Gender Equality (Athena Swan)

The Athena Swan Charter is a framework used across the higher education sector to recognise excellence in gender equality and encourage better gender representation. Institutions use this charter to improve the working environment for all staff and students.

UCL Computer Science is proud to be a part of Athena SWAN and continuously works towards embodying these principles within its policies, practice, and environment. 

The Department has been committed to work in ensuring that both students and staff feel supported in their study and career progression, and that the working environment is inclusive, family friendly, fair, and allows all to feel supported and welcomed.

View UCL Computer Science’s Certificate of Commitment to Athena Swan Principles 

Our Awards

Athena Swan Gold Award 2024

UCL Computer Science has received the Athena Swan Gold Award, recognising our deep commitment to advancing gender equality within Higher Education.

We are proud to be the first computer science department in the UK to achieve this prestigious honour.

Read more about our award

UCL Computer Science was awarded an Athena SWAN Bronze award in 2012, and an Athena SWAN Silver award in 2015 and 2019. We were delighted to receive an Athena SWAN Gold Award in 2024, recognising the many years of teamwork and embedding good practice in the department. 

We have also been recognised by Informatics Europe with presentation of two Minerva Informatics Equality Awards. The Minerva award recognises best practices in Departments or Faculties of European Universities/Research Labs that encourage and support the careers of women in Informatics research and education. 

UCL Computer Science was presented with the Minerva Informatics Equality Award first in 2016 and then again in 2020. The 2020 award recognised the ‘outstanding support for the transition of female PhD and Postdoctoral Researchers into Faculty positions’ in UCL Computer Science. 

Our approach

Our approach to Athena SWAN is structured around five key areas:

Arrive:  Changing perceptions of Computer Science in both girls and boys aged 9-18 years.
Aspire:  Showcasing Computer Science role models and presenting diverse career paths in CS.
Achieve:  Providing training and support to under-represented groups in Computer Science so they can achieve their potential.
Advance:  Increasing pathways to advancement in academic and professional careers in Computer Science.
Amplify:  Sharing best practices, scaling up and broadening our outreach for national and international impact  

Resources

10 Years of Athena SWAN at Computer Science

Staff Gender Equality Network

UCL Gender Equality Support

Leading Female Role Models