Athena SWAN Gold department award application
Name of university: Imperial College London Department: Physics Date of application: April 2015 Date of Silver Athena SWAN award: April 2012 (renewed) Date of university Bronze and/or Silver Athena SWAN award: April 2013 (Silver) Contact for application: Professor Dimitri Vvedensky Email: [email protected] Telephone: 0207 594 7605 Departmental website address: http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/physics
Photo montage descriptions from left to right:
1. Prof. Jo Haigh FRS (then Head of Department) and Prof. Michelle Dougherty FRS meet invited year-11 school girls at the Women in Space Science Day in 2013. Nagin Cox, systems engineer for NASA’s Curiosity Rover, was an inspiring invited speaker and a fine example for the girls.
2. Prof. Fay Dowker lectures on ‘Special Relativity’ at the Women-in-Physics day for year-12 students in 2014.
3. Postgraduate student Aisha Kaushik in her laboratory.
4. Prof. Martin McCall explains an optical phenomenon to a fascinated child in the Physics Zone at the annual Imperial Festival in 2014.
5. Prof. Sir Tom Kibble FRS unveils the European Physical Society Plaque, which marks the Blackett Laboratory as an historical site in physics on April 2014.
6. Photograph of Lord P. M. S. Blackett FRS taken in 1933.
7. The Nobel Prize medal, which was awarded to Prof. Abdus Salam FRS in 1979.
8. Dr. Ji Seon Kim discusses life in physics at Imperial over lunch at the 2014 Women-in- Physics day.
9. Sarah Greenwood, part time technician in the High Energy Physics group, designs new circuit boards for the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN).
Background: A section of the frieze situated over the front entrance of the Blackett Laboratory.
An Athena SWAN Gold Department award recognises a significant sustained progression and achievement by the department in promoting gender equality and to address challenges particular to the discipline. Applications should focus on what has improved and changed since the Silver award application.
Not all institutions use the term ‘department’ and there are many equivalent academic groupings with different names, sizes and compositions. The definition of a ‘department’ for SWAN purposes can be found on the Athena SWAN website. If in doubt, contact the Athena SWAN Charter Coordinator well in advance to check your eligibility.
It is essential that the contact person for the application is based in the department.
Sections to be included
At the end of each section state the number of words used. Click here for additional guidance on completing the template.
2 Table of Contents
Acronyms and abbreviations ------4
1. Letter from Head of Department ------5
2. The self-assessment process ------6 a. Description of the self-assessment team 6 b. Account of the self-assessment process 10
3. Picture of the department ------12 a. A pen-picture of the department 12 b. Data for the past five years with commentary 13 Student data 13 Staff data 23
4. Supporting and advancing women’s careers ------27 Key career transition points 27 a. Data for the past five years with commentary 27 b. Imbalances and actions 31 Career development 33 a. Key issues for each of the areas below 33
Organization and culture 36 a. Data for the past five years with commentary 36 b. Key issues for each of the following areas 38
Flexibility and managing career breaks 41 a. Data for the past five years with commentary 41 b. Key issues for each of the following 43
5. Other comments ------45
6. Case studies ------47
Appendix: Action Plan ------50
3 Acronyms and Abbreviations AHoD Associate Head of Department ASTR Astrophysics Group CDT Centre for Doctoral Training CMTH Condensed Matter Theory Group DA Departmental Administrator DPG Director of Postgraduate Studies DUGS Director of Undergraduate Studies ECR Early Career Researcher EDU Education Development Unit EPSRC Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council ESA European Space Agency EU European Union EXSS Experimental Solid State Physics Group FTE Full-time equivalent HEPH High Energy Physics Group HESA Higher Education Statistics Agency HoD Head of Department HoG Head of Group HR Human Resources IoP Institute of Physics JC Juno Committee KAIST Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology NASA National Aeronautics and Space Administration OM Operations Manager OS Overseas PDDC Postdoctoral Development Centre PFF Physics Fellows’ Forum PG Postgraduate student PGR Postgraduate student in research (pursuing a PhD) PGT Postgraduate student in a taught master’s course PI Principal investigator PPARC Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council PRDP Personal Review and Development Plan QMUL Queen Mary University of London RA (Postdoctoral) Research Assistant RS Royal Society PHOT Photonics Group PLAS Plasma Physics Group QOLS Quantum Optics and Laser Spectroscopy Group SPAT Space and Atmospheric Physics Group STEM Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics STFC Science and Technology Facilities Council THEO Theoretical Physics Group UCL University College London UG Undergraduate student UK United Kingdom URF University Research Fellowship UROP Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program WiP Women in Physics WISE Women in Science and Engineering YiE Year in Europe
4 1. Letter of endorsement from the head of department: maximum 500 words
An accompanying letter of endorsement from the head of department should confirm how the SWAN action plan and activities in the department contribute to the overall department strategy and academic mission, and spell out what is next for the department, what difficulties might be experienced, and what the department most looks forward to.
The letter is an opportunity for the head of department to confirm their support for the application and to endorse and commend any women and STEMM initiatives that have made a significant contribution to the achievement of the departmental mission.
Words: 487
5 Department of Physics Imperial College London Blackett Laboratory 900 South Kensington campus London, SW7 2AZ, UK Tel: +44 (0)20 7594 7500 Fax: +44 (0)20 7594 7504 [email protected] www.imperial.ac.uk/physics
5 May 2015 Professor Jordan Nash. Head of Department of Physics
Sarah Dickinson Senior Policy Advisor Athena SWAN Charter Equality Challenge Unit 7th Floor, Queens House 5/56 Lincoln’s Inn Fields London WC2A 3LJ
Dear Sarah
I am writing to give my strongest support to the Imperial College Department of Physics Athena SWAN application for a Gold award.
I have been a member of this department for the last 23 years, and have been the Head of Department for one year now. As a member of the Department I have watched the outstanding work of our Juno committee in helping the Department become aware of and change practices which lacked transparency, or could otherwise prove a barrier to progress for women or other members of staff. Many of these changes have been recognised with our previous Athena SWAN Silver awards of which the department is extremely proud.
The Department has continued to examine its operation and working environment through the Juno committee. I am a strong believer in its effectiveness, and sit as a member to have the best possible communication with the committee. Since our first application, the Department has made real strides in promoting women staff, and appointed the first female Head of Department in its history. In each of the last three years a female member of staff has been awarded an FRS. As part of our supportive environment, one of our Postgraduates has set up a network among female PGs, which is also reaching out to female researchers and Undergraduates. You will find many examples of the work which has been enabled and promoted by our Juno committee highlighted in this application.
Although there are role models for women at all levels in the Department, the number of appointments of female academic staff remains stubbornly low. As Head of Department, I have made it a priority to try and improve this by addressing two areas: Fellowships and Academic appointments. Fellowships are one of the key routes for young researchers into academic positions. Upon taking up my role as Head, I met with each head of group to encourage them to take actively seek the strongest possible female candidates for fellowship applications with the department and have made sure that the Department has worked with the Heads of Groups to maximise the number of outstanding female
6 candidates supported for fellowships by the Department. The second action was to demand that any short list for an academic post have at least one female candidate. This is intended to encourage the Heads of Groups to look more broadly for potential candidates as well as write more general job descriptions. Although these actions may take time to deliver an increase in the number of female academic staff, I feel it is crucial in my role as Head to set the tone for the Department.
We are proud of the progress we have made since applying for our first Athena SWAN award. Winning an Athena SWAN Gold award would recognize the progress that we have made as well as challenge and encourage us to make the further steps we must make to our Department.
Yours sincerely
Jordan Nash
7 2. The self-assessment process: maximum 1000 words Describe the self-assessment process. This should include: a) A description of the self-assessment team: members’ roles (both within the department and as part of the team) and their experiences of work-life balance. The Juno Transparency and Opportunity Committee, known within the department simply as the Juno Committee (JC), was formed in 2007 to implement the Institute of Physics (IoP) Juno code of practice, with particular attention to addressing the under-representation of women at all levels in physics, from undergraduate students to faculty. The brief of the committee has since broadened to include racial and cultural diversity, but the main tenets of the committee’s existence – transparency of procedures and equality of opportunity – benefit all members of the department. The Physics Department is a leading exponent of the Athena-SWAN charter at Imperial and beyond. Several initiatives and procedures that originated in the JC have been adopted by the College as either policy or recommended practice, including PG and RA committees and lines of communication between different staff groups, teaching buy-outs for RAs returning from maternity leave, and a redesigned PRDP form. The department was awarded IoP Juno Championship status and an Athena Silver SWAN in 2009, with both renewed in 2012.
The Juno Committee (JC) has 17 members (10 female, 7 male), with representatives from the academic, research associate, postgraduate, admissions, teaching, administrative, and technical sectors, and a member external to the department. Each research group has had representation on the JC, though not all groups are represented at any one time. The Committee members are:
Table 1. Members of the JC.
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Some have been selected to take the leads in the action plans for each of the five Athena-SWAN themes: 1. Baseline data and supporting evidence: Lesley Cohen, Plum Garland, Linda Jones 2. Key career transitions: Appointments and promotions: Ji-Seon Kim 3. Career development and advice: Brian Appleby, Liz Elvidge, Robert Nyman, Steve Schwartz 4. Culture, communication, and departmental organization: Linda Jones, Gabrielle Thomas, Dimitri Vvedensky 5. Career breaks and flexible working: Bob Forsyth, Susan Parker Words: 307 9 b) An account of the self assessment process: details of the self assessment team meetings, including any consultation processes that were undertaken with staff or individuals outside of the university, and how these have fed into the submission. The JC meets monthly throughout the year. The agenda is driven by (i) the evaluation of progress on the action plan from our last Athena-SWAN application, and (ii) new and on-going initiatives related to wider issues that are informed by periodic surveys of students and all staff. Information about the JC, including minutes, are disseminated through the Committee web pages, which are linked to the departmental website, and by regular presentations at staff meetings. The JC chair is a member of the Heads of Groups (HoGs) committee (main management committee of the department), held monthly, and Juno matters are a standing item, providing an additional channel for communication and discussion. Consultation with other physics departments occurs through visits and email, and through the IoP. Within Imperial, the JC is in touch with counterparts in other departments through various committee memberships, e.g. the JC chair sits on the College Athena Committee, whose members are the Athena-SWAN leads in each department. The JC has provided advice to other departments on the Athena-SWAN process. For example, Dimitri Vvedensky (JC chair) met with the self-assessment team of the Department of Aeronautics to offer advice in their application for a Bronze SWAN Award in November 2014. Lesley Cohen (JC member) was a member of the College Academic Diversity Task Force, which made recommendations based on the procedures adopted by the Physics Department to the Equality and Diversity Committee. Professor Cohen has also written about the movement toward gender equality at Imperial1. Words: 274 c) Plans for the future of the self assessment team, such as how often the team will continue to meet and how the department will deal with the turnover of team members, any reporting mechanisms and in particular how the self assessment team intends to monitor implementation of the action plan. The JC is fully integrated within the administrative structure and culture of the department. There are several reporting streams for the work of the Committee (Sec. 2(b)). The JC has several ex officio members who hold senior administrative positions in the department: the Head of Department (HoD), the Operations Manager (OM), the Director of Undergraduate Studies (DUGS), and the Undergraduate Admissions Tutor (Sec. 2(a)). Several JC members are members of College committees (Table 1), which provides for a wider dissemination of ideas and practices. The JC benefits from a strong continuity of its membership, with 9 members of the current committee having been on the committee for the Athena-SWAN submission in 2012. There is some turnover by virtue of position, e.g. the PDRA representative, but the ex officio members hold five-year year appointments, which is significantly longer than the three-year renewal period. The JC will continue to monitor the implementation of the action plan during its monthly meetings based on reports about admissions and appointments, and from meetings of the subcommittees responsible for each of the five Athena-SWAN themes (Sec. 2(a)). The main channels for assessing the impact and effectiveness of Action Plan items and for identifying new items are the following: 1 L. Cohen, Mending the broken pipe, Physics World (April 2012), 16–17; The times they are a changin’, Optics & Photonics News 26 (April 2015), 16–18. 10 Staff surveys. Surveys of all staff (academic, RA, administrative, and technical) were taken in 2013 (2012 Action Item 1.5), with another planned in 2016 (2015 Action Item 1.5). A comparison with the 2008 survey was posted on the JC webpage resolved by job category and gender. Particular results will be quoted in later sections. Student surveys. An exit survey of final year BSc and MSci students was also carried out in 2013. This short survey of 12 questions was designed to help the JC understand the students’ motivations for choosing Imperial for their degree, whether their career aspirations changed during their studies, and how their experience in the department could be improved. The results of the survey were posted on the JC webpage. Selected results of this survey will be discussed in Sec. 3(b)(ii). Focus group meetings. Small-group meetings are an effective way to identify problems faced by a particular community and to make recommendations. A recent Women-in-Physics (WiP) lunch for postgraduates highlighted several issues and made several recommendations. Some of these will be discussed in Sec. 4(ii)b(ii). The JC will also continue to consult with the IoP (which organizes meetings on equality, diversity, and other aspects of Athena-SWAN compliance), with other departments within the College and at other universities and, where possible, engage with government agencies. Words: 419 Words in section: 1000 11 3. A picture of the department: maximum 2000 words a) Provide a pen-picture of the department to set the context for the application, outlining in particular any significant and relevant features. The Department of Physics at Imperial, one of the largest physics departments in the UK and the largest non-medical department within Imperial (in terms of staff, student numbers and grant income2) has an outstanding record in teaching and research. The department has 127 academic, 40 technical, and 34 administrative staff, and each year admits some 240 UGs, 200 postgraduate students on taught and research programmes, and hosts 178 RAs, of whom 30 hold fellowships. The broad-based research within the department is carried out by nine research groups: astrophysics (ASTR), condensed matter theory (CMTH), high-energy physics (HEPH), solid-state experimental physics (EXSS), photonics (PHOT), plasma physics (PLAS), quantum optics and laser science (QOLS), space and atmospheric physics (SPAT), and theoretical physics (THEO). The heads of groups, together with holders of other key departmental posts, make up the Heads of Groups (HoGs) Committee, which is chaired by the HoD, and is the management committee of the department. The committee and management structure of the department is shown in Fig. 1. Our broad research portfolio affords many advantages. Quite apart from diversified research funding, we offer students an exceptionally wide range of topics for essays, UROP projects, and final-year projects. Our 3rd- and 4th-year courses are mostly based on advanced topics allied to particular research groups. Many staff members use their research as a basis for involvement in outreach activities, including visits to schools and organized visits by teachers and students from schools to the department. The department aims is to attract outstanding staff and students by fostering a supportive and stimulating environment where individuals at all levels can realize their potential and receive professional rewards and recognition. Recognizing that our greatest asset is our staff we are committed to equality of opportunity for all, and to management that is transparent and inclusive. Words: 310 b) Provide data for the past five years (where possible with clearly labelled graphical illustrations) on the following with commentary on their significance, how they have affected action planning, and any improvements since the department’s Silver award. Student data (i) Numbers of males and females on access or foundation courses – comment on the data and describe any initiatives taken to attract non-traditional groups of women to the courses. The department does not offer access or foundation courses. Words: 9 2 Imperial College London: Statistics Pocket Guide 2013–14. http://www.imperial.ac.uk/media/imperial-college/administration-and-support- services/planning/public/statistics-guides/Statistics-Guide-2013-14.pdf 12 " ! ! Reps PG Committee Welfare -,&$%4;$)4-%$<" 3),=*)=,' " PG 43 Admin Office PG of $:(4%43),$)4?'" *-((4))''3" 4%" *2$%5" Studies Director PG MSc " Studies Strategy Committee Admin Human Clusters Resources 43" '(9'::':" 64)+4%" )+ " Safety Studies 78 & Graduate Commitee Committee " of Staff 4%" 9<='5" =%:',&,$:=$)'" Groups Manager Heads Research Research " Operations Academic Sabbatical Committee of HoGs Group Head *-((4))''3 Committee Department Technicians Management " 5" 3+-64%&" +-6" )+' Committee Computing RA HoD Main Juno Facilities Comittee Associate Workshop Commitee Management Admin Office Buyouts UG Committee ' Forum Physics Finance Fellows & Panel Teaching Awards Committee of Prizes Studies 3+-6%" 4%" ,':5" )'*+%4*$<" 3=00-,) Director " UG $,' Team " Outreach & Tutor Tutors Academic Personal Senior Team Admissions !" #$%$&'('%)" *+$,)" -." )+'" /'0$,)('%)" -." 1+234*3 ! ! ! !"#$%&' ( >:(4%43),$)4?'" *-((4))''3 0-3)&,$:=$)'"$:(4%43),$)4?'"*-((4))''3"4%"-,$%&'5"$%:"4%:4?4:=$<"$00-4%)('%)3"$,'"3+-6%"4%"&,$2! 13 (ii) Undergraduate male and female numbers – full and part-time – comment on the female:male ratio compared with the national picture in the discipline. Describe any initiatives taken to address any imbalance or negative trends and the impact to date. Comment upon any plans for the future. Table 2. Numbers of male and female UGs during 2008–2014 compared with national figures. No national data were available for 2014. !"#$%&'( !"#$%&'( !"#$%&'( )'*&+,'( )'*&+,'( )'*&+,'( ;$'% - . /- - . /- 0112 33 425 06/ 271 8131 00/ 0115 21 463 87/ 541 8081 00/ 0141 67 454 00/ 251 8086 00/ 0144 73 453 45/ 271 8631 45/ 0140 62 492 06/ 511 8606 01/ 0148 69 422 08/ 4106 7156 01/ 0147 63 425 08/ : : : !"#$% &'( ')*( )&+ ,&-, )-(-, )'+ Figure 2. Graphical representation of the data in Table 2. Student numbers are indicated within in each region. Table 2 and Fig. 2 show the statistics for UGs admitted to the department during 2008–2014 compared with national figures3, where available. The percentage of female students in the department yields an overall average of 24%, which is significantly above the corresponding national figure of 21%. The department has taken several actions to increase the number of applications from females and other under-represented groups, and to ensure that female undergraduates feel supported and part of a community: 3 Unless otherwise stated, all national figures used are taken from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA): https://www.hesa.ac.uk/. 14 • Annual Insights work experience programme for 40 Year-12 students to undertake a one- week work-experience placement. Selection is made to ensure gender balance within a cohort. Significantly, 44% of participants who went on to apply to study physics were female, in stark contrast to the national trend. • Annual Women in Physics Open Days. In 2013, the department and the United States Embassy co-hosted an event for over 200 school girls and their teachers to hear about the NASA space programme. The Open Day in 2014 featured high-profile female scientists within the department, with presentations on fundamental physics and climate change. The 2015 event showcased presentations on the Rosetta Mission and Solar Physics. • Members of the WiP committee ran a day of experiments at the International Greenlight4Girls Day in Brussels in 2014 and are hosting their own g4g day at Imperial in September 2015. • Surveys of graduating BSc and MSci students. A selection of questions from the 2013 survey is shown in Fig. 3. Against a background of largely gender-neutral responses, two questions stand out: More females than males found (i) experimental laboratory work a useful experience, and (ii) the academic/personal tutor system useful. These results are essentially unchanged from the 2010 survey. However, changes to career plans during the degree are now gender-balanced. The earlier survey showed males as the more likely to change career planes. Figure 3. Selected responses from exit survey in 2013 of 77 3rd- and 4th-year students. Words: 321 15 (iii) Postgraduate male and female numbers completing taught courses – full and part- time – comment on the female:male ratio compared with the national picture in the discipline. Describe any initiatives taken to address any imbalance and the effect to date. Comment upon any plans for the future. Table 3. Numbers of students who applied, were made offers, started and completed taught master’s physics courses during 2010–2014, compared with national figures for the percentage of female students. Neither the completion numbers nor the national data are available for 2014. >??'$@"#$%&A BCC<=A D#"=# Figure 4. Graphical representation of the data in Table 3, with darker shading indicating the female fraction of the category and lighter shading the male fraction. The number of students in each category is indicated. Table 3 and Fig. 4 show the statistics for male and female students as they progress from application to completion on taught master’s courses during 2010–2014. Apart from a sharp dip in 2012, the percentage of female students at each stage fluctuates near 20%. The average female enrolment of 18% is substantially below the national average of 28%, but it is course specific. A noteworthy positive aspect of these data is that there were no female students who dropped out before finishing their course. Figure 5 shows a comparison between the percentages of female physics PGTs at Imperial, universities in the Russell Group with comparable numbers of physics PGTs to Imperial, and all Russell Group universities. Apart from outliers, only UCL consistently out-performs Imperial in attracting female PGTs. A significant factor in this comparison is the availability of financial support that UCL offers to PGTs (http://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/scholarships). 16 Figure 5. Percentages of female Physics PGTs at Imperial, the indicated universities in the Russell Group, and all universities in the Russell Group4. Table 4. Admission statistics for taught master’s courses in 2014–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he Physics Department offers 10 taught masters courses, with most based around a specialized topic (Table 4). The three CDTs offer MRes or MSc courses as the first year of four-year PhD programmes, but funding is not available for stand-alone master’s degrees. Thus, the vast majority of PGTs are self-funded. The gender statistics PGTs fluctuate appreciably and independently from year to year, so different courses require different strategies for increasing and maintaining female student numbers. Our efforts at improving female recruitment into postgraduate courses, as part of our outreach programme, will be discussed in (v) below. Words: 243 4 The Russell Group is a consortium of 24 universities formed to represent their interests to external agencies. The list of member universities, which includes Birmingham, Cambridge, Imperial, Manchester, Oxford, and UCL may be found at http://www.russellgroup.ac.uk/. 17 (iv) Postgraduate male and female numbers on research degrees – full and part-time – comment on the female:male ratio compared with the national picture in the discipline. Describe any initiatives taken to address any imbalance and the effect to date. Comment upon any plans for the future. Table 5. Numbers of postgraduate students who applied, were made offers, and started research during 2010–2014, resolved by gender, compared with national figures for the percentage of female students. The national data for 2014 is unavailable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igure 6. Graphical representation of the data in Table 5, with darker shading indicating the female fraction of the category and lighter shading the male fraction. The number of students in each category is indicated. The statistics of male and female PGRs are shown in Table 5 and Fig. 6 for 2010–2014. The percentage of female research students fluctuates near 20%, which is somewhat below the national average of 23% for this period. The funding opportunities of postgraduate students varies with the research group and, since 2009, the presence of CDTs has substantially altered the funding landscape, with each CDT providing 8-10 studentships per year. 18 Figure 7. Comparison of percentages of female Physics PGRs between Imperial, the indicated universities in the Russell Group, and all universities in the Russell Group. The percentages of female PGRs at Imperial are shown with several comparable universities in the Russell Group and with the entire Russell Group in Fig. 7. The consistently higher figures for UCL may be due to its wider subject coverage, including humanities and social sciences. This provides a more gender-balanced and rounded environment than that for the solely technical subjects offered at Imperial, while still providing a base in London. Words: 141 (v) Ratio of course applications to offers and acceptances by gender for (ii), (iii) and (iv) above – comment on the differences between male and female application and success rates and describe any initiatives taken to address any imbalance and the effect to date. Comment upon any plans for the future. Table 6. Numbers of applications, offers, and acceptances for UGs during 2010–2014 resolved by gender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igure 8. Graphical representation of the data in Table 6, with darker shading indicating the female fraction of the category and lighter shading the male fraction. The number of students in each category is indicated. The progression from application to accepted offer for undergraduates is shown in Table 6 and Fig. 8. The analogous diagrams for taught master’s courses and research are shown in Figs. 4 and 6, respectively, with data compiled in Tables 3 and 5. For UGs, the ratio of offers to applications for female applicants is typically greater than that for male applicants. Many of our physics undergraduates (and up to 50% of female UGs) are from overseas (mainly Singapore and China) and from the EU, where there is more of a balance between male and female physics students than in the UK. For PGTs, the statistics reflects the absence of funding for master’s programmes, apart from the first year of four-year CDT programmes. This explains the comparatively large number of students in the cohort (between 30-40%) from overseas, and the large differences between offers and acceptances. The number of applications has increased significantly over recent years, resulting in a lower percentage of offers, from 50% in 2010 to 38% in 2014 For PGRs, the availability of funding for UK students is evident from the fraction of overseas students remaining near 10% from year to year. Funding is also available for overseas students, but these sources (e.g. Imperial College PhD Scholarships and the China Scholarship Council) are very competitive and limited in number. The overall number of applications has steadily increased since 2010, with a concomitant decrease in the percentage of offers: from around 20% in 2010 to 16% in 2014. The corresponding figure for female applicants has remained steadily near 20% at all stages of the application process. Words: 267 20 (vi) Degree classification by gender – comment on any differences in degree attainment between males and females and say what action is being taken to address any imbalance. Table 7. Degree classes of students completing a 3-year (BSc) degree who began their studies during 2010–2014. % .7% .7. $ '()*+ 86*3 23(43*556 ! " ! " ! " ! " ! " !"#$%&'()#( * + ,- * ,. * * / #$ %& /7,7 !"#$%&'()#($0)1&$2&345' 6 / , , 7 7 7 7 # $ '()*+ , & %, & %& - - . #/ %0 !"#$%&'()#( ,, + 8 - ,8 9 6 , #1 .% /7,, !"#$%&'()#($0)1&$2&345' 9 6 6 7 , 7 7 7 %$ $ '()*+ .1 / %% / %0 0 $ % -$ .# !"#$%&'()#( - / - ,+ ,8 ,* . , $, $. /7,/ !"#$%&'()#($0)1&$2&345' ,- / * , 7 7 7 7 .. $ '()*+ .# # %. %- %, %- & % &1 $- !"#$%&'()#( ,. + /, / ,6 9 6 , -$ %& /7,6 !"#$%&'()#($0)1&$2&345' - , + , 7 7 7 7 %% . '()*+ .$ - .- $ %$ 0 $ % &# %, !"#$%&'()#( + 6 ,8 6 ,8 * + , ## %. /7,+ !"#$%&'()#($0)1&$2&345' 9 6 + , , 7 7 7 %# # '()*+ %$ & .. # %0 - # % -, %& Table 8. Degree classes of students completing a 4-year (MSci) degree who graduated during 2010–2014. % $8% $8$ . ()*+, 23+4 54)64+773 ! " ! " ! " ! " ! " !"#$%&'()$#) *+ , *- . / / 0 0 #$ %& !"#$%&'()$#)%1$2'%3'456( /7 * + * 0 0 0 0 $$ ' *0/0 !"#$%&'()$#)%1$2'%8$9 : : 7 7 0 0 0 0 %% %% ()*+, '- %# .# %# % % / / 0# .% !"#$%&'()$#) *+ + *7 /0 * * 0 0 #' $/ !"#$%&'()$#)%1$2'%3'456( *, : : / / 0 / 0 .# 0 *0// !"#$%&'()$#)%1$2'%8$9 /- - - 7 0 0 0 0 %& 1 ()*+, &1 %0 .' %# . $ % / %/# .# !"#$%&'()$#) *: /* *7 /* ; 0 / 0 #1 $' !"#$%&'()$#)%1$2'%3'456( *0 7 + * 0 0 0 0 $0 & *0/* !"#$%&'()$#)%1$2'%8$9 /* 7 - - * / 0 0 %1 0 ()*+, #- $/ .# %1 1 % % / %/$ .0 !"#$%&'()$#) /; : *; // - * 0 0 '. $/ !"#$%&'()$#)%1$2'%3'456( /. 7 : ; - 0 0 0 $- - *0/- !"#$%&'()$#)%1$2'%8$9 . * + : / 0 0 0 %0 - ()*+, '. %. '/ $. 1 $ / / -/ .0 !"#$%&'()$#) -* ; *, /- / 0 0 0 #- %0 !"#$%&'()$#)%1$2'%3'456( /. 0 + * 0 0 0 0 $1 $ *0/7 !"#$%&'()$#)%1$2'%8$9 // . ; / 0 0 0 0 %& %/ ()*+, &$ %' .- %& % / / / %/$ ./ 21 Figure 9. Graphical representation of the data in Table 7 as a fraction of the total students of each gender. Figure 10. Graphical representation of the data in Table 8 as a fraction of the total students of each gender. The degree class of students graduating during 2010–2014 are shown in Table 7 and Fig. 9 for the BSc and Table 8 and Fig.10 for the MSci programmes, respectively. In some years, females out- perform males in the first and/or upper-second BSc degrees, while in most other years, male students obtain the greater proportion of first class degrees. For MSci degrees, females obtained proportionately fewer firsts, but more upper-seconds. Performances are monitored each year by the DUGS and discussed by the Juno Committee. Our diverse undergraduate population makes it difficult to separate cultural from gender factors. Some of the issues the JC has examined are: Usage of learning support. Whether female students are less likely to take advantage of learning support opportunities, such as office hours for lecture courses, and seeking assistance from demonstrators in experimental and computing laboratories. Each year female UGs are notified by email of the availability of two dedicated female tutors. 22 !"#$%&' Academics, RAs and PGR by Research group 2013 Academic Staff RAs * PGs (Level C and above) (Level A and B) Research Only Group M F M F totals M F ASTRO 8 1 3 2 14 CMTH 12 0 6 0 18 EXSS 12 4 32 6 54 HEP 21 1 25 7 54 PHOT 11 0 10 4 25 PLAS 11 0 13 1 25 QOLS 16 0 16 3 35 SPAT 10 6 9 4 29 THEO 13 1 7 0 21 Totals 114 13 121 27 2012 Academic Staff RAs * PGs (Level C and above) (Level A and B) Research Only Group M F M F totals M F ASTRO 8 1 (11%) 4 1 (20%) 14 The wording of examCMTH questions11 . Several studies0 65 have suggested that the traditional wording of 0 17 exam questions and exercises reflects an ingrained male bias that may affect the performance of EXSS 12 4 (25%) 26 6 (19%) 48 female students. While we have been unable to draw any firm conclusions on this matter, the DUGS and the HEP Juno Committee22 will 1 (4%) continue 25 to monitor 4 (14%) exam 52 performance, particularly in questions in subjects which have been highlighted as being susceptible to gender bias. Words: 275 PHOT 11 0 6 2 (25%) 19 Staff data PLAS 12 0 9 0 21 (i) Female:male QOLS 15 ratio of academic 0 16 staff and 4 (20%) research 35 staff – researcher, lecturer, senior lecturer, reader, professor (or equivalent). Comment on any differences in numbers between males and females and say what action is being taken to address SPAT 11 6 (35%) 10 5 (50%) 32 any underrepresentation at particular grades/levels. THEO 13 1 (7%) 6 0 20 Table 9. Numbers of academic staff, RAs (excluding fellowship holders), and PGRs grouped Totals 115 13 (10%) 108 22 (17%) according to gender for each research group in 2014. Academic Staff RAs * PGs Group (Level C and above) (Level A and B) Research Only M F M F M F ASTR 9 1 (10%) 2 3 (60%) 3 1 (25%) CMTH 13 0 4 0 3 0 EXSS 16 4 (20%) 35 10 (22%) 11 2 (15%) HEPH 23 1 (4%) 24 8 (25%) 9 2 (18%) PHOT 11 0 13 3 (19%) 4 0 PLAS 11 0 14 1 (7%) 7 0 QOLS 15 0 47 5 (10%) 13 1 (7%) SPAT 12 6 (33%) 9 3 (25%) 5 2 (29%) THEO 13 1 (7%) 10 2 (17%) 5 1 (17%) Totals 123 13 (10%) 158 35 (18%) 60 9 (13%) !"#$%&'()*+,-%%./01(2+1.%'-30 The numbers of male and female academic staff, RAs, and PGRs within each research group are compiled in Table 7 and displayed in Fig. 11 along with the corresponding data from 2011. There are significant variations within research groups, with SPAT showing the best gender balance, and ASTR, EXSS, and PHOT also having appreciable female numbers in the three staff categories. However, four groups (CMTH, PHOT, PLAS, and QOLS) have no female academic staff. 5 J. Trefil and S. Swartz, Problems with problem sets, Physics Today, 64 (11), 49–52 (2011); S. Bates, R. Donnelly, C. MacPhee, D. Sands, M. Birch, and N. R. Walet, Gender differences in conceptual understanding of Newtonian mechanics: a UK cross-institution comparison, Eur. J. Phys. 34, 421–434 (2013). 23 Figure 11. The percentage of women who are academic staff, PDRAs, and PGRs in 2011 and 2014 (Table 9) as a percentage of total of male and female in each staff or student grouping. Females comprise 7% of the professors in the Department, which substantially exceeds the national average of 5.5%6, and 10% of the academic staff. Improving these figures relies on recruitment. To increase the number of female applicants for academic positions, the HoD has required all HoGs to compile lists of exceptional females at all levels in their research areas. The names on these lists would be encouraged to apply when a permanent position in that group becomes available. The HoD has also required shortlists for all academic positions to include at least one female candidate. The staff numbers are strongly correlated from year to year. The variations in RA and PGR numbers are due to their typically 3-year tenure. Despite fluctuations, gender-balanced groups (e.g. EXSS and SPAT) remain so, while other groups (e.g. ASTR and PHOT) show substantial variations in RA and PG female numbers. Words: 233 6 Academic Physics Staff in UK Higher Education Institutions, Institute of Physics (January 2012); http://www.iop.org/publications/iop/2012/file_53617.pdf. 24 (ii) Turnover by grade and gender – comment on any differences between men and women in turnover and say how the department plans to address this. Where the number of staff leaving is small, comment on the reasons why particular individuals left. Table 10. Turnover by grade and gender in the indicated staff categories. 23'453637'* +$,$ +$,, +$,+ +$,0 +$,# %&'() ! " ! " ! " ! " ! " ! " !"#$%&&#" ' ' ' ' ( ' ) ' ) ' # $ *%+,%"-.%/0#"12%345"%" ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' $ $ 2%345"%" ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' $ $ *%&%+"3612%7%819 ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' $ $ %&'()* $ $ $ $ + $ , $ , $ # $ %857&935:;<:=5(>3:(7>:=37>35 +$,$ +$,, +$,+ +$,0 +$,# %&'() ! " ! " ! " ! " ! " ! " !"#$%&&#" ( ' ' ' : ' ) ' ' ' ; ' *%+,%"-.%/0#"12%345"%" ) ' ' ' ) ' ' ' ' ' ( ' 2%345"%" ' ' ' ' ( ' ' ) ' ' ( ) *%&%+"3612%7%81< ' ' ' ' ) ' ' ' ' ' ) ' *%&%+"3612%7%819 ' ' ' ' ( ( ) ' ) ' = ( *%&%+"3612%7%81> ?@ ; =' )? :' )( (@ : ?( A )@' =: *%&%+"3612%7%81B ? ( ; ) )? ' C ) @ ) ?@ : %&'()* #- ,$ #. ,# /# ,# 0/ / #+ . +#1 -0 Table 11. RA staff on open contracts with more than 6 years of continuous service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able 12. RA reasons for leaving (census taken during the period January 1, 2013 – December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he turnover of academic staff due to retirement or resignation is a small fraction of the total staff, without specific gender issues (Table 10). Nor are there any gender issues associated with the turnover of staff in Research Levels C and D, whose turnover is comparable to that for academic staff and who leave because their contract ends. Table 11 shows that many of these positions are in groups that are engaged in “big science”, e.g. HEP, SPAT, and PLAS, whose projects have long timescales and are supported by a succession of rolling grants. Their long tenures, extending to decades, are necessary for the continuity of these projects. Appointments to Research Level A are made prior to the person earning a PhD, and promoted to Research Level B once the PhD has been awarded; the turnover here reflects this transition. Table 12 shows the reasons that RAs leave the Department and their destinations. A substantial fraction of both genders remain in research/academia. With this information gathering protocol in place, we can analyse these data from year to year, supplemented by surveys, to understand if the RAs were provided with sufficient information and guidance to make an informed decision (Action Item 1.7). Words: 201 Words in section: 2000 26 4. Supporting and advancing women’s careers: maximum 5000 words Key career transition points a) Provide data for the past five years (where possible with clearly labelled graphical illustrations) on the following with commentary on their significance, how they have affected action planning, and any improvements since the department’s Silver award. (i) Job application and success rates by gender and grade – comment on any differences in recruitment between men and women at any level and say what action is being taken to address this. Table 13. RA recruitment statistics for the indicated years, showing the numbers of applications, the numbers on shortlists, and the number appointed. The shortlisted and appointed applicants are shown both as numbers and as fractions of applicants according to gender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igure 12. Bar chart of the data in Table 13. Applications show the percentage only of females, while the other entries show the shortlisted and appointed applicants as a fraction of males and females separately. 27 Recruitment statistics for RAs during 2010–2014 (Table 11 and Fig. 12) show that, although fewer women apply than men, a slightly greater proportion of women (out of total women) than men (out of total men) are shortlisted, and a slightly greater proportion of women are hired. The balance of these statistics changed significantly since our Silver renewal to the point where a greater fraction of female applicants are shortlisted and appointed than their male counterparts. This suggests that there is no apparent bias in either the interview or the decision to appoint. Our efforts to promote gender equality across the department appear to be having a positive impact and we aim to increasing the number of female applicants for RA positions to a proportion of 20– 30%, which was the target in our 2012 Action Plan (Items 2.1 and 2.2). Academic appointments during 2010–2013 are shown in Table 12. There were no academic appointments in 2014. Of the 15 appointments made during this period, one was to a women (7% of all appointments), which is approximately half the percentage during the period of our previous action plan (2009-2012). An analysis of the recruitment figures analogous to that in Fig. 12 for RA appointments, reveals that 44/159 (28%) of male applicants were shortlisted against 5/21 (24%) of female applicants, and 15/159 (9%) of male applicants were appointed against 1/21 (5%) of female applicants. While this suggests that there is no inherent gender bias in the shortlisting process, we clearly need to take more steps to increase the percentage of female applicants. Each of the appointment panels has a female member (2012 Action Item 2.3), nevertheless this alone will not rule out unconscious bias in the appointment decision (Action Item 2.4). The problem with the statistics in Table 14 – which is not solely a gender issue – is that the descriptions of the appointments are often too narrowly written. In cases where funding is provided by an external agency to support a specific research effort, this is justifiable. But as part of the general strategy of a research group, a better approach is to provide a general description of the position, with a preference for a particular research area. Past experience has shown that general searches (such as “nanotechnology” or “theoretical physics”) can attract well over 100 applicants. We have recently put this into practice with the THEO group recently advertising for a lecturer, stating that those with “expertise in Cosmology are particularly encouraged to apply, but all areas will be considered”. The group received 116 applications of which 17 (15%) were women (the appointment has not yet been made). More gender-specific actions in appointments to academic positions are: • Wording in job advertisements. A recent study7 found that men and women tend to respond to advertisements whose wording reinforces traditional gender stereotypes. Men felt more suited to jobs that favored traits such as “drive”, and “competitive”, while women favored jobs described with words such as “collaborative” and “committed”. We have no evidence that the wording in our job advertisements deters female applicants, but this study raises awareness of what may be regarded an unconscious bias. • Include descriptions of family-friendly policies and facilities, with links to appropriate web pages. • To complement the foregoing actions, the Department has taken two pro-active steps in an attempt to increases the female pool of candidates. The first, initiated by our previous 7 D. Gaucher, J. Friesen, and A. C. Kay, Evidence that gendered wording in job advertisements exists and sustains gender inequality, J. Pers. Soc. Psychol. 2011, 101 (1), 109–128 (2011). 28 HoD (Joanna Haigh) is to require all HoGs to compile and maintain lists of female scientists who would be serious candidates for an academic position in their group. • Motivated by the statistics in Table 14, the current HOD (Jordan Nash) has taken the additional step of requiring that all shortlists for academic posts have at least one women. The aim of this is, of course, to encourage breadth in the search for suitable candidates and to avoid narrow job descriptions. This forms part of our Action Plan (Item 2.4). • The JC will look into establishing departmental Search Committees to actively identify candidates for advertised posts, who are then encouraged to apply. These committees would use the lists of exceptional candidates maintained by each group. Table 14. Academic staff recruitment statistics since 2010, with an appointment process that is in progress in 2015. There was no recruitment in 2014. E994+3*2+1.: ?)1,24+:20H E991+.20H "07*40:- Z0*, M1:2 ! " 1.-M*.04 ! " ! " #! #" $ % T0*H0,:)+9;()*+,-+.-E:2,1:2*2+:2+3: & & % & % $&# %&# ' & D0Q0,)6470-()*+,-+.-!02*7*20,+*4: B & % & % %&&# &# ()*+,-+.-/)01,02+3*4-56*.267-892+3:; < % B&%& C % % & % ---56*.267-=.>1,7*2+1.-?3+0.30 @ 29 (ii) Applications for promotion and success rates by gender and grade – comment on where these differ, whether these have improved and say what further action may be taken. Where the number of women is small applicants may comment on specific examples of where women have been through the promotion process. Explain how potential candidates are identified. Table 15. Promotions to Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, and Professor during 2005–2013 broken down according to gender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ll Lecturers, Senior Lecturers, and Readers are considered for promotion annually by a specially convened meeting of all Professors. Applications for promotion that are supported by this meeting are then evaluated internally by the Reader/Senior Lecturer Panel and by the Wisepeople Panel (for promotion to Professor) (Table 17). Applications supported by these panels are then put forward to the College, while applicants who are not supported are given feedback about the decision. Applications for promotion can be made to the College without departmental support. 30 The results of this promotion process for 2005–2013 are compiled in Table 15. The department has an excellent success rate for promotions, with 93% of male and 89% of female candidates having been promoted. This is due in no small part to the rigorous, but constructive, internal evaluation process. We have identified no specific gender issues at any stage of this process. Feedback at College level to unsuccessful candidates is an item on our Action Plan (Item 2.5). While there are informal channels for feedback, the College has no formal channel of giving feedback. We have been engaging with the College and the Faculty to initiate formal feedback. Words: 195 b) For each of the areas below, explain, what steps have been taken to address any imbalances, what success/impact has been achieved so far and what additional steps may be needed. (i) Recruitment of staff – comment on how the department’s recruitment processes ensure that female candidates are attracted to apply, and how the department ensures its short listing, selection processes and criteria comply with the university’s equal opportunities policies. Several items in our 2012 Action Plan addressed key factors in the recruitment process, and our new Action Plan includes new initiatives to increase applications from women for all posts. Some of these were discussed in (a) but, for completeness, we list below all of out actions, from advertisement to interview, which are designed to alleviate any inequities: • Wording in job advertisements to emphasize family-friendly policies of the College. For RA recruitment, an emphasis on female staff development and highlighting the research of female staff members (2012 Action Items 2.2, 2.4) on the Academic Women in Physics web pages. • Narrow job descriptions in advertisements for academic posts should be avoided to maximize the number of applicants. • The Departmental OM meets with HR and Departmental and Faculty administrative teams to ensure that all aspects of recruitment that feed into Equality and Diversity initiatives are monitored and recorded. (2012 Action Item 2.1). In 2015, the College, through HR, is introducing unconscious bias training that will required for all staff involved in recruitment (2015 Action Item 2.1). • Each research group is required to compile and maintain a list of exceptional candidates for academic appointments and fellowships (2012 Action Plan Item 2.4). From 2015, shortlists for academic appointments must include at least one female (2015 Action Item 2.4) and interview panels for academic appointments must include at least one female member of academic staff (2012 Action Item 2.1). • Support for female staff after appointment is described on the Academic Women in Physics web pages, which includes summaries of achievements, links to other available support schemes and opportunities, and HR policies (2012 Action Plan 2012 Item 2.2). Words: 272 31 (ii) Support for staff at key career transition points – having identified key areas of attrition of female staff in the department, comment on any interventions, programmes and activities that support women at the crucial stages, such as personal development training, opportunities for networking, mentoring programmes and leadership training. Identify which have been found to work best at the different career stages. The data in Table 16 and the chart in Fig. 13 show the percentages of female UGs, PGRs, RAs, Fellows, and academic for each year during 2010–2014. The data fluctuate from year to year, but the cumulative statistics support the notion of a steady downward trend at each transition: UG (22%), PGR (19%), RA (20%), Fellowship (14%), and Staff (10%). These data indicate that the key transitions are from RA to Fellowship and from Fellowship to Staff. The first is a career decision, which must be taken earlier, while the second can be influenced by actions such as those described in our Action Plan (Item 2.2). Table 16. The percentages of male and female UGs, PGRs, RAs, fellowship holders, and permanent staff members during 2010–2014. *+ ,+- -. "(//012345 #$%&& '(%) ! " ! " ! " ! " ! " !" #$ #% $ $& #*$* $%$ )& $!& $* $*( ##' ##' $(' %' $$' "( ## #! $ $& #*$$ $%( )) $"! ! $$) ##' ##' $!' $)' $*' !+ $) #" # $& #*$# $)+ +* $#" $( $$! #!' $+' $(' $$' $*' !) $! &# ! $& #*$& $++ () $"( #! $$" #&' $+' $+' $)' $*' !( $# &! # $& #*$" $+% )# $!+ #" $#& #&' $"' $+' +' $*' &!"# %!"# $!"# !"# *+# *+# *+# *+# *+# '(# '(# '(# '(# '(# )(*# )(*# )(*# )(*# )(*# ,-../0# ,-../0# ,-../0# ,-../0# ,-../0# +123-451# +123-451# +123-451# +123-451# +123-451# %!$!# %!$$# %!$%# %!$&# %!$6# Figure 13. Bar chart of he data in Table 14 for the percentages of females in each category. Since our 2012 Silver renewal: • The Physics Fellows’ Forum (PFF) (2012 Action Item 3.4) was established in 2014, with Rob Nyman (JC member) as chair. This replaces the proposed Early Career Researchers’ (ECR) 32 Forum, which would have included probationary lecturers. There are two reasons for excluding new lecturers: (i) the issues which affect fellows (mainly seeking permanent positions and fixed-term research plans) do not affect lecturers, and (ii) the PFF has a clear connection to the College-wide forum for fellows, which was set up by Liz Elvidge (JC member) of the PDDC. Probationary lecturers also have a support mechanism: each is assigned a mentor upon appointment. Female probationary lecturers have additional support from networking events in the department and the Faculty. • The Imperial College Women in Physics (WiP) Committee was launched on International Women’s Day (March 8, 2015) with a lunch to celebrate all female staff at Imperial. The aim of the committee is to formalise a number of activities between female PGTs and PGRs across research groups which has happened year on year but whose continuity required an umbrella description. The lunch attempted to attract more women to continue research beyond the postgraduate level by (i) identifying positive female role models, (ii) providing information on available careers, (iii) promoting examples of how changes in the working environment at Imperial benefit women and women with families, and (iv) creating a network to offer advice and support. Additional items during the lunch were focus group discussion on topics such as “Female researchers and why they leave”. The results of an online survey revealed that the WiP community think that mentoring and coaching (our ‘Champion’ scheme) is a great idea for addressing gender issues, with 10 volunteering to be Women in Physics Champions. Since the launch there has been a PG WiP training day addressing issues that women in science encounter. The PGs are hosting a UG WiP open day to introduce 1st- and 2nd-year UGs to the research going on in the department. All of these activities foster interactions between the PG community, between UGs and PGs and between PGs and RAs (2012 Action Item 2.3). Words: 462 Career development a) For each of the areas below, explain what the key issues are in the department, what steps have been taken to address any imbalances, what success/impact has been achieved so far and what additional steps may be needed. (i) Promotion and career development – comment on the appraisal and career development process, and promotion criteria and whether these take into consideration responsibilities for teaching, research, administration, pastoral work and outreach work; is quality of work emphasised over quantity of work? Appraisal of staff is conducted annually through the Personal Review and Development Plan (PRDP), which is a meeting between the appraisee and the appraiser (usually the line manager). The department aims to have all staff complete a PRDP. In 2014, Steve Schwartz and Tyler Roschuk (JC members) initiated a re-design of the form used for the PRDP, in consultation with HR. The aim of the new form is to engage the appraisee and appraisor in a way that focuses on the personal and career development of the appraisee and which can be used across all job categories. Training sessions on the use of new form began in November 2013, with a total of three sessions that have trained approximately 40% of all staff. Training sessions will continue to be held periodically until all staff involved in the process have attended. The response to the new form will be assessed in the next staff survey. Staff can also 33 submit a list of achievements during the preceding year as a separate document to the HoD, but this is no longer part of the PRDP process. RAs. Career development for RAs is the responsibility of the line manager and the HoG. The annual PRDP interview serves as the forum for discussing this and other issues related to the work environment. The 2013 staff survey revealed that 88% of RAs were engaged with the PRDP process, with 74% agreeing to the statement that their line manager supports their career development; only 3% disagreed, with the rest having neither agreed nor disagreed. The RA Committee provides a channel of communication between RAs and the Department through the JC (the chair of the RA committee is an ex officio member of the JC) and fosters communication across groups in this community. Each research group is represented on this committee, which the department supports with an annual investment of £1500 for networking and social activities. The initiation of the Imperial College Women in Physics Community has established a forum for female UGs, PGs, RAs, faculty members and support staff to develop networks and to engage with female academics about careers in physics. Focus groups have highlighted issues that are of particular concern to women within the department, which will be communicated to the department through the JC (the chair of WiP is a JC member). A UG counterpart will provide similar opportunities for the female UGs to enable them to make informed decisions about pursuing postgraduate opportunities in physics. Additional support for all RAs is an annual fellowship workshop (2012 Action Item 2.9) to aid career development beyond their contract. In response to a request from the RA committee, an Industry Club was set up to promote engagement with companies with interests in research and/or offer potential career opportunities. An annual postgraduate research symposium was initiated in 2011, enabling PG students to interact with Club members. About 40 industrialists per year have attended. Very positive reports from both PGs and industrialists suggest these events are of benefit to both groups ECRs. The formation of the Physics Fellows’ Forum discussed above in (ii) has provided the opportunity to address the main concerns of this community. The HoD has spoken to the forum and the Provost has spoken to the College-wide forum. Academics. Although promotion is based typically on research output and other traditional measures of achievement and recognition (grant income, invitations to conferences, awards and prizes, etc.) other duties are also taken into account, including administration (e.g. major departmental roles, committee work, including membership of the JC, directorship of masters or CDT courses, pastoral work, outreach) and teaching. Part-time working is also taken into account in all promotion/performance discussions with the line manager (usually the HoG) and is included in the paperwork for promotion. Words: 635 (ii) Induction and training – describe the support provided to new staff at all levels, as well as details of any gender equality training. To what extent are good employment practices in the institution, such as opportunities for networking, the flexible working policy, and professional and personal development opportunities promoted to staff from the outset? Our departmental induction pages have continued to be expanded and updated since our 2012 Silver renewal. The links to these webpages are from the New Staff pages as shown in the screen shot below: 34 Figure 14. Screen shot of the New Staff web page, with links to induction pages for each staff category, and to other pages. The address of this page is: http://www.imperial.ac.uk/natural- sciences/departments/physics/staff/new-staff/. Induction information is provided by separate links for each job category (technical, administrative, RA, and academic). A link to the Staff Information Page provides links to HR policies and procedures, such as College Equality and Diversity, Flexible Working, Departmental Guidance on Recruitment, Maternity/Paternity Leave, and the Personal Review and Development Plan. The staff pages also include links to the Women in Physics page, which in turn links to Women at Imperial, and to the Juno Committee pages. The existence of all these pages is pointed out to new staff as part of the induction process. Words: 129 (iii) Support for female students – describe the support (formal and informal) provided for female students to enable them to make the transition to a sustainable academic career, particularly from postgraduate to researcher, such as mentoring, seminars and pastoral support and the right to request a female personal tutor. Comment on whether these activities are run by female staff and how this work is formally recognised by the department. There are several ways in which the department provides supports female undergraduate and postgraduate students to enable them to make informed decisions about their careers. • The department ensures that there are female lecturers in from core courses, particularly in the first year, and specialized options in the third and fourth years. This has the added benefit of demonstrating to all of our students the diversity of our academic staff. 35 • At the beginning of each academic year, female students are sent an email message informing them of the existence of dedicated female tutors. Our exit surveys indicate that our female students appreciate the tutorial system (Fig. 3) • One of our PG students, Jessica Wade (JC member), has initiated the Imperial College Women in Physics (WiP) Committee, whose tenets were described above. This committee has RA, PG, and UG members. The attendance by over 140 members of the PG community attests to the positive response and demonstrates the need for such a forum. The focus groups will provide a channel communication with the department about the concerns of female PG students. The committee has been successful in securing funding for WiP training days, covering networking, body language and presentation skills. The next event will see 5 PG females attending the WISE Campaign – BBC Media Training Day. • The initiation of an undergraduate WiP conference will establish connections with UG students, and discussions with the PG and RA committees will provide input from more senor female colleagues about the challenges and rewards of an academic career. • All students are made aware of JC activities through posters displayed through the department. WiP meetings provide the opportunity to point the existence of the JC and its work to female UG, PGT, and PGR students. • The department provides welfare support for all undergraduate and postgraduate students. The College provides analogous support through College Tutors, a councelling service and a Health Centre. Words: 314 Organisation and culture a) Provide data for the past five years (where possible with clearly labelled graphical illustrations) on the following with commentary on their significance, how they have affected action planning, and any improvements since the department’s Silver award. (i) Male and female representation on committees – provide a breakdown by committee and explain any differences between male and female representation. Explain how potential members are identified. The memberships of Departmental committees are compiled in Table 15, and their position in the management structure of the Department is shown in Fig. 1. Durations of appointment are between 3 and 5 years. The drop of female membership is due to the HoG being an ex officio member of most of these committees. From 2009–2014 the HoG was Joanna Haigh and, from mid- 2014, Jordan Nash. Nevertheless, we have maintained a female presence on all but three committees. The minutes of many of the committees, including the JC, are posted on the web once approved by the committee in question. Minutes with personal information, such as the Wisepeople and Reader/Senior Lecturer Panels are not posted. Words: 116 36 Table 17. Male and female committee membership during 2011–2014. All membership information is posted on the departmental website. Posting of minutes is as indicated. KLMNFMO KLMPFMN KLMKFMP KLMMFMK G29-1$'( 5)66211$$(J(G$60$,'@2. )9(C$0Q( ! ! ! ! G G G G RS;TU "! "! "! "! #$%&'()*(+,)-.' ! 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ii) Female:male ratio of academic and research staff on fixed-term contracts and open-ended (permanent) contracts – comment on any differences between male and female staff representation on fixed-term contracts and say what is being done to address them. This was covered by the discussion accompanying Table 3. Words: 9 37 b) For each of the areas below, explain what the key issues are in the department, what steps have been taken to address any imbalances, what success/impact has been achieved so far and what additional steps may be needed. (i) Representation on decision-making committees – comment on evidence of gender balance in the mechanism for selecting representatives. What evidence is there that women are encouraged to sit on a range of influential committees inside and outside the department? How is the issue of ‘committee overload’ addressed where there are small numbers of female staff. The representation of our committees is set out in Table 17. Since July 2014 our HoD and all 9 HoGs are male. The HoD and HoG are each appointed for 5-year terms and although three groups (EXSS, SPAT, and THEO) have female professors, at the present time the majority hold positions of responsibility at College level or externally, but that situation may well change. But the issue of “committee overload” is precisely why, with a male HoD, we cannot expect to attain the levels of female committee membership we had with a female HoD. Other female faculty make substantial contribution to departmental administration by taking senior roles (Admissions Tutor, Director of External Relations), and have leading roles on governmental and research council advisory committees. Our previous HoD, Joanna Haigh is now the co-Director of the Grantham Institute for Climate Change and Environment at Imperial. In addition to the standing committees in Table 17, there are ad hoc appointment panels for each advertised academic position. We have fulfilled 2012 Action Point 2.1 in that there has been at least one female panel member for every academic appointment. Words: 186 (ii) Workload model – describe the systems in place to ensure that workload allocations, including pastoral and administrative responsibilities (including the responsibility for work on women and science) are taken into account at appraisal and in promotion criteria. Comment on the rotation of responsibilities e.g. responsibilities with a heavy workload and those that are seen as good for an individual’s career. The allocation of workload is based on a transparent points system whereby teaching and administrative duties are assigned credit (notional hours) that determines the total workload in the department, from which the target average load is calculated. The credits for each type of activity are posted on a web page. Senior appointments, which carry a large credit, such as the DUGS, Senior Tutor, and Admissions Tutor, are made by the HoD. Administrative credits also take account committee membership including the JC. Each year, around March, staff bid for lecture courses and other teaching duties for the upcoming and succeeding years. Allocations are made by the Teaching Committee, with consideration given to many factors, such as the giving new staff members a opportunity to lecture, and taking account of any personal circumstances, such as or childcare responsibilities, which place restrictions on times when duties can be carried out. On the basis of the bids, teaching duties are assigned by the DUGS and the Teaching Committee. Among many benefits of this system, each member of teaching staff is able to decide on the duties that fulfil their allocation in a manner that most suits their needs. All academic staff not on sabbatical are expected to contribute to teaching and administration, with a reduction to 25–30% of a full work load for those funded by fellowships (including senior fellowships). There is no 38 evidence of any gender bias in this process. Senior administrative roles in the Department (such, as HoD, HoG, and DUGS), which have a reduced or zero teaching load, can be held by either male or female members of staff. Figure 15. Workload distribution for all staff and for female staff for 2014-2015, which accounts for teaching and administrative duties, shown as the number of staff with the indicated hours. Table 18. Staff with reduced workloads for the reasons indicated broken down by gender. !"#$%&'( ) * +&#$, !"#$%&'#( ) ) *"%#+#',$-."/"%( 0 1 !"/$2-,"'&/(-.$,'+%$#'%$34-5$,"/$2-67/3-6"%$ 8$9-.#"55 : ) ;$//<9.7'=. :: > ;$//<9.7'=.-"&3-<#7$%-5<%,.-<5-="%#'"/-/<"3 ?$%<-/<"3 > ) @A6$=#'<&"/-/$B"6(-6".$. C<'&#-"==<'&#,$&#. 0 ) *7(.'6.D!"#$%'"/.E!$3'6'&$E!"#7$,"#'6. F"GG"#'6"/ > H I<#"/ 1J K The resulting distribution is shown in Fig. 15. The peak is near the target load of 480, but the average of this distribution is 403 due to people with reduced loads for many reasons (Table 18). The average for those with a target load of 480 is 519. The results of these assigned duties for academic staff are displayed on (password protected) Departmental web pages. Teaching by RAs has been a contentious issue over the past several years. In the 2013 staff survey, only 21% of RAs thought that the allocation of teaching was carried in a fair and transparent manner, and only 26% felt appreciated for their teaching. The formation of the RA committee, with the chair being a member of the JC, has opened a channel for dialogue about this issue. Awards recognizing the contribution of RAs to teaching address one source of dissatisfaction. Words: 415 39 (iii) Timing of departmental meetings and social gatherings – provide evidence of consideration for those with family responsibilities, for example what the department considers to be core hours and whether there is a more flexible system in place. Classes are held from 09:00 until 17:50, except Wednesdays, when they finish at 12:30. Arrangement can be made to accommodate the time constraints of staff with childcare or other family responsibilities, typically lecturing times that are not too early or too late, often by simply swapping time slots with another lecturer. An extreme example of this is the swap of two independent halves of a course, each taught in different terms, to accommodate the paternity leave of one of the lecturers. This also illustrates one aspect of the culture of the Department, namely, understanding and cooperation with regard to time constraints for family reasons. We know of no instances where an accommodation has not been reached. Physics Staff Meetings are held once a term at 13:00. Departmental seminars are held from 16:00–17:00, as are Departmental receptions. Group meetings are also held typically in the middle of the day and on days when part-time staff are present. Words: 157 (iv) Culture – demonstrate how the department is female-friendly and inclusive. ‘Culture’ refers to the language, behaviours and other informal interactions that characterise the atmosphere of the department, and includes all staff and students. The culture of a department is strongly influenced by its head. Our previous HoG, Joanna Haigh, adopted a welcoming and inclusive approach, typified by her open-door policy. This was reflected in the changes seen between the 2008 and 2013 staff survey, which saw an increase from 70% to 90% of female staff who replied that the HoD was accessible. The present HoD, Jordan Nash, has continued in this approach, so we expect similarly positive responses to this question in the 2016 survey. The JC has made tremendous in-roads since its inception in 2007. JC matters are now a standing item on the HoGs agenda, and regular reports are made a staff meetings. In the 2013 staff survey, 74% of male and 84% of female staff members has some knowledge of the activities of the JC. We have added a section to the welcome pack for HoGs to ensure that new HoGs are aware of JC activities and particularly Athena-SWAN actions. Although the main reason of the existence of the JC is to address the under-representation of women in physics, the changes we have fostered, such as enhancing the transparency of many procedures affecting appointments, reviews, and promotions, and feed-back benefits all members of the Department. Words: 205 (v) Outreach activities – comment on the level of participation by female and male staff in outreach activities with schools and colleges and other centres. Describe who the programmes are aimed at, and how this activity is formally recognised as part of the workload model and in appraisal and promotion processes. In response to government statements about widening access to top-tier higher education institutions, the Insights Work Experience Scheme was initiated by Mark Richards (Head of Physics Outreach and JC member) in 2011. Key features of this program are (i) online application, enabling a rapid and transparent selection process, (ii) demystify preconceived notions about top- tier institutions, (iii) enhancing participant experience with a structured program, (iv) improveing 40 understanding of physics and research, and (v) enhancing the attractiveness of the department, and Imperial generally, as an undergraduate destination. The selection criteria was aimed at providing a cohort of able Year-12 students who would ordinarily be unlikely to receive such opportunities, while attracting applications from schools whose students have not applied to the department for at least 3-5 years. The selection process allows other objectives of widening participation to be addressed. For example, selection is made to ensure an even gender balance within a cohort. Since 2012, 100 students have attended this program, with a further 40 planned for Summer 2015. In 2014, applications outnumbered places by almost 20:1. The impact of this program is compelling. Two-thirds of the 2013 cohort has applied to study physics at degree level, and three- quarters of those have applied to our department. Moreover, 44% of participants who went on to apply to study physics were female, a clear contrast to the national trend. The Insights programme has been widely recognized. Mark Richards has advised the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at Imperial about setting up a similar programme in that department. He was also invited by the American State Department to examine schemes that have successfully promoted diversity within STEM in the United States. As an outgrowth of this Insights programme, Lesley Cohen (JC member) spearheaded a Women in Physics Open Day on June 4, 2014. Presentations included an overview of the Department, female researchers/ academics talking about their journey, tours and lunch, where staff talked informally with the students about all aspects of academic life at Imperial. The 2015 Open Day, which was held on April 22nd, was attended by 180 girls and school teachers, and featured talks about the admissions process, solar cells, the Rosetta Mission and a current postgraduate student (Jessica Wade, JC member) talking about her journey from school to a PhD. Words: 379 Flexibility and managing career breaks a) Provide data for the past five years (where possible with clearly labelled graphical illustrations) on the following with commentary on their significance, how they have affected action planning, and any improvements since the department’s Silver award. (i) Maternity return rate – comment on whether maternity return rate has improved or deteriorated and any plans for further improvement. If the department is unable to provide a maternity return rate, please explain why. Table 19 shows the ten-year record of maternity leave in the department. There has been no significant change since our 2012 Silver Award, with all staff who have taken maternity leave returning after their leave entitlement. All returning female permanent staff have taken up Elsie Widdowson fellowships, which provides a buy-out from teaching and administrative duties for one year to enable the recipient to reengage with their research programme. Words: 69 41 Table 19. RAs and academic staff who have taken maternity leave. The lower table shows the one person who left after taking maternity leave. !"#$ %$#&" '()*"$ !"#$ %$#&" '()*"$ !""# $%&%'()* + !",! $%&%'()* ! !""- $%&%'()* , !",+ $%&%'()* ! .)'/%01) , 2%')*13456%7789 , !""B $%&%'()* , ./0131&:(':1;% , !",C !""< $%&%'()* + =>%(':183'7 , !""? $%&%'()* ! $%&%'()* , !"," $%&%'()* , @%):A(%( , !"#$ %$#&" '()*"$ !",, $%&%'()* , !""- $%&%'()* , (ii) Paternity, adoption and parental leave uptake – comment on the uptake of paternity leave by grade and parental and adoption leave by gender and grade. Has this improved or deteriorated and what plans are there to improve further. Table 20. RAs and academic staff who have taken paternity leave. There have been no cases of adoption leave. !"#$ %$#&" '()*"$ !""# $%&%'()* + !"", $%&%'()* + !""- $%&%'()* . !""/ $%&%'()* ! !"0" $%&%'()* 1 !"00 $%&%'()* . !"0! $%&%'()* 1 $%&%'()* + !"0. 2)'3%45) ! $%&%'()* 0 2)'3%45) . !"0+ $%&%'()* 0 6%)*75)'8 0 As Table 20 shows, there has been a slight increase since our 2012 Silver renewal in the number of staff taking paternity leave. As with those taking maternity leave, teaching duties are scheduled to accommodate any childcare responsibilities. Words: 38 42 (iii) Numbers of applications and success rates for flexible working by gender and grade – comment on any disparities. Where the number of women in the department is small applicants may wish to comment on specific examples. Table 21 shows the numbers of academic staff taking formal part-time work and other fractional full-time equivalent (FTE) arrangements in 2013. All applications from academic staff for part-time work have been successful and this mode of work is, in fact, encouraged by the department. The departmental policy on flexible working and several case studies are provided in the Flexible Working pages in the HR section of Staff Information. Words: 68 Table 21. Academic staff with part-time work and other fraction FTE arrangements in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b) For each of the areas below, explain what the key issues are in the department, what steps have been taken to address any imbalances, what success/impact has been achieved so far and what additional steps may be needed. (i) Flexible working – comment on the numbers of staff working flexibly and their grades and gender, whether there is a formal or informal system, the support and training provided for managers in promoting and managing flexible working arrangements, and how the department raises awareness of the options available. Academic staff are free to set their own hours of work and many choose to work from home occasionally to write proposals, publications, reports, and lecture notes, when large blocks of uninterrupted time are required, or when demanded by caring responsibilities for children or 43 elderly relatives. No formal approval is needed provided staff can deliver their teaching, research, and administrative duties. Most line supervisors encourage regular working hours for PGs and RAs, as interactions within and between these groups are desirable in an efficient research group, but flexible working is not usually an issue when there are no health and safety restrictions. Support staff are encouraged to take advantage of flexible working hours, particularly with regard to child care. Part-time working and return to full-time from part-time working are considered through a more formal process beginning with the relevant HoG, then the HoD, and finally the College. Provided that the HoG supports the request, the HoD will usually also support the request. As our case studies show, part-time working is no barrier either to career advancement or to an active and extensive research programme. Words: 184 (ii) Cover for maternity and adoption leave and support on return – explain what the department does, beyond the university maternity policy package, to support female staff before they go on maternity leave, arrangements for covering work during absence, and to help them achieve a suitable work-life balance on their return. The long-term form is intended to provide a framework for the initial meeting between line managers and staff when staff are planning any extended leave from the department, (other than sabbatical) or a change of status (from full to part time or the reverse), including maternity and paternity leave, long term sick leave, compassionate leave, part time or return to full time work. The purpose of the meeting is to ensure that the line manager is fully aware of the situation and implications and can pick up on the responsibilities and support issues. For most of these leave processes there will be formal HR documentation that will also need to be completed by the member of staff in order to receive formal departmental approve for the intended leave. Short-term leave during term time is dealt with separately via an on line. This document is not intended to replace either of these processes. The long-term leave form is now fully embedded within departmental procedures, which fulfils 2012 Action Item 5.2. However, in the 2013 staff survey, of staff for who said long-term leave is relevant to them, only 36% were aware of this form (compared with 65% awareness of JC activities). Awareness of the long-term leave form will be increased through staff and group meetings for RAs and academic staff, and through direct presentation to administrative and technical staff. A number of staff has used the College Nursery, while those who use external daycare providers can benefit from the College’s childcare voucher scheme. Informal flexible working arrangements are in place to facilitate nursery/school runs. Ours is a very collegial department, where lecture slots can be swapped to accommodate any family responsibilities. Words: 280 Words in section: 4832 44 5. Any other comments: maximum 500 words Please comment here on any other elements relevant to the application, e.g. other STEMM- specific initiatives of special interest that have not been covered in the previous sections. Include any other relevant data (e.g. results from staff surveys), provide a commentary on it and indicate how the department plans to address any gender disparities identified. The cycle of data collection, evaluation, and action has become embedded in the department’s assessment of its policies and procedures. Annual admission statistics for UGs, PGTs, and PGRs are used to examine the impact of departmental outreach. Destination data for graduating PGRs provide important input into managing career expectations and suggesting and developing career development courses. Annual hiring statistics for RAs and academic posts enable us to monitor the effectiveness of the actions put in place to hire more women. All of these statistics are now compiled routinely and presented annually to HoGs. Surveys of graduating students and of all staff are conducted every three-years. These indicate the effect of previous actions and inform the JC and the Department about the need for any new actions. The Department of Physics, through its work with the JC, has become a beacon within Imperial and to the wider physics community. Several members of the JC are members of College committees, where our experience with the Athena-SWAN process can be shared with other departments. We have engaged with government. Following a round-table discussion at 10 Downing Street in 2013, Lesley Cohen (JC member) was invited by Elizabeth Truss MP (then- Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education and Childcare) to a meeting at the Department for Education. Four JC members met the MP, who was especially interested in our Physics with Science Education degree program and our outreach activities. She accepted an invitation to visit Imperial in 2014. Lesley Cohen has written articles in high-profile journals about the issues confronting the appointment of women to academic posts generally, and the steps taken by Imperial and the Department in particular (footnore 1). The Department and the JC have helped to foster an environment in which female academics can thrive. Since our Silver Swan renewal in 2012, we have (i) hired a new female lecturer, (ii) promoted a female from a short-term to a permanent position on the teaching staff, and (iii) promoted a female Senior Lecturer to Reader and a female Reader to Professor. The table below shows that most women are grant-active with the average percentage of grants over the 5-year period (11%) exceeding the 10% of academic women, 5 of whom are part-time (Table 22): Table 22. Grant statistics for the 5-year period 2009–2013. !""#$%" !"%"$%% !"%%$%! !"%!$%& !"%&$%' !"#$%&'()*+,&"-&.,$'#/ 01 02 34 546 23 !"#$%&$)"('#&789 16:62;:610 15:<;<:6=5 53:4;1:43< 64:;=2:021 62:11;:24= >,$'#/&-('?+?&@A#B&-+)$%+&CD 54&754E=F9 56&756F9 3&754F9 54&754F9 54&755E=F9 G)"('#&"-&-+)$%+&CD&.,$'#/&789 ;:61<:404 50:0;;:0;; 5:21;:=<1 5:<=4:=10 ;:02=:;;6 !"#$%&H"/#&-,")&-+)$%+&CD/&7F9 =F 12F 55F =F 2F Several of our female faculty have been recognized with Fellowships of the Royal Society (FRS) and other major distinctions: 45 • Michelle Dougherty was elected FRS in 2012. In January 2014, Michele was named by the Science Council as one of the UK’s top 100 scientists, and in 2015 was a awarded a Royal Society Research Professorship. • Joanna Haigh, the first female HoD of Physics at Imperial, was awarded a CBE and elected FRS in 2013. After stepping down as HoD in 2014, Jo became a Co-Director at The Grantham Institute for Climate Change (see case study). • Jenny Nelson was elected FRS In 2014. The accomplishments of our female faculty serve as role models to all, but especially to female students. Words: 490 46 6. Action plan Provide an action plan as an appendix. An action plan template is available on the Athena SWAN website. This should be a table or a spreadsheet comprising plans to address the priorities identified by the analysis of relevant data presented in this application, success/outcome measures, the post holder responsible for each action and a timeline for completion. The Plan should cover current initiatives and your aspirations for the next three years. Our Action Plan has been presented with a colour coding to indicate the relation to our 2012 Action Plan: Green actions were implemented as part of our 2012 Action Plan and are ongoing as standard practice. Red actions are either 2012 actions that were either not fully implemented or have been substantially amended. 7. Case study: impacting on individuals: maximum 1500 words Describe how the department has changed and how its staff has benefited on the journey to applying for Gold. Provide a small number of case studies of individuals working in the department and show how the inclusive culture and working practices of the department have enabled them to pursue a career in STEMM. At least one of these case studies should be a member of the self-assessment team, and at least one should be someone else in the department. There should also be at least one case study from a male member of staff. More information on case studies is available in the guidance. Case studies: Caroline Clewley (Senior Teaching Fellow). In 2009 I started my current position at Imperial College as a Teaching Fellow. Since then, I've been on maternity leave twice. During both my pregnancies, the department was very flexible in ensuring my well-being. I could work at home as often as possible for example, and when I was lecturing a course 7-8 months pregnant, the department was more than happy to rearrange lectures so I could travel to and from work out of rush hour. After my first maternity leave I came to a flexible arrangement with my line manager whereby I work 80% in 3 days. This is possible because the department has a very fair and transparent way of allocating teaching hours. Furthermore, it has always been possible to schedule lectures and other teaching commitments around my childcare arrangements. Finally, I greatly appreciate the steps College has taken in recent years to help working parents. It contributes a substantial sum towards childcare vouchers and has joined a scheme to help with emergency childcare when a child or childminder falls ill. All in all I have felt the department has been very supportive in helping me maintain a good work/life balance as a working parent. Words: 203 Mery Fajardo (Disability and Admissions Administrator). For admissions, my job is to liaise with the Admissions Tutor for shortlisting applicants for interviews. I am responsible for organizing the 47 interviews and processing their outcomes, meeting applicants daily between October and March, and liaising with Registry to provide a complete service. For disabilities, I deal with the Disability Advisory Service and the Senior Tutor to provide support for students who have disabilities, including learning difficulties, mental illness and other substantial health conditions. My job involves securing agreement for extra time in exams, providing note-taking, mentoring support and ensuring that additional needs and individual requirements are met. I am currently enrolled for a BSc in Health and Science with the Open University. This has given me insight about how to treat students with special needs. I am also a member of the Mitigating Circumstances Panel, which meets to discuss all the problems current students encounter while they take their examinations. I enjoy my position and feel very proud of being part of Imperial. Last year I was awarded the Faculty of Natural Sciences Award for Support of Excellence in Teaching. I have flexible working hours so I can accommodate childcare, especially in the summer. I also work from home when my child is ill. Sometimes I come to work at the weekend, but I get annual leave in return. Words: 228 Joanna Haigh (Ex-HoD, Co-Director of Grantham Institute) came to Imperial as a Lecturer in Remote Sensing/Atmospheric Physics in 1984, promoted to Reader (1997) and Professor (2001). She acted as Head of the Space and Atmospheric Physics Group (2007-2008) and Head of the Department of Physics (2009-2014). In the late 1980s she gave birth to 3 children and worked part-time (66%, later 80%) from 1990-2001. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society, the City and Guilds, the Institute of Physics and the Royal Meteorological Society and has been President of the Royal Meteorological Society. She has been Editor of two leading international meteorological journals and acted on numerous national and international scientific panels. She is active in public engagement, particularly in regard to issues relating to climate change and the environment. Jo says: “When I started at Imperial more than 30 years ago I never anticipated being here so long but the College and the Physics Department have provided such marvellous support at all stages of my career that I couldn’t see a reason to move. The key factors for me were the flexibility to work part-time (a pro rata workload agreed without fuss), a fantastic college day nursery, the encouragement of my seniors to apply for promotions and fellowships and a generally positive can-do attitude.” Words: 216 Dr Rob Nyman (RA, self-assessment team). I have been involved in project Juno, first through the department's RA committee (from 2008/9), then as the RA committee's chair, and now as an IoP Juno Assessment Panel member. In 2013, my son was born, so we signed up for a place at Imperial's nursery. My partner wished to return to work after 9 months maternity leave, but the nursery place did not become available until 11 months. To fill the gap, I took 2 months Additional Paternity Leave. Before the leave, I used the Physics Department’s simple "Long Term Staff Leave" form, which came about as a direct result of work by the Juno committee, to help me plan my absence and return. I used KIT days to make sure that my first-year PhD student was not left unsupervised. In fact, the form even helped in the decision to take the leave in the first place. Words: 154 Ms Loli Sánchez (Postgraduate Administrator). I have worked at Imperial College since 1999. I have had two children since I started working in the Physics department. My department has been really helpful to me as a working parent. First of all, having such a great nursery as EYEC has facilitated my work and made it possible for me to be able to deliver a good service, having the peace of mind that my children are well looked after. 48 In 2012, due to family comitments, my line manager was very supportive and instrumental in allowing me to work from home half a day a week. What is half a day working from home you may ask, but that is essential for me at this time of my life. My line manager also supported me to attend the course on Springboard Women’s Development. This course, which ran once a week over 10 weeks was a great opportunity for networking, as well as showing me different avenues that I could pursue in the long term, when the time is right in my life. Words: 180 Adrian Sutton (Professori CMTH) became a half-time employee in October 2011. While I enjoyed the management roles I had as a full-time employee I knew there were excellent younger people eager to take them on. In addition I wanted to spend more time developing stronger relationships with industry and other organisations outside the College, and I wanted to return to being an active researcher. Being part-time has enabled me to be much more selective about the work I do in the College. I still enjoy teaching a core course in the Centre for Doctoral Training I founded in 2009. I have been able to immerse myself in research and I co-supervise nine PhD students and two post-docs. I have developed strong relationships with senior engineers in Rolls-Royce and I have interesting collaborations with three more companies. In the Royal Society I serve on the Education Committee and the Public Engagement Committee, where we have addressed policy issues of national importance. These external activities have also benefitted the College. I feel very fortunate to have the freedom to choose what I do, and I doubt I would have been able to spread my wings so much if I had remained full-time. Words: 200 Jessica Wade (PG in EXSS, Chair of PG Committee, Chair of IC WiP committee, self-assessment team). I have been at Imperial since 2008, first as an undergraduate physicist and eventually becoming chair of the PG Committee in 2014. My decision to enter academic research was formed entirely during discussion with Professor Lesley Cohen, who has provided nothing but support. In my capacity as chair of the PG committee, I arrange various social events throughout the year, funded by financial support arranged by the JC, alongside a sponsored Research Symposium and popular industry event. I have been involved with the organisation and running of the Imperial WiP undergraduate and postgraduate physics open days. These are only possible, and successful, because of encouragement and participation across the department. . As Imperial WiP chair, I have been helped by Lesley Cohen and Michele Dougherty to arrange funding for a training day, media training at the BBC and attendance of the British Science Association’s Science Communication Festival, open to all female PGs. With the support of the JC and Loli Sánchez I have arranged annual events to celebrate International Women’s Day. As an outreach ambassador I represent Imperial at a number of schools and colleges to provide talks and training. Simon Foster, the outreach officer, has been instrumental in preparing and equipping me for such visits. The department has provided me with the motivation, inspiration and backing to continue research, teach undergraduates and (hopefully) excite a whole new generation of budding scientists. Words: 246 Total words: 1427 49