Athena Swan
Athena Swan at the School of
Engineering
The School is committed to the principles of Athena Swan and wants to achieve an improved gender balance at all levels, from student through to academic and research staff.
The Athena Swan Charter
The Athena Swan Charter is a framework used across the globe to support and transform gender equality within higher education (HE) and research. It was established in 2005 to encourage and recognise the commitment to advancing women's careers in science, technology, engineering, maths and medicine (STEMM) employment. The Charter is now being used across the globe to address gender equality more broadly and not just barriers to progression that affect women. Read more at Athena Swan CharterLink opens in a new window.
Our Athena Swan Award
We are delighted to announce that the School of Engineering has been successful in achieving a Gold charter mark following our January 2025 application.
This is the highest honour for exceptional and sustained commitment to gender equality in higher education and research.
The award recognises the School’s long-term strategic efforts to embed inclusive practices, support underrepresented groups, and build a diverse, equitable academic environment.
The School obtained a Silver charter mark in 2019 and a Bronze charter mark in 2013.
Our Commitments
- Advancing gender equality in academia by addressing the loss of women across the career pipeline and the absence of women from senior academic, professional and support roles.
- Addressing unequal gender representation across academic disciplines and professional and support functions.
- Tackling the gender pay gap.
- Removing the obstacles faced by women, in particular, at major points of career development and progression including the transition from PhD into a sustainable academic career.
- Addressing the negative consequences of using short-term contracts for the retention and progression of staff in academia, particularly women.
- Examining gendered occupational segregation and elevating the status, voice and career opportunities of any identified under-valued and at-risk groups.
- Mitigating the gendered impact of caring responsibilities and career breaks, supporting flexibility and maintaining a healthy 'whole life balance'.
Our Athena Swan Gold Application
The redacted version of our Gold application can be downloaded here.
Women in Engineering
Scholarships Programme
The Women in Engineering Scholarships Programme is open to first year undergraduates.
Read more about our Women in Engineering Scholars Programme...
Resources and inspiration
Our facts and figures
The infographics below show the proportion of staff and students who are female in the School of Engineering. Additionally, 1% of our students identify as non-binary. The data was correct at 31/1/2025.
Undergraduate students |
|
female21% |
|
Postgraduate taught students |
|
female36% |
|
Academic staff |
|
female19% |
|
Academic Professorial staff |
|
female20% |
|
Professional Services Administrative staff |
|
female75% |
|
Professional Services Technical staff |
|
female11% |
|
Postgraduate research students |
|
female29% |
|
Our Strategic Priorities to 2025
- Encouraging Appraisals
- Community Growth
- Career Pipeline: PGR to Early-Career Academic
- Intersectionality among staff and students
- Engineering Discipline Focus
Equality and Diversity
Read more about the School's commitment to Equality and Diversity (E&D)
Our Self-Assessment Team
- Modupe Jimoh (Chair)
- Marina Antoniou
- Claire Barratt
- Joanna Collingwood
- Gary Fowmes
- Xueyu Geng
- Luke Hall
- Kerrie Hatton
- Amy Hamson
- Victoria Jelicic
- Natasha Khovanova
- Derek Ma
- Busola Oronti
- Angeles Rivero Pacho
- Chris Stokes
- Kathryn Thompson
- Caroline Whitehouse
Previous members
- Akinola Ajayi-Obe
- Charity Bellan
- Sanchari Deb
- Peter Lever
- Sarah Lewis
- John Maxwell
- Inga Naruseviciute
- Jody Nwaelene
- Naveen Krishna Pandikkadavil
- Pippa Taylor-McGill
- David Towers
- Manuelo Trejo