The Athena SWAN charter was established in 2005 to encourage and recognise commitment to advancing the careers of women in science, technology, engineering maths and medicine (STEMM) in higher education and research. In 2015 the Higher Education Authority supported a major national initiative to launch the Athena SWAN charter in Ireland. The Charter is based on ten principles which commit to addressing inequalities such as career progression, gender pay gap and discriminatory treatment. You can view it at: (opens in a new window)https://www.ecu.ac.uk/equality-charters/athena-swan/athena-swan-ireland/
UCD was previously awarded an Athena SWAN Bronze award in March 2018 and the School of Agriculture and Food Science was one of the first UCD Schools to be awarded an Athena SWAN Bronze award in May 2019. The submission required a wide ranging data gathering exercise and an honest reflection on gender balance in our school. Part of the process also involved the development of a four-year action plan with wide ranging initiatives.
In 2023, the School of Agriculture and Food Science was the first school to achieve a Silver Athena Swan Award in UCD. The school achieved this award for demonstrating impact and leadership on gender equality amongst faculty, staff, and students. You can read more here.
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Members of School of Agriculture and Food Science EDI Committee receiving the Silver Athena SWAN award (from left): Frank Monahan, Professor Trudee Fair; Dr. Deirdre O’ Connor and Moya Ryan.