EVENT POSTPONED: Science Foundation Ireland’s Gender Strategy and its implementation

    Tuesday, November 13, 2018 - 15:00 to 17:00
    John Hume Boardroom, John and Pat Hume Building, North Campus, Maynooth University
    DUE TO CIRCUMSTANCES BEYOND OUR CONTROL, THIS EVENT HAS BEEN POSTPONED TO A LATER DATE.

    MU Athena SWAN
    is delighted to welcome Dr Fiona Blighe (Scientific Programme Manager, Science Foundation Ireland, SFI) to give a talk on SFI’s Gender Strategy and its implementation. This event will be held during Science Week 2018. All staff, students and visitors are welcome to attend, however spaces are limited so we ask you to register here.

    For further information, please contact the MU Athena SWAN Project Officer Claire McGing at athenaswan@mu.ie. 

    Speaker's biography

    Dr Blighe manages the on-going evaluation of a portfolio of SFI awards in the areas of Physics, Chemistry, ICT, Materials Science, Mathematics and Engineering. Fiona is the programme manager for the SFI Research Centres IPIC and CONNECT and has led SFI’s Gender Strategy to improve the representation and progression of women in all aspects of STEM careers in Ireland. 
     
    She has a background in physics and project management and prior to joining SFI, she was Programme Manager for the Centre for Women in Science and Engineering Research in Trinity College Dublin. Fiona carried out four years of postdoctoral research through positions at Dublin City University and Trinity College Dublin and holds a PhD in Physics and a degree in Natural Science (Physics and Chemistry of Advanced Materials) from Trinity College Dublin. 
     

    Background

    Published in 2012, Science Foundation Ireland’s Agenda 2020 set out an ambitious plan to make Ireland a global knowledge leader. Amongst the targets set by the publication was the endeavour to reach 25% female award holders in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). Since this target has been achieved in 2016, it is now revised upwards to a new target of 30% female award holders within SFI’s portfolio by 2020. Science Foundations Ireland’s Gender Strategy sets out the agency’s roadmap to not only achieve this goal but to improve the representation and progression of women in all aspects of STEM careers in Ireland. There are three strands to the Strategy:

    Strand 1 will focus on gender equality across Science Foundation Ireland education and public engagement initiatives, with the aim of increasing the participation and interest of girls in STEM-related activities.

    Strand 2 targets female representation within the Science Foundation Ireland funded portfolio and Science Foundation Ireland review panels. Concrete measures to achieve these targets are outlined.

    Strand 3 will ensure that gender perspectives are integrated into the research content of Science Foundation Ireland-funded research programmes.