All Ireland Chemistry Network
Best Practices Hub for Gender Equality in Chemical Sciences
The All Ireland Network for Gender Equality in Chemistry represents all Higher Education Institution Chemical Sciences Departments in Ireland. Funded by the Gender Equality Enhancement Fund (GEEF), our network empowers a culture of gender equality across the Chemical Sciences in Ireland, building a productive community of practice and leveraging sectoral experience to become a beacon within and beyond our institutions.
Featured Best Practices
School Returners Policy (Extended)
Academics returning from maternity/adoption leave or long-term illness are relieved of teaching and administrative duties for six months upon return. Applicants submit a research-focused plan to the Head of School outlining how the relief period will be used to re-establish their research activities.
Gender-Balanced Research Seminar Programme
Systematic approach to achieving gender balance in research seminars, increasing female speakers from 22% (2014-16) to 44% (2017-22) through proactive recruitment and inclusive practices. Programme continued successfully during COVID-19 with virtual delivery expanding speaker accessibility.
PDRA Teaching Fellowship Scheme
Teaching fellowships involve extending PDRA contracts by one month to allow acquisition of teaching experience without negative impact on research. Increased from 3 to 4 fellowships per year with proactive encouragement of female applicants. Cost represents one-month salary extension per fellowship.
Best Practices Library
Comprehensive collection of EDI practices in chemistry education
School Returners Policy (Extended)
Academics returning from maternity/adoption leave or long-term illness are relieved of teaching and administrative duties for six months upon return. Applicants submit a research-focused plan to the Head of School outlining how the relief period will be used to re-establish their research activities.
🎯 Objectives & Background
Traditional return-to-work policies often failed to address the specific challenges faced by academics re-establishing research activities after extended leave. This policy provides structured support to ensure successful reintegration while maintaining research momentum.
Key Challenge: Academic staff struggling to balance research restart with immediate teaching and administrative obligations upon return from extended leave.
📋 Implementation Timeline
- Phase 1: Policy development covering both parental leave and long-term illness scenarios
- Phase 2: Establishment of application process requiring Head of School approval with research-focused planning
- Phase 3: Integration with HR processes and line manager protocols
- Phase 4: Communication to all staff and monitoring of uptake
📊 Impact & Evidence
📞 Implementation Support
Contact: Dr. Paul Kavanagh, Queen's University Belfast
Email: p.kavanagh@qub.ac.uk
Available: Policy templates, implementation guides, HR consultation materials, planning frameworks
Gender-Balanced Research Seminar Programme
Systematic approach to achieving gender balance in research seminars, increasing female speakers from 22% (2014-16) to 44% (2017-22) through proactive recruitment and inclusive practices. Programme continued successfully during COVID-19 with virtual delivery expanding speaker accessibility.
🎯 Objectives & Background
Research seminars play a crucial role in showcasing scientific excellence and providing role models for students and early career researchers. However, many seminar series showed significant gender imbalance in invited speakers, limiting role model visibility.
Key Challenge: Only 22% of seminar speakers were female (2014-16), reducing visibility of female role models for students and researchers.
📋 Implementation Strategy
- Target Setting: Annual target of minimum 40% female speakers established
- Speaker Database: Development of female speaker contact database and network connections
- Proactive Recruitment: Active outreach to women in STEM networks and international collaborators
- Virtual Options: Implementation of virtual/hybrid delivery to reduce travel barriers
- Monitoring: Annual reporting to School Executive Board on speaker demographics
📊 Impact & Evidence
📞 Implementation Support
Contact: Dr. Amber Glanfield, Queen's University Belfast
Email: a.glanfield@qub.ac.uk
Available: Speaker database contacts, recruitment strategies, virtual delivery guidelines
PDRA Teaching Fellowship Scheme
Teaching fellowships involve extending PDRA contracts by one month to allow acquisition of teaching experience without negative impact on research. Increased from 3 to 4 fellowships per year with proactive encouragement of female applicants.
🎯 Objectives & Background
PDRAs planning academic careers often lack teaching experience, creating barriers to academic position applications. This scheme provides structured teaching experience without compromising research output or contract length.
Key Challenge: PDRAs struggled to gain teaching experience necessary for academic career progression without impacting research productivity.
📋 Implementation Components
- Expansion: Increased annual fellowship allocation from 3 to 4 positions
- Application Process: Development of fair application system with gender balance consideration
- Contract Extension: One-month contract extensions for teaching experience
- Mentorship: Structured support and mentorship during teaching period
- Career Tracking: Follow-up on career outcomes and academic progression
📊 Impact & Evidence
📞 Implementation Support
Contact: Dr. Paul Kavanagh, Queen's University Belfast
Email: p.kavanagh@qub.ac.uk
Available: Fellowship frameworks, application templates, mentorship guidelines
Promotion Support and Aurora Leadership Programme
Comprehensive promotion support including funding for Aurora Leadership Programme (£1.5K annually), school-based promotion workshops delivered with HR, and mentoring by recently promoted staff. Programme particularly supports female academics in career progression.
🎯 Objectives & Background
Female academics often face barriers to promotion including limited access to leadership development opportunities and lack of structured support through the promotion process. This comprehensive programme addresses multiple promotion barriers.
Key Challenge: Lower female application rates for promotion and underrepresentation in leadership development opportunities.
📋 Programme Components
- Aurora Funding: Annual allocation of £1.5K for Aurora Leadership Programme applications
- Promotion Workshops: School-based workshops delivered in partnership with HR
- Mentoring System: Pairing with recently promoted colleagues for guidance
- HoS Support: Regular meetings with appraisers to identify promotion candidates
- Application Support: Structured feedback and application development assistance
📊 Impact & Evidence
📞 Implementation Support
Contact: Dr. Amber Glanfield, Queen's University Belfast
Email: a.glanfield@qub.ac.uk
Available: Aurora application guidance, promotion workshop materials, mentoring frameworks
Flexible Working Arrangements Awareness Campaign
Systematic awareness raising of University flexible working policies through multiple communication channels, resulting in significant uptake increase particularly among male staff. Includes dependant leave, career breaks, and agile working arrangements.
🎯 Objectives & Background
Despite comprehensive University flexible working policies, uptake was low due to lack of awareness and understanding of available options. This campaign aimed to increase awareness and normalize flexible working across all staff categories.
Key Challenge: Low uptake of flexible working arrangements (only 9 instances 2013-15) despite availability of comprehensive policies.
📋 Campaign Strategy
- Website Update: Enhanced AS webpages highlighting flexible working policies and support
- Communication Campaign: Regular email reminders and information sessions
- Visibility Enhancement: AS notice board relocated to high-traffic area with policy information
- Staff Induction: Integration of flexible working awareness into new staff orientation
- Monitoring System: Annual tracking of policy uptake and staff awareness levels
📊 Impact & Evidence
📞 Implementation Support
Contact: Dr. Paul Kavanagh, Queen's University Belfast
Email: p.kavanagh@qub.ac.uk
Available: Communication templates, webpage frameworks, awareness campaign materials
Female Academic Promotion Success Programme
Targeted support for female academic promotion applications through mentoring with recently promoted colleagues, HoS identification of candidates, and structured feedback systems. Results in higher female application rates and successful progression outcomes.
🎯 Objectives & Background
Female academics often face barriers in progression to senior roles including lack of structured support through promotion processes and limited access to senior colleagues for guidance. This programme provides systematic support for promotion applications.
Key Challenge: Lower female progression rates to senior academic positions and need for structured promotion support.
📋 Support Framework
- HoS Intervention: Regular meetings with appraisers to identify potential promotion candidates
- Mentoring Partnerships: Connections with recently promoted colleagues for guidance
- Research Support: Structured feedback through Research Committee and REF reading group
- Individual Circumstances: Consideration for REF and promotion processes including flexible working
- Application Development: Support for promotion application writing and preparation
📊 Impact & Evidence
📞 Implementation Support
Contact: Dr. Amber Glanfield, Queen's University Belfast
Email: a.glanfield@qub.ac.uk
Available: Promotion frameworks, mentoring guidelines, application support materials
Submit a Best Practice
Share your EDI initiatives with the chemistry community
🌟 Share Your Success Story
Have you implemented an effective gender equality or diversity initiative in your chemistry department? We'd love to hear about it! Your experience could inspire and support other institutions across Ireland.
By submitting your best practice, you'll be contributing to a growing repository of proven EDI strategies that benefit the entire chemistry community.