NHLI Athena SWAN - Update 9 October 2012 Professor Clare Lloyd

1. NHLI Athena SWAN - Update9 October 2012Professor Clare Lloyd Imperial College Londonsdfgafgafga

2. Athena SWAN – Background • The Athena SWAN Charter is a recognition scheme supported by the UK Resource Centre for Women in science, engineering and technology (SET) and by Equality Challenge Unit. • It aims to assist the recruitment, retention and progression of women in SET. • SWAN is the Scientific Women's Academic Network and consists of a series of Awards at Bronze, Silver and Gold levels for departments and institutions across the UK who can demonstrate good practice.

3. NHLI and Athena • NHLI Athena Silver SWAN awarded • Submitted May 2009, awarded September 2009 • Only SID in FoM • Joined by School of Public Health in 2010 • Judges • Impressed by consultation process and efforts to engage with all staff • Felt Action Plan was ambitious and may require focussing • Award ceremony commended NHLI for its work with postdocs

4. Update…

5. Athena Swan - Visibility • Standing agenda item: • Management Advisory Committee • Some Section Meetings • Actions tagged as Athena • Advisory role throughout Imperial and UK

6. Athena Swan Workshops • 26/27 March 2012 • All invited to attend • Students to Professors • 8 Separate workshops • Led by Fiona Richmond, Organisational Development Consultant • Four clear themes throughout all workshops • Basis of new action plan

7. Athena Swan Workshops - Outcomes • Mentoring • Start up package • Research days • Leadership/Management

8. Mentoring • PhD and MD(Res) Students • Via Degree registrations • More formalised than previously, with guidance but keeping flexibility • Postdoctoral Research Associates including Career Development Fellows • Led by Institute Lead of Postdocs • Database Generation • In liaison with Postdoc Development Centre • Lecturer and Clinical Senior Lecturer • Provided as part of the appointment process • Non-Clinical Senior Lecturer, Reader an Professor • Urgently needed – nothing in place.

9. NHLI Survey • Canvassed opinion via NHLI on Mentoring • Each NHLI academic was asked whether they would be interested: • In having an academic mentor • In acting as an academic mentor for other academics within NHLI and FoM (depending on grade) • In acting as academic mentor to NHLI Postdocs, thus continuing the Postdoc Development Scheme. • > 50 responses with an overwhelming positive result for the possible and existing schemes

10. Faculty of Medicine Mentoring Scheme • Presented to FoM • Proposed that each SID suggest a pool of volunteer academic mentors • Training days • Cross-SID mentoring • Presented to Faculty Opportunities Committee

11. Start-up package Aim: to maximise experience of new starters, and ensure their success • Face to face meeting with Head of Institute on starting • Seminar to introduce new starters to NHLI (breakfast/lunch or afternoon seminar) • Provide 1 hour slot with web manager to start professional and group webpages • Write a focus slot in the NHLI Newsletter on starting • Provide a tailored information pack • Provide mentoring

12. Research Days Aim: to increase scientific interaction and collaboration • NHLI facebook page for PG/PD? • Increase media options – Twitter? • Open up PD/PG email lists to share techniques/reagents • Ask Theme leaders for their opinion – annual research days? • Ask HoS to garner opinion/scope, start at management meeting • Continue Annual Postgraduate Research Day (June annually) • Continue with Postdoctoral Research Day (currently every two years)

13. Leadership / Management Aim: to address feeling that management is not transparent; there is no opportunity to influence, not clear how decisions are made. • Refine Head of Section (HoS) role • Expectations for HoS Both discussed at Management Advisory Committee and in process.

14. What next…

15. Application • Data • Open Meeting • Feedback • Self-Assessment Team • Submission

16. Self Assessment Team • Includes men and women: • With personal experience of balancing home/caring responsibilities and work/part time/flexible working/career breaks • From a dual career family • With recent experience of the Institute’s recruitment and/or promotion processes • At different stages on the career ladder and particularly from those in early and mid career • With Institute or management responsibilities

17. Self Assessment Team • Pre-submission meetings • 17 October and 8 November 2012 • Regular Meetings • 2 / 3 times per year • Reviews and feeds back on progress of Action Plan • Reports to Career Development Committee and Management Advisory Committee

18. Updating you • Self-Assement Team • Management Advisory Committee • Career Development Opportunities Committee • Updates on NHLI website and specific email updates. • Newsletter updates

19. 1) brief background on Athena etc • 2) in depth description of what exactly you want Section heads to do - most of them just won't know what you mean by 'good practice'...so couple of examples as you see them - • 3) exactly what type of agenda item you envisage Athena to be for Section meetings - how might it be tabled - • 4) examples of the type of feedback you expect - you could just illustrate with made up scenarios...

20. Questions?