The Athena SWAN Charter, launched in 2005, recognises and celebrates good practice in recruiting, retaining and promoting women in science, technology, engineering, maths and medicine (STEMM) in higher education.

The Department of Oncology was bestowed the award in recognition of its commitment to introduce organisational and cultural practices that promote gender equality, and of its efforts to improve the working environment for both women and men.

Head of Department, Gillies McKenna commented “We are delighted to have achieved this award as these issues are extremely important to us. We have some exceptionally talented scientists in the Department of Oncology, many of whom are women, and we want to celebrate their achievements. Nonetheless, we recognise that in order to nurture and grow this talent, we need to constantly strive to offer an inclusive environment in which both women and men want to study and work and where their careers can flourish.”

The awards ceremony took place at the University of Durham on 10 July 2014.