The
department of Biological Sciences Athena Swan Committee are delighted to
announce that we have had our Bronze Athena Swan Award renewed. Originally, the
department was one of the first in Ireland to receive this award, recognizing
our early leadership and commitment towards achieving equality for all staff
and students.
The
application was co-chaired by Dr. James Brown and Dr. Audrey O’Grady, and made
possible by the hard work and helping hands of many staff and students in the
department over several months. This award recognizes the department's
commitment to creating a workplace that is inclusive, welcoming, and where
everyone is treated equally, and with dignity and respect. This culture is
important to us, to inspire and support all our students and staff, and we
follow the motto “if you can see it, you can be it”, both as educators and as
leaders in our communities.
The Athena SWAN
charter is a framework that is used internationally to support and transform
gender equality in higher education and research. The charter launched in
Ireland in 2015 with a specific remit to encourage and recognise commitment to
advancing the careers of women STEMM employment. The charter has since been
expanded to include arts, humanities, social sciences, business and law
(AHSSBL) and staff working in professional, managerial and support roles
(PMSS). Notably, the department of Biological Sciences is the first department
in UL to have a PMSS champion- Jackie Kennedy. We look forward to implementing
our plan over the next 4 years, further building our department into a place
where everyone is truly treated equally, and is a beacon of diversity and
inclusiveness.
