College of Science & Engineering

I am the EDI committee chair in the School of Physics and Astronomy. We have a fantastic committee of 14 members across all job families, who are responsible for implementing our Action Plan, and steering us through Athena Swan and Project Juno applications (the Institute of Physics gender award, reciprocal with Athena Swan).

 

 

 

Throughout my career, I have always had an interest in encouraging women and girls to study Physics. It's such a rewarding subject but too often seen as hard in schools and the workplace and more suited to boys. I've participated in various events over the years, as an undergraduate speaker at 'Girls into Science Open Days', later as a founder and organiser of a conference for undergraduate women in Canada, and more recently as organiser of a range of outreach events for high school students with an inclusion remit. Seeing young people excited about science is a great reminder of why we do the job.

 

My perspective on EDI has also been formed through my own experiences: being the only woman in my research group in previous positions; dealing with issues that affect women and minoritised groups disproportionately such as harassment, and imposter syndrome; and as a parent in academia. I am determined that the academic career path and our workplace more generally will continue to become a better, more inclusive one.

 

Our School's current Action Plan focuses on improving induction processes, working on recruitment, and professional conduct. Our School also has vibrant staff-student networks GWiP (Glasgow Women in Physics) and JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Physics), hosting regular lunchtime events.

 

More information on the committee's work, including staff and student statistics, links to University policy, and our current Action Plan, are available on our School webpages.