The Annual Conference for Teachers and Advisers 2025

Professor Colin Bailey is the President and Principal of Queen Mary University of London, a Russell Group University with a history dating back to 1785.  The University has 33,000 students, over 6,000 staff and a turnover of £720m. He is an internationally recognised Chartered Structural, Civil and Fire Engineer who has authored more than 140 research papers and practical design guides.

After leaving school at 16, he began his career as an apprentice draughtsman. He worked for construction and consultant companies Lovell Construction, Cameron Taylor Partners, and Clarke Nicholls and Marcel, before being accepted to study a degree at Sheffield University through their widening participation programme. 

Following his PhD, he returned to industry to work for the Steel Construction Institute and the Building Research Establishment, before joining the University of Manchester in 2002 as Professor of Structural Engineering.  He became Head of School in 2007, Vice-President in 2009, and Deputy President in 2014. 

He has significant non-executive experience in education, charity, health, cultural, engineering and commercial sectors.

Professor Bailey is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for services to engineering in January 2020.