Women in Academia Project

Despite efforts to promote gender equality, significant barriers still hinder the progression and retention of women in academia, contributing to the “leaky pipeline.”

As part of Warwick's Enhancing Research Culture programme (funded by Research England), the Women in Academia (WinA) project used quantitative and qualitative methods to engage women and decision-making stakeholders in co-producing actionable recommendations.

Project Aims & Overview

1. What are the primary challenges facing early- to mid-career WinA that might make women more likely to leave?

2. How do these challenges impact the lives of WinA (personal and professional)? Are there any protective/ risk factors that mitigate/ exacerbate these impacts?

3. Can we co-create a joint report of actionable recommendations to improve career stability, progression, recognition, and reward opportunities for WinA?

These aims are addressed through three distinct Work Packages (WP)

While we work on publishing quantitative and qualitative academic publications, results of this study and recommendations are now published in a roadmap report available to download below-

WinA Roadmap ReportLink opens in a new window

For any comments or questions, please contact the project PI, Dr. Talar Moukhtarian at talar.moukhtarian@warwick.ac.uk

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the Enabling Research Culture Fund and Research England for funding this project. We also extend our gratitude to the many women, stakeholders, and collaborators who generously contributed their time, insights, and experiences. Your collective input has been instrumental in shaping the recommendations arising from this project and in advancing efforts to foster more equitable experiences for women in academia.

Project Team

• Dr Amber Tout

Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Warwick, specialising in sleep health, intervention development, and co-production. Currently leading a project on improving career progression and retention for early to mid-career women in academia.

• Dr Talar Moukhtarian

Assistant Professor at the University of Warwick, specialising in digital psychological interventions. She holds a PhD in Clinical Psychopathology, with research interests in the differential diagnosis, assessment, and treatment of mental health conditions.