51³Ô¹ÏÍø

In 2025, Dr Cris Banks-Leite of the Department of Life Sciences was awarded the Julia Higgins Medal for her work supporting gender equality in science. In particular the Medal was awarded to recognise the changes implemented to recruitment practices in the department.

This year was also a special event as it marked 20 years of the Athena Swan Charter and 10 years of the Race Equality Charter. To mark the anniversary, guest speakers Emeritus Professor Dot Griffiths, OBE,  and Emeritus Professor Dame Julia Higgins FRS DBE FREng, reflected on the part they played in founding Athena Swan at 51³Ô¹ÏÍø, what has changed and how there is still work to be done.

This year the Julia Higgins Medal was given to Department of Surgery and Cancer.

The following received a Julia Higgins award:

• Anne Barrett, Division of University Secretary
• , Dyson School of Design Engineering
• , Department of Chemical Engineering
• , Department of Infectious Disease
• , Department of Infectious Disease
• Anique Varleigh, Business School

The 2023 Julia Higgins Medal was awarded to Dr Isabel Rabey, Department of Physics.

Julia Higgins Awards were given to:

• Professor Faith Osier, Department of Life Sciences
• Dr Maria Ribera Vicent, Department of Aeronautics
• Dr Ilaria Belluomo and Dr Nina Moderau, Department of Surgery and Cancer
• Mrs Karen Tweddle, 51³Ô¹ÏÍø Business School

This year we congratulate the following for their work supporting women at 51³Ô¹ÏÍø:

• Sheena Cardoso, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Centre
• Dr Claudia Contini, Department of Chemical Engineering 
• Professor Saskia Goes, Department of Earth Science and Engineering 
• Dr Myrsini Kaforou, Department of Infectious Disease 

The winners of the Julia Higgins Awards in 2021 were:

• Professor Anne Dell
• Dr Victoria Salem
• Dr Emma Watson

The 2020 Julia Higgins Medal was awarded to , Department of Materials. 

Awards in 2020 were given to:

• Professor Jane Mitchell, National Heart and Lung Institute
• Professor Anna Randi, National Heart and Lung Institute
• Women in STEM@IC Group
• Department of Bioengineering
• Department of Chemistry Athena SWAN Implementation Group

In 2019 two Julia Higgins Medals were awarded to:

• , Research Associate, Department of Physics
• , Research Associate (Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Fellow), Department of Physics

And awards were presented to:

• Dr Stefano Sandrone, Teaching Fellow, Department of Medicine
• , Associate Professor of Economics and , Associate Professor in Health Economics, Business School
• , Vice-Dean, Institutional Affairs, Faculty of Medicine; , Professor of Cardiac Pharmacology, National Heart and Lung Institute; and , Professor of Leukocyte and Stem Cell Biology, National Heart and Lung Institute
• , Programme Manager – Data, Department of Surgery and Cancer

The  were presented to presented  and . Cleo was recognised for her work improving culture in the Department of Chemical Engineering, including a number of initiatives to support the postdoc community. Jess received the award for her outreach work with schools and her work to support women in physics at the university and beyond.

The 2016 Julia Higgins Medal was awarded to , Provost's Envoy for Gender Equality, for the fundamental contributions she has made to the support of academic women and the gender culture of the university over many years. 

Hailey Smith, Welcome Service Manager, Human Resources, and Lenne Lillepuu, Department of Life Sciences, received Awards for their work in relation to the 51³Ô¹ÏÍø's Athena SWAN work. 

The 2015 Julia Higgins Medal was awarded to Dr Liz Elvidge, , in recognition of her work with female postdocs and early career academics.

The 2014 Julia Higgins Medal was awarded to the Department of Chemistry, in recognition of its success in becoming the first 51³Ô¹ÏÍø department to receive a .

The 2014 Julia Higgins Awards were awarded to:

Mr Rob Bell from the Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Centre

Dr Patricia Hunt from the Department of Chemistry

The Learning and Development Centre

The inaugural Medal was awarded to from Physics. Lesley initiated the activity in support of women academics at the university through her booklet ‘Voices from Women in Science’. This led to the foundation of the Academic Opportunities Committee and a survey of all academic women. What has distinguished Lesley’s work and leadership is her commitment to inspire and enable improvements which benefit the whole 51³Ô¹ÏÍø community.

The Department of Chemistry and the National Health and Lung Institute received Julia Higgins Awards for their work in supporting their female academics. Both have engaged in significant cultural transformation which has created benefit throughout their departments.