We are dedicated to the University’s ethos of supporting and advancing equality and diversity in all areas.

The Athena SWAN charter recognises the advancement of gender equality: representation, progression and success for all.

• We fully embrace the principles of gender equality across Science, Technology, Engineering, Medicine and Mathematics (STEMM). We have a strong record of graduate employment in all these areas and aim to ensure that all of our students can expect to have a choice of exciting professional engineering careers.
• In the most recent REF exercise, much of our research was judged to be internationally excellent or of world-leading quality. In addition, all of our students benefit from learning in our award-winning work-space, which offers industry-standard office and laboratory accommodation for our staff and students.
• Historically, female representation across our staff and student body have been below that of the sector best and this is a trend that we wish to rectify.
• To redress this imbalance, the School is actively promoting the increased uptake of careers in the engineering profession by women. We are delivering this through our industrially-sponsored research, business partnerships and our public-facing profile. In recognition of our actions to achieve gender equality, the School was awarded an Athena SWAN Bronze award in April 2018.

Athena SWAN Group

We have an active Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee with representation drawn from our undergraduate and postgraduate students, our technical and support staff, our early career researchers, including postdoctoral research associates, research fellowship holders, early and mid-career academic staff and the Head of School.

Committee members offer a range of STEMM working experiences and are collectively tasked with delivery of the School's Athena SWAN Bronze award action plan. The team meet once per term to review key data-sets and make recommendations to key departmental committees, in addition to contributing to the University Athena SWAN Committee.

The Engineering - Athena Swan Action Plan sets out our priority areas to enable us to better deliver against the Athena SWAN Charter.‌