SPCS Athena SWAN Silver Award (2026)
The School of Physical and Chemical Sciences (SPCS) is proud to announce that we have been awarded an extension of our Athena SWAN Silver Award.
The Athena SWAN Charter, established by AdvanceHE, recognises and celebrates good practice in advancing gender equality and inclusion in higher education and research. A Silver Award acknowledges not only progress made, but also evidence of sustained impact and a strong, ongoing commitment to addressing inequalities and embedding inclusive practices across an institution.
SPCS was established in 2021 through the merger of the School of Physics and Astronomy (SPA) and the Department of Chemistry, formerly part of the School of Biological and Chemical Sciences (SBCS). Since then, the School has continued to grow, incorporating two additional departments: the Institute of Technology and the Queen Mary School Hainan, a transnational education initiative delivered in partnership with BUPT in Hainan Province, China.
We have a long-standing commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion. As early adopters of the Institute of Physics (IOP) Juno Award scheme, SPA achieved Juno Practitioner status in 2012, followed by Juno Champion status in 2015, which was renewed in mid-2019. Building on this work, we expanded our action plan to include Professional and Technical (PTO) staff and applied for Athena SWAN Silver status in late 2019 through the reciprocal agreement between the IOP and AdvanceHE. This led to our initial Athena SWAN Silver Award in 2020. We are delighted that, in recognition of the continued progress made since then, this Silver Award has now been successfully renewed.
Preparing this application was a significant undertaking. It required comprehensive analysis of staff and student data across four departments, spanning a period that included both a major merger and subsequent expansion. We extend our sincere thanks to all SPCS members, including Postdoctoral Research Associates (PDRAs), postgraduate and undergraduate students, whose contributions, alongside the invaluable support of the S&E EDI team, made this achievement possible.
In particular, we recognise the contributions of Heli Hietala, Eram Rizvi, Costis Papageorgakis, Cristina Giordano, Nivedita Viswanathan, Yelena D’Attoma, Ebru Burcu, Richard Gunton, Anum Masood, Dimitris Chiotis, Timpy Timpy, Argena Golloshi, Heather Williams, and Alston Misquitta, whose dedication and collaborative effort were instrumental in the success of this application. Their continued work is central to implementing the actions that will further strengthen our School and enhance equity and inclusion for all.
This Award is valid for the next five years.