The University of Newcastle has today been recognised as a leader in addressing inequality, becoming one of the first two universities in Australia to receive a Science in Australia Gender Equity (SAGE) Athena Swan Silver Award.
Athena Swan accreditation is the only internationally recognised framework for gender equity, diversity and inclusion and uses a rigorous, peer-reviewed process to assess an organisation's progress and impact towards improving equity.
University of Newcastle's Vice-Chancellor, Professor Alex Zelinsky said universities should be leaders in creating a more equitable society where everyone can thrive regardless of their gender or their background.
"Soon after I commenced as Vice-Chancellor at the University of Newcastle I had the pleasure of accepting the Athena Swan Bronze Award in December 2018. It has been extremely pleasing to see the commitments we made at that time being realised and now recognised with Silver accreditation," Professor Zelinsky said.
"We know there is still much to be done however, we are proud to be implementing changes that are creating an inclusive culture where equity is embedded across the university."
Pro Vice-Chancellor (Academic Excellence) and Athena Swan Lead, Professor Jennifer Milam said that in the context of broader national and international conversations about gender equality in society, the University is proud to partner with SAGE in advocating for everyone to make gender equity a priority.
"This accreditation is recognition that we are at the forefront of gender equity in the workforce. We know that central to attracting and retaining female staff is providing an inclusive culture and flexible workplace where women's careers are genuinely supported and accountability for gender equity is embedded in leadership across the University," Professor Milam said.
"We know we're a stronger and more successful University if we have a diverse and inclusive workforce. We have genuinely put action ahead of talk to remove barriers and ensure future generations of women and people from underrepresented groups can thrive in higher education."
The University celebrates the achievement alongside Edith Cowan University.
SAGE CEO Dr Janin Bredehoeft congratulated the University of Newcastle on this milestone achievement.
"The University has shown what a huge difference it makes to have equity, diversity and inclusion embedded at the leadership level. They have established dedicated senior positions and ensured that the transformative change is well-resourced, with specific funding for research programs and quantitative data analysis," Dr Bredehoeft said.
"This has secured their foundations, allowed them to make significant improvements in specific areas and will support their future progression as they tackle widespread transformative change.
"Milestones of this magnitude are never reached alone: this SAGE Athena Swan Silver Award is the achievement of many. Congratulations to everyone at the University of Newcastle who drove and continues to drive their equity, diversity and inclusion work forward."
Increasing participation of women in STEMM: Dr Ayanka Wijayawardena
Dr Ayanka Wijayawardena is a University of Newcastle researcher, originally from Sri Lanka, who is investigating effects of PFAS on groundwater organisms and is a member of the Athena Swan Working Party. Dr Wijayawardena said the University's Gender Equity Plan, under the auspices of Athena Swan has fundamentally changed the workplace by supporting women to take leadership roles in their disciplines and research centres, as well as locating childcare centres on campus.
"Environmental research is in traditionally a male-dominated field and we're now getting equal opportunities. We have women who are chairing discussions at international conferences such as Cleanup2024, taking leading roles to organise as well as to present at conferences and we're in managerial positions," Dr Wijayawardena said.
"Our research centre, Global Centre for Environmental Remediation (GCER), has also focussed on taking a more inclusive approach that actively seeks to attract and retain talented individuals from diverse backgrounds. This has enriched our centre's research and helped us to create more research solutions.
"I'm a mum and my youngest child goes to the childcare centre on campus, which was really good for me. Having my child so close means that if an experiment takes a little longer I can stay until it's finished and still have time to pick him up afterwards, without having to rush. I value things like that because they give me more flexibility to juggle work and my family.
"Looking to the future I can see that more women will be contributing to Science, technology, engineering, medicine and mathematics (STEMM) fields. The university will benefit from empowering women and so will the students, staff and the next generation."
Removing barriers to research: Dr Kcasey McLoughlin
Dr Kcasey McLoughlin is a 2018 Women in Research Fellow which was established as part of the University's Gender Equity Plan under the Athena Swan framework, as direct support to advance women's academic careers. As a recipient of the Fellowship, she was provided with dedicated mentoring, funding, and career-development support for women. These University-funded fellowships aim to facilitate an increased percentage of women in senior academic positions.
Kcasey heard about the Fellowship when she was on maternity leave, during a drought while her farmer husband was working in a fly-in, fly-out role, leaving her often home for 10 days at a time with the baby.
"I feel the Women in Research program is best-practice in how to support people in their career journeys and how to ensure women are able to progress within the academy,"
"It feels meaningful and that it's connected to outputs, but it's still individualised enough that it suits the different challenges that we all have."
The Fellowship allowed her to present at international conferences, form relationships with researchers in the UK and the US and even write an award-winning book. During her Fellowship year Kcasey also successfully applied for an ARC Discovery Project with colleagues at UNSW and University of Sydney.
"I don't know what my career would have looked like without the fellowship, but it was a massive turbocharge.
"The fellowship coming through was the torch that led me through the next few years as it set up a bunch of projects that are still coming to fruition. It was also a massive gong, it was my first big, individual win."
As part of its Athena Swan Silver Action Plan, the University has expanded this fellowship program to include all academics who experience barriers or systemic disadvantages to research progression.
