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School of Life Sciences

Gender Equality Initiatives

SLS is committed to promoting gender equality in research and teaching.

Below we show some of the gender initiatives supported within SLS and the University.

International Women's Day

Celebrated annually on 8 March, IWD is when we promote gender equality, recognise the achievements of women, and work to understand the challenges that lie ahead of us as we work to become a more equal society.

Hear from SLS women:

Gender Task Force

To champion advancement of gender equality at all levels in the University.

If you would like more information about the Gender Task Force contact the Chair, Jo Collingwood at
J.F.Collingwood@warwick.ac.uk or the Secretary, Claire Algar, at C.Algar@warwick.ac.uk.

PLOTINA

Warwick is part of a Horizon 2020 consortium project Promoting Gender Balance and Inclusion in Research, Innovation and Training.

Dr Antonia Sagona contributed in the development of an online module for postgraduate students, researchers and interested undergraduate students who will be trained in understanding the importance of integrating sex/gender analysis into research. Antonia designed and delivered a session on 'Biomedical Sciences and Gender'. Find out more and listen to the module podcast.

Women's careers and societies

Warwick supports local networks such as:

Mentoring women for spinout Success

On Thursday 11 March 2021, Dr Antonia Sagona took part in an online mentoring event for women researchers. The event was part of an EPSRC funded project, ​'Promoting Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in University Spinout Companies: A Case for Action' which aims to explore and address the underrepresentation of women as founders of university spinout companies. Antonia is an Associate Professor in Phage Biology and discussed her experience of starting a spinout company whilst on her BBSRC Fellowship, focusing on phage-based diagnostics.

There is a LinkedIn Group for anyone who wishes to join for Supporting Women for Spinout Success.

Research Support

Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowship
This scheme offers a recognised first step into an independent research career for outstanding postdoctoral scientists who require a flexible working pattern due to personal circumstances, such as caring responsibilities or health issues. This scheme is highly flexible to accommodate for part-time working, sabbaticals and secondments.

Daphne Jackson Fellowships
These fellowships offer researchers the opportunity to retrain and return to research after a break of two or more years taken for family, caring or health reasons. The support provided gives returners the confidence and skills they need to return to research successfully.

L'Oréal-UNESCO Women in Science
International Fellowships support promising young women researchers in the life sciences at doctoral or postdoctoral level.

Female representation on Interview panels and Committees

We monitor membership of all SLS interview panels and committees to ensure all contain female representation.

To increase the diversity of staff available for panels, the University has agreed that the Chair can apply some discretion to vary the grades of the panel members where this is needed to ensure diversity, for instance female representation. This means that female staff can sit on panels recruiting staff at the same level, as long as they have completed the relevant recruitment and selection and associated equality related training modules. This is a developmental opportunity and will give female staff experience of recruitment and selection of staff.

Flexible working

The School of Life Sciences is committed to promoting work/life balance and is supportive of flexible working patterns, from job share to compressed hours and homeworking.

Job applications

We are also working with the University’s central HR recruitment and equality teams with the aim of enhancing the material that applicants can choose to supply as part of their job application, for instance to encourage disclosures of career breaks or other circumstances that may contextualise career achievements to date and help in removing barriers to selection and career development. In this way we hope to better ensure that we can recruit based on potential, wherever that may lie.

Student programmes and societies

Warwick hosts a number of student programmes and societies such as:

  • Sprint Programme (a personal development programme for female students)
  • Black Women's Project (an organisation that develops Black female leaders at university with a focus on wellbeing and up-skilling throughout their time at university and as they launch into the start of their careers)

Training and learning

Video Resources:

Short e-learning courses:

Get to Know Us

The SLS ‘Get to Know Us’ feature is a series of Q&A where staff and students have their say about the department, how they got here and what they like most about their jobs.

SLS women include:

Scholarships

In 2021, in partnership with the British Council the University of Warwick was proud to announce five fully funded scholarships for female students from South Asia interested in pursuing masters studies in the field of Climate Change. Each of these scholarships covers full tuition fees, monthly stipends, a return economy class ticket and other study-related costs such as IELTS exam fee, visa application and NHS surcharge.

British Council Women in STEM Scholarships - South Asia: Climate Change

LGBTQUA+ at Warwick

Providing information & support to ensure a fully inclusive campus.

Wellbeing

Family room
Gibbet Hill has a dedicated room where nursing employees, visitors and students can relax enough to express milk. The milk can be stored in the fridge provided and then taken home for use when a mother is away from her baby.The room is private and can also be used to feed children when nursing Mothers visit the department.

Car Parking Permits
During the later stages of pregnancy travelling long distances across campus from car parks, or parking in tight spaces can cause difficulties.
Temporary disabled car parking permits can be issued.

Conference support awards

Small awards (of up to £200) are available to help support the extra child-care or other caring costs associated with attendance at an essential conference/workshop/training event.

Awards are available for academic staff, research active staff, and those in appropriate support or administrative posts.

Individuals may apply for funding for two separate events in any given academic year.

Athena Swan

Advance HE's charter to support and transform gender equality within higher education and research.

SLS and the University of Warwick both hold a Silver Athena Swan Award.

Find out more

Closing the Pay Gaps

The gender pay gap is the difference in hourly pay between the total population of men in the workforce and the total population of women in the workforce.

In the latest annual report, we reflect and report on progress over the last year to close the gender pay gap at the University of Warwick for the snapshot date of 31 March 2020, in line with the requirements of the Equality Act 2010 (Gender Pay Gap Information) Regulations 2017.
Find out more

Centre for the Study of Women and Gender

CSWG is an interdisciplinary centre of research and teaching in women's, gender and feminist studies.