Gender Equality in Life Sciences
We work within the Athena Swan Charter framework to provide a supportive environment that brings about positive change and breaks the gender barriers in science.
Athena SWAN Charter
The Athena Swan Charter is a framework which is used across the globe to support and transform gender equality within higher education (HE) and research. Athena SWAN is about much more than simply ‘promoting the careers of women in science’, but rather it implements actions that remove barriers so everyone can succeed, which coincidentally benefits underrepresented groups more so than others.
The School of Life Sciences currently holds a Silver award which was awarded in 2019 and is working towards our next application in 2025. We have an Athena SWAN self-assessment team who are responsible for driving some of the initiatives for positive change within the school.
International Women's Day
Every year the school of Life Sciences celebrates International Women’s Day. Here are some of the events and projects we have organised over the years for staff and students:
- 'A life and a career in science' symposium;
- 'Picture a scientist’ film screening and panel. The film showcases the experiences of several prominent female researchers and the various forms of gender inequality they have faced in their careers;
- Seminar on Women’s Health with Brighton-based nutritionist Karen Newby. This seminar included a series of talks on how we can better nourish ourselves to be less anxious/stressed, more energetic and sleeping better;
- ‘Women in science’ panel discussion with the Student Union;
- Workshop on navigating Impostor Syndrome, managing time and boundaries, with Executive coach Freya Blom;
- Podcast series with current and former female Sussex scientists on their experiences of a career in science;
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Women of Sussex photography project. In collaboration with the School of Engineering and Informatics, we commissioned a series of portraits of women working at Sussex in a variety of roles. Each participant contributed a comment on gender equality to accompany the portraits. Explore the photography project.
Soapbox Science
Every year, female researchers from Life Sciences take to Brighton seafront to engage with members of the public with the exciting research being undertaken at Sussex. This is a fun, lively event that is popular every year come rain or shine!
Find out more about Soapbox Science.
If there's anything you would like to bring to the attention of the team, contact Louise Newnham, Athena SWAN lead, at l.j.newnham@sussex.ac.uk