Athena SWAN in our School
Athena SWAN (Scientific Women’s Academic Network) Charter is the internationally recognised quality mark for gender equality in universities/colleges. Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris, said: “Our higher education institutions must be leaders in gender equality. They must demonstrate to Government and to students their commitment to fairness, equality, dignity and respect." The School of Genetics and Microbiology was awarded Athena SWAN Bronze in 2020, with the formal award ceremony held online in October 2021. The Athena SWAN awards recognise the commitment of institutions and departments to improve gender equality. Our School was one of the first Schools in Trinity College Dublin to receive this award and the application was led by Prof. Aoife McLysaght. The award demonstrates that the school has strong evidence-informed plans to address barriers to gender equity and develop inclusive culture and practices. Our action plan addresses the following themes:- Supporting and encouraging existing females in academia
- Addressing gender imbalance in recruitment of academic staff
- Addressing gender equality for research staff
- Increasing female undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) student intake
- Supporting carers and families
- Ensuring implementation of the action plan
- Foundational changes to support EDI
Our Bronze Award was renewed in September 2024, led initially by Prof. Sinéad Corr, and then by Prof. Carsten Kröger. We are now working towards a Silver Award, with our submission due in 2029. The Silver Award application must demonstrate impact of the action plan from the most recent award. See our School's current action plan here.