Imperial celebrates women in Physics

Imperial's first female Head of Physics, Professor Joanna Haigh

Top physicists from Imperial call for colleagues across the country to do more to reduce gender disparity

This International Women’s Day, Friday 8 March 2013, top physicists from Imperial College London and five other leading UK universities call for colleagues across the country to do more to reduce the gender disparity in the discipline.

In this video from the Institute of Physics (IOP), professors from the Universities of Warwick, Cambridge, Glasgow, York, Royal Holloway, University of London and Imperial explain how their involvement in Project Juno has led to better working environments for all staff, regardless of gender.

All six universities have been awarded Juno Champion status by the IOP for their efforts to overcome barriers to women's success in their physics departments.

The Department was first awarded Juno Champion status in 2009. In a statement at the time Professor Joanna Haigh, Head of Physics and the first woman to hold this position at Imperial, said:

"Physics has traditionally been a very male subject and, to an extent, it continues to be so, but the increasing number of women students and lecturers we see coming through makes me optimistic that this is changing.  Over time this will help to create a more balanced gender profile at senior levels, which in turn will make a career in physics seem a much more attainable goal to young women when they are considering their options.

"I am proud that Imperial is working hard to ensure a level playing field and nurture talent regardless of gender, and to be recognised by the IOP in this way is very heartening."