Women @ Comp Sci was originally founded in 2019, to celebrate and highlight the contributions and community of female academics, researchers and students in the School of Computer Science.
Women@CompSci is open to UCD students and staff of all genders and identities who would like to promote equality, diversity, and inclusion. This group is a great opportunity to meet like-minded people and build a community where everyone feels welcome within our School.
Aurora is an innovative leadership development training programme aimed at women to address the under-representation of women in higher-education leadership roles.
It aims to encourage women up to Associate Professor and equivalent professional services level to think of themselves as leaders; to develop leadership skills and to help institutions like UCD optimise the leadership potential of women. The programme is delivered by Advance HE and it provides, in a social learning environment, core and adaptive leadership skills and knowledge over five single non-residential days, delivered over a five- month period. The programme is delivered as a combination of development days; self-directed learning from on-line resources; cross-institutional action learning sets and in-house mentoring.
Each year approximately 20 participants are selected from UCD (2 of which are available to staff from the College of Science) in a competitive application process. In the last few years we have been lucky to have three of our female academics chosen to participate in this development programme.
Learn more about the programme, view participant and mentor lists and then make an application on the People & Organisation Development site.
Associate Professor Catherine Mooney
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“Participating in the Aurora Leadership Development Programme has been transformative for my career as an Associate Professor in Computer Science. Through the workshops and mentoring opportunities, I developed a set of leadership skills that enhanced my confidence and effectiveness in leadership, research and teaching. The programme’s emphasis on networking connected me with a diverse group of women in academia, providing a supportive community. This experience encouraged me to take on the significant leadership role of VP for EDI in the College of Science.”
Associate Professor Liliana Pasquale
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“Participating in the Aurora Leadership Programme helped me better understand leadership styles and team-building techniques, providing a unique opportunity to apply them to mentor more junior researchers in my group. The programme instilled a continuous learning mindset, encouraging me to seek further development opportunities and stay updated with the latest leadership trends. I was lucky to pair with an experienced mentor who gave me valuable guidance and insights, contributing significantly to my career growth.”
Assistant Professor Fatemeh Golpayegani
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“Participating in the Aurora Leadership Programme provided valuable insights into common leadership challenges. The mentorship component was particularly beneficial. Through mentorship, I had the opportunity to discuss career obstacles, including team management and resource allocation. This experience was invaluable as it allowed me to compare approaches with peers facing similar issues.”