Atkins Professor of Civil Engineering Appointed at University of Greenwich
The first Atkins Professor of Civil Engineering has been appointed by the University of Greenwich. Chun Qing Li from the University of Dundee will take up the post in September. Design engineer Atkins has backed the new chair with sponsorship of £700,000 over the next five years.
Professor Li is a distinguished academic in the field of structural engineering. His interests include infrastructure projects such as coastal defence systems, nuclear plants and bridges, and he has special expertise in estimating their life-span and developing plans for their long-term management. He has been engaged as a consultant by many companies and organisations, including ESSO and the Ministry of Transport in the Netherlands.
As Professor of Civil Engineering, Chun Qing Li will lead research and teaching, working with Atkins to develop research and enterprise projects which meet the needs of industry. He will build on the university’s links with the private sector and professional bodies, as well as creating a leading-edge civil engineering curriculum featuring both local and international project work.
Keith Clarke, chief executive of Atkins, says: “Professor Li has a tremendous track record and displays all the qualities needed to ensure the University of Greenwich becomes synonymous with civil engineering excellence.
“I’m confident the fruits of our partnership will be very positive, thanks to our shared commitment both to the regeneration of the East Thames Corridor, and to ensuring a strong and diverse pool of future talent within the industry. I can’t overemphasize the importance of investments like this to Atkins, because our people are our most important asset.”
In addition to sponsoring the chair, Atkins will offer work placements and graduate employment opportunities to university students in an initiative to recruit new talent and increase the diversity of its workforce.
Professor Li, who received Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Civil Engineering at Wuhan University of Technology in the People’s Republic of China, went on to study for his PhD at the University of Newcastle in New South Wales, Australia, while working as a structural engineer for a commercial consulting company. In 1994 he took up a post as a research scientist at the Commonwealth Scientific & Industrial Research Organisation in Australia and, in 1996, returned to academic life at Monash University in Melbourne. Since 2000, he has been based in the UK as a senior lecturer at the University of Dundee.
Professor Li says: “I am delighted to be joining the University of Greenwich and I am especially pleased that I will be working closely with Atkins, which is an internationally outstanding company. My ambition is to help the civil engineering department at Greenwich to grow rapidly, training more graduates and providing expertise to more commercial clients, regionally, nationally and internationally.”
Baroness Blackstone, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Greenwich adds: “I am pleased to welcome Professor Li to the university as the first Atkins Chair of Engineering. He has an impressive track record, combining strengths in teaching, research and consultancy. This appointment cements the relationship between Atkins and the University of Greenwich and we look forward to our partnership developing successfully.”
Atkins has more than 5,000 engineers in the UK, almost half of whom work within 20 miles of London. The company has extensive experience of delivering complex regeneration and development initiatives in the capital and, more specifically, East London. The company was the lead consultant for the major project to regenerate the Greenwich Peninsula; assisted in the master planning of the development of London City Airport; and devised the regeneration framework for the Leamouth area of East London.
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Caron Jones
Pulic Relations Unit
University of Greenwich
Tel: 020 8331 8248
Email: caron.jones@gre.ac.uk