Computer Science News

The Department of Computer Science is delighted to announce that it has been awarded the Athena Swan Silver Award, recognising our commitment to advancing gender equality for staff and students.

Athena Swan is a UK-wide framework to improve gender equality in higher education. A Silver Award is given to departments that can demonstrate evidence of meaningful progress and impact over a 5-year period – and with a clear and ambitious plan for future action.

In their review, the assessment panel described our submission as "a strong Silver application which addresses all criteria very well."

The panel commended the department’s clear leadership commitment, praising our female Head of Department, Prof. Yulia Timofeeva, who wrote "with the Silver Award as our foundation, we will continue to build a community where women and underrepresented groups are not only included but empowered to lead, achieve, and inspire."

What We Did to Earn Silver

The panel’s positive assessment reflects the depth and credibility of the work carried out across the department over the past five years.

Reflecting on the achievement, Dr Ian Saunders, who led the Athena Swan submission, said: "This award reflects the commitment and collaboration of so many people across the department. I am incredibly grateful to everyone who contributed ideas, energy and honesty throughout this process, and I am proud of what we have achieved together."

The award recognises that we have made substantial progress in our gender equality initiatives since our previous Bronze Award:

• The panel noted our success in improving the recruitment of female undergraduates. One aspect of that was our "Women in Computing Scholarships", delivered with our industry partner Qube, which provides three £15,000 awards each year to female undergraduates – creating visible ambassadors for women in computing.
• The panel welcomed the department’s student partnership model, which gives students meaningful agency and ownership of equality, diversity and inclusion. Student-co-created wellbeing and social initiatives have strengthened belonging and contributed to a more inclusive culture.
• The panel also recognised the role of our School Outreach programme, in which we work with local schools to widen participation in Computer Science, and encourage more female students to pursue a Computer Science degree.
• The panel praised the department’s balanced and inclusive governance structure, where staff and student voices are heard and equality work is shared fairly across genders, ensuring that equality considerations shape everyday decisions and policies – including recruitment, workload allocation and promotion.

Ambitious Future Plans

A major part of our Silver Athena Swan award our ambitious plan for future action. We have created a 5-Year Plan, focused on:

• Further strengthening female student recruitment, belonging and progression for undergraduate and postgraduates.
• Addressing remaining attainment gaps through research-informed intervention
• Increasing further the visibility and recognition of EDI work across all staff groups
• Understand barriers for women in academic roles and increasing the number of female researchers and academics through targeted recruitment and support
• Supporting equitable career development for all staff
• Growing our national reputation for inclusive outreach across primary, secondary and post16 education

The panel strongly endorsed our plan, praising it for being "SMART, well structured, supported by realistic timelines, quantitative targets and clear accountability.".

Reflecting on the Athena Swan Silver Award, Head of Department, Prof. Yulia Timofeeva, said: "It was a challenging and complex project. Many congratulations to the whole team – it was fantastic to be part of this journey together".

The Award recognises the considerable work accomplished, while also acknowledging that the journey is far from over. The Department of Computer Science is committed to overcoming the challenges ahead as we continue working toward a more inclusive future.