Emerita Professor Helen James, born and brought up in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria has enjoyed a varied career as a mechanical engineer in the shipbuilding and space sectors, lecturer in further education, senior academic in higher education, and twenty years senior executive leadership in three universities. Helen is the former Deputy Vice Chancellor of Canterbury Christ Church University where notably, she led the diversification and expansion of the academic portfolio, a new School of Engineering, Computing and Built Environment, the new Verena Holmes STEHM Building a substantial repositioning of the University’s contribution within the economy and a reimagined student support and wellbeing service.
Throughout her career Helen has supported, challenged and committed energies to equality, diversity and inclusion, particularly social inclusion and women into engineering, including research, academic delivery, mentoring, executive and non-executive leadership, including setting up of the Wrexham Science Discovery Centre.
Helen is active within education and engineering nationally and regionally, providing non-executive input to The Institution of Mechanical Engineers (Chair of Education and Skills Board), The Royal Society (Chair Technical and Further Education), Vice Chair of Turner Schools, a Multi Academy Trust, Advisor to Primary Engineer, contributor to the Royal Academy of Engineering and supporter/judge of various awards.
Helen was awarded an OBE in the 2020 Queens birthday honours list and an honorary doctorate from University of Cumbria in 2023.
