UCL Electronic & Electrical Engineering has been awarded a Silver Award under the Athena Swan Charter, marking a significant milestone in the department’s ongoing commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion.
The Athena Swan Charter is a national framework that recognises higher education institutions and departments for sustained, evidence-based action to advance gender equality. Awards are granted following a rigorous assessment of culture, policies, data, and measurable progress across areas including recruitment, career development, student experience, workload allocation and leadership representation.
The department previously held a Bronze Award, first achieved in 2018. Securing Silver reflects the progress made since then and the embedding of long-term actions designed to create a more inclusive and supportive environment for both staff and students.
This is due to the hard work of many colleagues across the department and the leadership of Alejandra Beghelli and most recently Neil Curson in our main EDI roles. The application contained an action plan that still leaves us with work to do in this important area, but the upgrade of our status signals significant progress towards our aims of being more diverse and inclusive department."
The award recognises collective effort across the department, including the work of the Athena Swan Self-Assessment Team and colleagues who have contributed to policy development, mentoring initiatives, data analysis, and improvements to working practices and student support.
The department remains committed to building on this progress and to ensuring that equality and inclusion continue to shape the department’s future direction.
