University awarded for commitment to gender equality

Commitment to gender equality and career progression for women in Science, Engineering and Medicines at the University of Sheffield has been further reinforced with a glowing endorsement from a champion for female researchers. Five departments were recognised with new awards by the Athena SWAN Charter - which recognises commitment to advancing women's careers in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine. The University's School of Medicine was given a silver award for its achievement and hard work promoting gender equality. The University's Department of Computer Science, the Department of Human Communication Sciences, the Department of Materials Science Engineering and the Department of Civil and Structural Engineering have all been given a bronze award which recognises a solid foundation for eliminating gender bias and developing an inclusive culture that values all staff. The University has retained its overall bronze award for the institution. Professor Mike Hounslow, Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Sheffield, said: "We believe that there are far too few female engineers. We can make a big difference to that both by attracting more women to study engineering and by being an outstanding employer of female engineers.