Dame Julia on chemistry and chemical engineering

Over 100 guests turned out to hear IChemE past president, Dame Julia Higgins, speak at a special  Joint Victorian Chemical Engineering Committee (IChemE & EA) and RACI annual dinner, as part of the International Year of Chemistry (IYC) celebrations earlier this month.

The prestigious dinner was held in Melbourne’s dockland precinct, highlighting its waterfront as the event backdrop, but the spotlight was on Dame Julia, who was visiting our shores from the UK as part of the IYC Australian celebrations.

Dame Julia gave an account of her experience in chemistry and chemical engineering, peppered with antidotes and observations. She also talked about the modern challenges facing chemical engineers and scientists and said that many of today's societal challenges will rely upon chemical engineering solutions.

“We need to combine the art of engineering the possible with this new science from the word go, and all this requires proper training and resources,” said Dame Julia.

She also talked about the role of professional institutions like IChemE and how they must also adapt in a changing world: “Chemical engineering now has a much broader definition than in the past and IChemE has expanded its membership grades to better incorporate those who have no chemical engineering qualifications but an interest in the subject and also for those individuals that hold a senior post in our industry without a chemical engineering background, via Affiliate and Associate Fellow grades respectively." 

Dame Julia is Professor of Polymer Science at the department of chemical engineering and chemical technology, Imperial College London.

She is highly regarded for her multi-disciplinary research into the understanding of organisational and motion of polymer molecules.  Her research explores boundaries between materials chemistry and engineering through neutron scattering techniques.

In addition to her research achievements, Dame Julia has pioneered exploration of the responsibilities of being a modern scientist and has been instrumental in bringing consideration of gender issues to the political forefront.