999 Queen's Birthday Honours list for services to materials engineering.