Athena Swan

What is Athena Swan? 

The Athena SWAN Charter offers a framework around which institutions and departments can devise a strategic approach to promote cultural and systemic change and tackle gender inequality in Higher Education. Member institutions who sign up to the charter commit to adopting ten guiding principles, and are expected to apply for an Athena SWAN award as recognition of their work towards gender parity. There is evidence that adopting the Athena SWAN Charter supports cultural and behavioural change – not just around gender equality, but equality and diversity in all its forms.

Our Athena Swan journey

Building an equitable and inclusive community is a long journey that requires strategy and commitment from all levels of an organisation. The IoN Athena SWAN Self-Assessment Committee was first established in 2012. The Institute received its first Bronze Award on 2013, followed by an upgrade to Silver in 2015. In December 2019, we submitted an application for the renewal of our Silver award, which was successfully granted in the summer of 2020. Find our 2019 Silver Award Application here. In 2025 we renewed our commitment to the Transformed Athena Swan principles (document below) and applied for a Gold Athena Swan award (application below) which we received in 2026.

What does the Athena Swan accreditation process entails and how does it promote equality in our Institute?

An Athena Swan award represents a significant commitment to gender equity, involving a large amount of work in analysing data and developing and delivering action plans that respond to the priorities identified. Three levels of Athena SWAN Awards - Bronze, Silver or Gold - recognise how far an institution/department has come on its journey towards gender equality. The prerequisites vary for each of the award levels, but they all rely on a foundation of:

• assessment of gender equality in the institution/department, including quantitative (staff and student data) and qualitative (policies, practices, systems and arrangements) evidence and identifying both challenges and opportunities
• a five-year Action Plan that builds on this assessment, information on activities that are already in place and what has been learned from these
• the development of an organisational structure, including a self-assessment team, to carry proposed actions forward.

At a Silver Award level a department needs to be able show it has taken action in response to previously identified challenges and demonstrate the impact of these actions. This data-driven methodology embeds a culture of continuous self-assessment, robust data collection and critical review of evidence that promotes transparency and holds departments accountable for change.

At the IoN we are aiming to use the Athena Swan methodology to understand the layers of disproportionated attrition affecting some of our staff and students, and we will devise evidence-based actions to drive positive change. 

To learn more about the Athena SWAN Charter, the self-assessment process, how to apply for an award and the support available to departments at UCL, please visit the UCL Athena SWAN SharePoint website. 

Who are IoN Athena Swan Leads and what is their role in our department?

The Athena SWAN Leads oversee the progress of our Gender Equity work against the Athena Swan Action plan and provide strategic leadership to advance our Equalities work. 

The Athena Swan Leads seat as Deputy Chairs in the IoN EDI Committee, providing support to IoN’s Deputy Director for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. Learn more about our EDI Committee and our goals. 

IoN Athena Swan Lead

Prof. Gabriele Lignani

“I am very honoured to take on the position of Athena Swan co-lead. I am thrilled to continue this important mission and I will work very hard to achieve the goals the Institute has set for next years, such as obtaining the Gold Athena Swan award”. 

IoN Athena Swan Lead

Ms. Laura Allum

“I am delighted to be joining the Institute of Neurology’s Athena SWAN team as Co-Lead and help drive the delivery of the Athena SWAN Action Plan. I’m passionate about creating inclusive work environments that celebrate diversity and look forward to working with colleagues to promote these values across the Institute.”

Key progress made since the last award

Since receiving our Silver Athena SWAN Award in 2020, the Institute of Neurology has delivered sustained, evidence‑based progress across career development, student outcomes, workplace culture, and inclusive leadership. This work has been recognised with the award of an Athena SWAN Gold Award in January 2026, valid until January 2031. Below is a list of our key progress since the last award:

1. Advancing gender equity in academic and research careers

We have made significant progress in strengthening the career pipeline and progression of women across academic and research roles. Targeted interventions have included promotion workshops, internal promotion panels, grant‑writing and leadership development support, mentoring for staff and PhD students, and improved transparency through our Building Your Career at IoN online hub.

As a result:

• The gender balance across Academic, Research and Teaching (ART) staff has reached parity, achieving a sustained 50:50 balance since 2022.
• Female representation has increased across senior grades, particularly at Grades 8–10, with promotion success rates for women consistently high in both junior and senior promotion rounds.
• Understanding of promotion criteria has continued to improve, supported by appraisal processes that embed promotion discussions as standard practice.
• Women’s participation in grant applications has increased, and long‑standing gender gaps in application and success rates have narrowed substantially.

2. Closing awarding gaps and improving student experience

We have sustained progress in addressing the PGT gender awarding gap, reversing earlier trends and reducing the average gap by half compared with the previous Athena SWAN period. This was achieved through:

• Review of assessment practices
• Increased awareness among module convenors
• Student consultation and focus groups

Student feedback now shows high levels of inclusion, clarity of marking criteria, and satisfaction with assessment variety, with no significant gender differences. We continue to monitor awarding outcomes by gender and ethnicity to ensure gains are maintained.

3. Building a safe, inclusive and supportive culture

Creating a positive workplace culture has been a central pillar of our Athena SWAN work. We have taken a proactive, whole‑institute approach to tackling bullying and harassment, improving mental health support, and strengthening trust and accountability.

Key developments include:

• Introduction of a Code of Conduct setting clear expectations for behaviour, leadership responsibilities, and reporting routes.
• Leadership of the Culture of Care initiative, including the sector‑recognised PATTERN campaign on unacceptable behaviours in academia.
• Expansion of mental health support through Mental Health First Aiders, wellbeing champions, menopause support, and parental and carer advocates.
• Delivery of regular Wellbeing and Mental Health Awareness activities and the launch of dedicated support webpages.
• Institute‑wide workload surveys to understand workload pressures and their impact on wellbeing and progression.

Staff survey data show high levels of satisfaction with flexible working, fairness and respect, and overall workplace experience, alongside improved awareness of reporting mechanisms and support routes.

Embedding impact beyond the Institute

Several of our initiatives—such as promotion workshops, appraisal checklists, parental and carer resources, workload survey tools, and culture campaigns—have been adopted at Faculty level and beyond, extending impact to higher education staff. As a Gold award holder, we are committed to sharing practice, influencing sector‑wide change, and acting as a beacon for gender equality and inclusion.

Key priorities for 2026-2031

1. Career development and promotion equity across all staff groups

We will continue to strengthen progression pathways across academic, research, teaching, professional services, and technical roles, with a particular focus on:

• Increasing application rates (not just success) at key career transition points
• Supporting progression into senior and leadership roles
• Improving access to mentoring, sponsorship, and development opportunities
• Addressing inequalities experienced by women and underrepresented groups

2. Inclusive recruitment and fair conversion from shortlist to appointment

We will:

• Strengthen inclusive recruitment practices
• Improve decision‑making transparency
• Monitor intersectional outcomes across job families
• Tackle structural and procedural barriers affecting minoritised applicants

3. Maintaining awarding equity and enhancing PGT student experience

We will sustain progress on awarding equity while improving belonging, wellbeing, and role‑model visibility for postgraduate taught students, focusing on:

• Inclusive assessment and feedback
• Representation in teaching and guest speakers
• Mental health, safety, and community‑building within programmes

4. Enhancing PGR supervision, progression and career development

We will strengthen support for postgraduate research students by:

• Improving supervisory practices and expectations
• Enhancing career development for academic and non‑academic pathways
• Addressing wellbeing, workload, and completion gaps
• Building stronger research communities and peer support

5. Creating a safe, respectful culture with confidence in reporting

Building on strong awareness‑raising work, we will focus on:

• Increasing trust in reporting processes
• Improving transparency around outcomes
• Strengthening leadership accountability
• Embedding cultural change beyond compliance

6. Workload fairness and recognition of institutional citizenship

We will address workload inequities by:

• Refining workload models across staff groups
• Ensuring capacity and fairness are embedded in decision‑making
• Improving recognition of teaching, leadership, and EDI contributions

7. Strengthening workplace culture, belonging and mental health

We will embed wellbeing and inclusion into everyday practice by:

• Improving staff voice, empowerment and recognition
• Normalising mental health conversations
• Strengthening belonging, particularly for women and minoritised staff

8. Improving support for parents and carers

We will enhance awareness, access and take‑up of parental and carer support by:

• Improving signposting and line‑manager confidence
• Addressing career impact of caring responsibilities
• Embedding flexibility in working practices and culture

If you would like to have more detail or information about our Athena SWAN achievements and initiatives, please contact  ion.equality@ucl.ac.uk