Launched in June 2005, the Athena SWAN charter recognises and celebrates good employment practices for women working in higher education and research. It aims to assist the recruitment, retention and promotion of women in STEMM and promote good practice.
ECU’s Athena SWAN Charter encourages and recognises advancement of gender equality in STEMM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths and Medicine), and has expanded to recognise work undertaken in professional and support roles, and for trans staff and students
All three institutions are committed to the aims and principles of Athena SWAN, with both Imperial College and UCL being amongst the first Universities to sign up to the scheme. Each institution currently holds an institutional level Athena SWAN Bronze or Silver award.
In order to maintain research excellence and stay competitive in an ever-changing field, it is crucial that the LCN is a supportive working environment conducive to career progression, and reaches as wide and diverse a talent pool as possible. Equality and diversity initiatives such as Athena Swan are crucial to achieving these aims and we are dedicated to ensuring the LCN is a place of equal opportunities for all.
The LCN at UCL was awarded its Bronze Award in 2018. As part of the LCN's progress towards achieving this Athena SWAN award, we depended and implemented an action plan aimed at improving recruitment, retention and promotion of diversity among its staff, has been developed. View our Action Plan (PDF):
As part of the Athena SWAN process, the LCN at UCL created a dedicated LCN Athena Swan Self-Assessment Team (SAT), which was formed on a voluntary basis and currently has 11 members, with balanced representation across gender, age, academic positions and training, research disciplines and support staff. This group has now been further developed into the LCN Equality Diversity and Inclusion Committee.
Our action plan has been updated in 2023: