Karen Holford facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Dame Karen Holford DBE FREng FLSW FIMechE
Born	Karen Margaret Holford 1962 (age 62–63)
Education	Newent Comprehensive School
Alma mater	University of Wales (BEng, PhD)
Awards	Suffrage Science award (2019)
Scientific career
Fields	Mechanical engineering Acoustic emission
Institutions	Cranfield University Rolls-Royce Holdings Cardiff University
Thesis	The nondestructive testing of wire ropes by acoustic emission (1987)

Dame Karen Margaret Holford (born in 1962) is an amazing engineer and professor from Wales. She is currently the leader of Cranfield University. Before this, she was a top leader at Cardiff University. She is well-known for her research on something called acoustic emission. This work helps check for damage in industrial parts.

Becoming an Engineer

Karen Holford went to Newent Community School. She then studied mechanical engineering at the University of Wales. This was a big step for her, as she was the first in her family to go to university. A company called Rolls-Royce even helped pay for her studies!

It's interesting that her school art teacher encouraged her to study engineering. Her careers advisor, however, thought engineering was mostly for boys. But Karen didn't let that stop her! She earned her first degree in 1984 and a PhD in 1987.

Working in Engineering

After finishing her studies, Karen Holford worked at Rolls-Royce. She helped build important parts for jet engines, like the Adour and Pegasus engines. She worked with engineers from many different countries.

Later, she became a senior engineer at AB Electronic Products. Here, she helped create special sensors for car brakes. These sensors were used in BMW cars to help prevent skidding. She also developed electronic parts for Jaguar Cars and Rover cars.

Teaching and Research

In 1990, Karen Holford started teaching at Cardiff University. She helped create a new engineering course. This course aimed to connect university learning with real-world industry.

She has written over 170 research papers. Her main research focuses on finding damage in materials using acoustic emission (AE). This is like listening for tiny sounds that materials make when they are stressed or damaged. Her work helps check things like bridges, airplane landing gear, and different types of metals and composites.

Karen and her team also work on improving how AE finds damage. They are developing ways to collect energy and use tiny sensors. This could lead to systems that automatically check the health of structures. She also supported Cardiff University's Formula Student team, which builds racing cars.

Helping Others in Engineering

Karen Holford is a strong supporter of engineering. She works with many groups to encourage young people to become engineers. She wants more students, especially girls, to see engineering as an exciting career. She is now the chief executive and vice-chancellor at Cranfield University. This means she leads the whole university!

Awards and Recognition

Karen Holford has received many awards for her important work:

• In 2002, she won a Royal Academy prize for 'Engineering Excellence'.
• In 2006, she was named Welsh Woman of the Year in Science and Technology.
• In 2007, she received the WISE Excellence Award. This was for her personal contributions to engineering and for helping young women in science.
• In 2016, she won the Chwarae Teg Womenspire 'Women in Education' Award.

She is also a Chartered Engineer. She is a Fellow of several important engineering groups. These include the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and the Royal Academy of Engineering. In 2016, she was listed among the Top 50 Women in Engineering by the Daily Telegraph. She won the Suffrage Science award in 2019. She was also honored by the Queen, becoming a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in 2018 and a Dame (DBE) in 2024.