This week we heard the fantastic news that we have successfully renewed our Juno Champion award from the Institute of Physics and our Athena Swan Silver award from Advance HE.
The Juno Champion award is the highest level of achievement in Project Juno, a scheme run by the Institute of Physics (IoP) to recognise good practice concerning gender equality. The scheme was developed specifically for physics departments but shares much of its ethos with the Athena Swan charter from Advance HE. A reciprocal agreement between the IoP and Advance HE means that departments that obtain Juno Champion status can also obtain Athena Swan Silver status.
Renewal of these awards recognises our Department’s efforts in promoting gender equality and maintaining an inclusive environment for everyone who works and studies with us. Led by our Physics Inclusion Group, we have been active in this area for many years, initially starting as a Juno Supporter and successfully upgrading to Juno Practitioner in 2013 and then to Juno Champion in 2018.
While delighted to have our awards renewed, we recognise there is still a long way to go with equality, diversity and inclusion work. Our Physics Inclusion Group continues to be committed to making our Department an inclusive environment for all and has already identified actions for the next five years. In addition to our ongoing activities, these will focus on supporting postdoctoral researchers, promoting discussion about ED&I, and increasing support for disabled staff and students.