HawleyÕs academic career is long and distinguished. From 1979 to 1987 she taught at the Architectural Association School of Architecture, and from 1987 to 1993 she was head of the University of East London School of Architecture (formerly PEL). In 1993 she became a professor of architectural studies at LondonÕs Bartlett School of Architecture, Building, Environmental Design and Planning, and in 1999 was made Dean of the Faculty of the Built Environment and Head of School at the Bartlett, the largest graduate school specialising in the built environment in the UK.

Hawley has been a member of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) since 1982 and a fellow since 1983. Currently she is a member of the Design Review Committee of the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment, established in 1999.

Christine Hawley completed her Architectural Association Diploma at the Architectural Association School of Architecture, London, in 1975. While she was completing her studies, she worked in the Department of Environment in London and practiced with Renton, Howard, Wood and Levin Architects, also in London. From 1972 to 1973 she practiced with De Soissons Partnership Architects and Yorke Rosenberg and Mardell (YRM) Architects, both in London.

In 1975, Hawley became a partner in Cook and Hawley Architects, London. In 1978 she registered as a British architect (ARCUK) and practiced with Pearson International Architects in London. In 1998 she established Christine Hawley Architects, also in London.