The celebration, open to UCL Engineering undergraduate, Master’s and PhD students regardless of gender, began with a treasure hunt. It was followed by a keynote speech and a networking session.
It was an opportunity for students, academics and other women in tech to recognise their achievements. With attendees at different stages of their careers, there was plenty of inspiration, guidance and insights for the students as they consider their futures in technology and research.
Campus treasure hunt celebrates women in computing
The treasure hunt took place across campus. Participants answered questions about female computer scientists and different fields of computing to reveal the next location.
Congratulations to Traye Sharma (MEng Mathematical Computation) and Nursyafiqah Sharul Nizam (MSc Financial Technology) for reaching the venue for the keynote speech first.
Keynote: career journeys, data and leadership
The keynote speaker was UCL Master’s alumna Miryem Salah, Director of Digital Data and Transformation at VodafoneThree. Miryem talked about the different strands of her job, her love of data and how she’s used AI for many years.
A passionate advocate for sustainability, Miryem is also a long-time champion of women in tech and launched the ‘Vodafone Women in Data’ network. The network provides a discussion forum for women and their allies and supports them if they want to move into data-related roles.
Miryem spoke about her own career pivot from managing director of a medium-sized healthcare business to leading delivery and transformation at a global tech company. She was guided by a strong sense of self-belief and a keen awareness of her transferable skills.
Miryem ended her talk with a call for a collaborative approach to improving diversity and inclusion, noting that despite years of effort, “the stats aren’t good enough”. She is already introducing her seven-year-old daughter to coding and making it a fun activity.
When asked about work–life balance, Miryem said she protects precious family time. She also emphasised the importance of having purpose in your job so that you can enjoy and thrive in your career. Continuous learning is essential, and she finds attending external events helpful for this.
Networking with women across industry and academia
The keynote was followed by a lively networking session. Women from technology firms Google, Microsoft, Fractile, Cohere, Isomorphic Labs and Riverlane joined the event.
They were joined by women from Citi, JPM, Accenture and the government, alongside UCL academics Prof Elaine Pimentel, Prof Ivana Drobnjak, Dr Carolyn Phelan and Dr Abbie Bray.
Reflections from speakers and organisers
Miryem said of the event:
“It was a delight to be back at UCL to meet the students, academics and industry guests and to share some of what I’ve learned during my career. It’s vital that we have diversity within the tech world and I applaud UCL Computer Science for their efforts towards this goal.”
Athena Swan reps Matilda Moore, Joanna Abraham and Silvia Santamaria Buil said:
“As CS students, we know how important it is to have diverse voices in the field. Tech shapes everyone’s life, so it only makes sense that the people creating it come from all backgrounds. That’s why we organised this event – to celebrate women in tech and encourage both male and female students to get involved and help make the industry more inclusive.”
Dr Carolyn Phelan, Associate Professor at UCL Computer Science, said:
“The event was a fantastic opportunity for our students to meet a range of highly successful women in tech. Seeing something that has been achieved is far more powerful than simply being told it is possible. When people meet others like themselves who have succeeded, especially in fields where they are underrepresented, it makes the path feel real. It shows that their goals are not just theoretical, but genuinely attainable.”
Advancing gender equality in computing
UCL Computer Science continues to work towards greater inclusion and diversity within the sector. The department holds an Athena Swan Gold Award and is the first computer science department in the UK to receive this honour for advancing gender equality.
