Dame Julie Maxton is Chair of the Ada Lovelace Institute. She is also Executive Director of the Royal Society, the first woman to hold the post. In her role at the Royal Society, she has brought scientists and members of the judiciary together around areas of mutual interest,  and particularly to make sure that the best possible scientific guidance is available to the courts.

Before taking up her position at the Royal Society in 2011, she was Registrar at the University of Oxford. She is an Honorary Fellow of University College Oxford, a Bencher of the Middle Temple, a Freeman of the Goldsmith’s Company and a Board member of Sense about Science.

In the past she has also been a board member of the Alan Turing Institute, the Blavatnik School of Government in Oxford, Haberdasher Aske’s School (Elstree), Engineering UK, Charities Aid Foundation and the Faraday Institute.

Originally trained as a barrister, she combined a career as a practising lawyer with that of an academic, holding senior academic positions, including Deputy Vice Chancellor, Professor and Dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Auckland, New Zealand.

Academic and other recognition she has received include a CBE (2017), DBE (2023), and Honorary Degrees from the Universities of Huddersfield, Warwick, Canterbury, Hull, Bristol and Brunel.  She is the author of numerous articles concerned with trusts, equity, commercial and property law.