17 Facts About Ann Dowling

Dame Ann Patricia Dowling was born on 15 July 1952 and is a British mechanical engineer who researches combustion, acoustics and vibration, focusing on efficient, low-emission combustion and reduced road vehicle and aircraft noise.

Ann Dowling was President of the Royal Academy of Engineering from 2014 to 2019, the Academy's first female president.

Ann Dowling was educated at Ursuline Convent School, Westgate, Kent, and the University of Cambridge, where after studying mathematics at undergraduate level, and following a summer job at the Royal Aircraft Establishment, she was awarded a PhD degree in 1978.

Ann Dowling's doctorate was in aeroacoustics, specifically on the Concorde noise problem.

Ann Dowling is one of four main panel chairs for the Research Excellence Framework.

On 3 February 2012, BP announced that Dowling was to become a non-executive director with immediate effect.

Ann Dowling has been a non-executive board member at BIS since February 2014.

Ann Dowling was elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering in 1996 and a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2003.

Ann Dowling is a leading authority on developments that are enabling the control of unstable combustion systems in both aeronautics and power generation.

Ann Dowling was the first to understand the mechanics of the jet engine instability known as reheat buzz.

Ann Dowling's research and academic leadership are admired internationally and she is a strong research leader.

Ann Dowling was elected an international member of the National Academy of Engineering in 2008 for advances in acoustics and unsteady flow, and for leadership in collaborative research between industry and universities.

In February 2013 Ann Dowling was listed as one of the 100 most powerful women in the United Kingdom by Woman's Hour on BBC Radio 4.

Ann Dowling is a Patron of the Women's Engineering Society.

In January 2014 Ann Dowling was nominated for election as President of the Royal Academy of Engineering.

Ann Dowling was appointed a CBE in 2002 and promoted to DBE in 2007.

In November 2017, Dowling was elected to the Chinese Academy of Engineering alongside 18 foreign individuals including Bill Gates and L Rafael Reif.