I am currently the President and Principal of Queen Mary University of London, a Russell Group University with a history dating back to 1785, situated in East London. The University has 33,000 students, over 6000 staff, with staff and students from 170 countries, and a turnover of £720m.After leaving School at 16, I began my career as an apprentice draughtsman in 1984 working for Lovell Construction. I then joined engineering design consultants Cameron Taylor Bedford in 1986 and Clarke Nicholls & Marcel in 1988, where I designed and supervised the construction of a number of buildings. In 1989, the University of Sheffield offered me the opportunity to go to university through their widening participation initiative, where I studied for my BEng and PhD degree in Civil and Structural Engineering. After a spell as a Research Assistant, I joined the Steel Construction Institute in 1996, followed by a move to the Building Research Establishment in 1998, where I contributed to developments in structural and fire engineering. I joined the University of Manchester in 2002, as a Professor of Structural Engineering. In 2007 I became Head of the School of Mechanical, Aerospace & Civil Engineering and then Vice-President and Dean of the Faculty of Science & Engineering in 2009. I became Deputy President and Deputy Vice-Chancellor in 2014, with the University having 38,000 students, over 11,000 staff and a turnover in excess of £1 Billion.I am author of over 140 research papers and practical design guides, with the award of nine prizes for my research work. I am a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers, a Fellow of the Institution of Structural Engineers, and a member of the Institution of Fire Engineers. In January 2020 I was awarded a CBE for services to EngineeringI have been the lead expert in reviewing the structural fire design on a number of iconic buildings in London, including The Shard, The Pinnacle, Heron Tower and Leadenhall. I have also been an expert witness involved in explaining the collapse of the World Trade Centre 7 Building in 2001. I also provided expert advice to the UK Government on building safety issues post Grenfell. I have extensive experience as Chair, Trustee, Non-Executive Director and advisor in the education, charity, health, cultural, engineering and commercial sectors.