We are delighted to announce that the School of Psychology has retained the prestigious Athena SWAN Gold Award for its outstanding progress in promoting gender equality and addressing the unequal representation of women in science. The school was first awarded Gold in May 2014 to become the first School of Psychology in the UK to achieve this national recognition.

The Athena SWAN Charter was introduced in 2005 to advance the representation of women in science, engineering and technology and to address gender inequalities and improve career progression for female academics. The Athena SWAN awards recognise and celebrate good practice in recruiting, retaining and promoting women.

The School of Psychology at Queen’s works hard to ensure that it provides an inclusive and supportive environment for all staff and students. Many School staff have family or caring responsibilities and the School has implemented policies which support their flexible needs.  The School recognises and respects the diversity of its staff and students whether in relation to their ethnicity, cultural background or sexual orientation. Receiving an Athena Gold departmental award confirms our commitment in promoting gender equality and makes Queen’s a recognised leader in equal opportunities.

Professor Teresa McCormack, SWAN Champion for the School of Psychology, said: “This award confirms Queen’s as a national leader in Higher Education for supporting women in science. The University’s capacity to attract and retain excellent scientists – women and men – helps Northern Ireland to create an internationally competitive research base. Queen’s is firmly committed to ensuring that women scientists can have fulfilling careers in their chosen fields, and this latest award is recognition of the University’s work in promoting gender diversity in scientific leadership.”