The impact of seeing 70 of IoPPN’s past and present female Professors leading to our biggest lecture theatre cannot be underestimated. However, this is not the end of our work to address systemic and structural inequities preventing many others from reaching this level.
Professor Stephani Hatch, Vice-Dean (Culture, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion)
09 October 2023
A new generation of Inspiring Women at the IoPPN
28 new portraits of internationally recognised female professors at the Faculty have been added to IoPPN’s ‘Inspiring Women’ exhibition, celebrating the passing of an important milestone in 2022-23 as women now make up more than 41% of professors at the IoPPN.
Twenty-eight new portraits of IoPPN’s female professors have been added to our Inspiring Women exhibition. The new additions to the gallery, located outside the Wolfson Lecture Theatre in the IoPPN main building, represent both a celebration of 70 female professors and a wider reflection of the faculty's ongoing efforts to address inequalities and inequities in academia, particularly in leadership roles.
Women now make up 41% of the IoPPN Professoriate and 60% of members of IoPPN’s governing committees in 2022-23. This has more than surpassed a target of 35% female professors by 2024 set in IoPPN’s 2019 Athena Swan Silver Award.
By way of contrast, as of 2021/22, the overall percentage of female professors working in universities in England was 29.6%.
In 2012, a faculty-wide survey identified that many within IoPPN’s community did not feel that they had access to female roles models, or could identify who they were. At the time, only 27% of the IoPPN Professoriate were women and between 60-70% of membership on IoPPN governing committees were men. This led to the launch of the Inspiring Women campaign in 2013 with Professor Dame Sally Davies’ event to celebrate International Women’s Day.
A decade on from this launch, each newly photographed professor was asked why promotion to professor was important to them. Their answers (illustrated below) show the continued importance of identifying, challenging and addressing the barriers that remain in place for many in the higher education sector.
IoPPN’s inclusion journey began with a focus on women, specifically women in STEMM. Since then, this focus has expanded to embrace a culture of equity, diversity and inclusion where every member of IoPPN has a sense of belonging that enables them to be their best self, as well as a commitment to embed inclusive practices in all aspects of research, teaching and daily interactions.
You can find out more about IoPPN’s work in this area here. You can watch a short video featuring all our updated portraits below.
All photographs credit to David Tett Photography.
In this story
Vice Dean for Culture, Diversity & Inclusion
Professor of Translational Neuroscience
Professor of Neurobiology of Psychosis, IoPPN Vice Dean (International)
Dean of Education
Professor of Practice in Public Understanding of Mental Health Research
Professor of Neuroscience
Professor in Pharmacology & Neuroscience
Professor of Regenerative Medicine & Neuroplasticity
Professor of Neuropsychopharmacology
Professor of Preclinical Models of Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Clinical Professor of Psychoneuroimmunology
Clinical Professor of Public Mental Health
Professor of Developmental Psychopathology
Professor of Cognitive Psychopathology
Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience
Professor in Cognitive Clinical Psychology
Professor of Physical Health and Clinical Therapeutics
Professor of Global Mental Health
Professor of Medical Statistics and Complex Intervention Methodology
Professor of Developmental Disorders and Neuropsychiatry
Professor of Biological Psychiatry
Professor of Neurodevelopment and Mental Health
Professor in Addictions Healthcare Research
Professor of Clinical Psychology & PICuP Director
Professor of Addictions Qualitative Research
Professor in Bioscience Education