Springboard women celebrate
12 January 2011
A support programme aimed at women postdoctoral researchers celebrated its latest cohort of graduates last month.
The participants marked their completion of Springboard, an award winning UK wide women’s development programme, at a ceremony in 170 Queen’s Gate in December.
Speaking at the ceremony, Rector Sir Keith O’Nions said: “The advancement of women remains a priority for the College. We all know that maintaining excellence in everything we do depends on ensuring an open atmosphere where talented researchers can realise their potential, and on removing any barriers which hinder this.”
Imperial’s Postdoctoral Development Centre has used Springboard to help female postdoctoral researchers realise their potential for the past three years. Through the workshops the postdocs have the chance to hear from senior female staff about the challenges they have faced in their professional and personal lives. The meetings also provide an opportunity for participants to network with other women at similar career stages.
A member of a recent cohort, Dr Deirdre Hollingsworth, from the School of Public Health, told Reporter:
“Springboard helped me develop a more strategic approach to my career and made me more aware of both my strengths and areas I need to work on.”
Deirdre added: “I was quite sceptical about taking a course for women only, but decided to register for Springboard because it had been recommended to me by colleagues. I’m now really glad I took the course, because I found it very useful and enjoyable. As an added bonus, I made several new friends from across the College, some of which have also led to research collaborations.”
Another former participant, Dr Rachel Gomes from the Department of Earth Science and Engineering, has already reaped the benefits of the programme: “Thanks to the tools and support I received during the programme, I was able to successfully apply for a fellowship at the University of Nottingham. I highly recommend this programme to all early career researchers.”
For more information on Springboard see:
http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/staffdevelopment/postdocs1/workshops/springboard
— J-P Jones, Communications and Development
Tags: Postdoc Development Centre, Public Health
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