Women at Imperial
Women at Imperial is an annual event that takes place around International Women’s Day (8 March). Over the course of a week we celebrate female staff and students at Imperial, past and present, and raise awareness of the support available in College for women. #imperialwomen
Women at Imperial Week 2021
2021 events
Monday 8 March
Action on gender equality panel event
12.00-13.15. Registration for the Action on gender equality panel
Join this lunchtime panel discussion where senior leaders in the College will discuss this year's IWD's theme 'Choose to Challenge'. Panel members will speak about what actions they are currently taking on gender equality in their departments and will also reflect on the challenges ahead.
Department of Life Sciences International Women's Day Lecture
14.00-15.00. Registration for the Lecture
This year the Department of Life Sciences welcomes Professor Joy Burchell from King’s College London to give their annual International Women's Day Lecture. Joy's research career has focused on breast cancer and investigating the difference between normal and cancer breast epithelial cells lead, and research on glycans.
Suffrage Science 2021 awards night
17.30-18.30. Registration for the Suffrage Science awards
Join the Medical Research Council’s London Institute of Medical Sciences (LMS) in celebrating the fifth ‘engineering and physical sciences’ Suffrage Science awardees, nominated by their colleagues for their outstanding scientific research, communication work, and support of women in STEM.
Tuesday 9 March
Self-compassion in the workplace workshop
9.30-10.30. Registration for the Self-compassion in the workplace workshop
This workshop from the Learning and Development Centre (LDC) provides an introduction to the theory and practice of self-compassion and the opportunity to participate in a reflective space.
In conversation with academic women
09.30-11.00. Registration for the In conversation with academic women event
This Postdoc and Fellows Development Centre (PFDC) event aims to help to identify problems and generate ideas on how to tackle common issues faced by women in academia. Hear from female speakers about their experiences and join in the conversation.
Featuring Inspiring LGBT Women
12.00-13.00. Registration for the Featuring Inspiring LGBT Women event
Imperial 600 is hosting Michelle Raymond, a senior leader at MyGWork, a global networking hub and job board for LGBT+ professionals and graduates. Michelle will share her thoughts on professional development and how to leverage professional networks, and also talk about the importance of pursuing something you are passionate about.
Celebrating your strengths workshop
14.00-16.30. Registration for the Celebrating your strengths workshop
The Learning and Development Centre (LDC) is running this training workshop for anyone who wants to identify and utilise their strengths for higher performance and greater satisfaction at work.
Current and Future Women Luminaries conversation series
17.00-18.00. Registration for Women Luminaries events
Hosted by President Alice Gast, Current and Future Women Luminaries is a special series of conversations to showcase our inspirational luminaries’ careers and to share lessons learned with the next generation of future stars. The series starts with Professor Michele Dougherty, Professor of Space Physics and Head of the Department of Physics, and Efia Amankwa, second year MSci Physics student.
Women in busines networking
18.00-19.30. Register for the Women in business networking event
Hosted by the Business School and the Forté Foundation, this event will feature a keynote speech and a discussion panel of dynamic female business professionals, including Forté fellows and mentors, alumni, and staff from the Business School. We'll be discussing their challenges and triumphs of being women in business, and invite you to ask them any questions you may have.
Wednesday 10 March
Carers and parents networking
10.00-11.00. Registration for the Carers and parent networking session
This network session aims to provide staff with up to date information on College initiatives related to being a parent and carer at Imperial in one place. Discussions will focus on policy updates, workshops and other support schemes currently in place that not all staff are aware of.
Springboard taster session
12.00-14.00. Registration for the Springboard taster
The Postdoc and Fellows Development Centre (PFDC) are running a taster session of the Springboard Women's Development Programme. During this interactive session, we will discuss and share ways of incorporating ‘me time’ into your day to day lives and explore assertiveness and how to behave assertively when you need too.
Who gets to speak? ESE International Women's Day event
14.00-15.00. Registration for the ESE Who gets to speak event
Join the Department of Earth Science and Engineering to reflect on who gets to speak at scientific conferences. As scientists, we attend conferences and present research to share science, find jobs, secure funding, and to gain recognition. But does everyone get a fair chance to speak at these conferences?
Women in STEMM Wikithon
14.00-16.00. Registration for the Wikithon
Join us to add to the world's knowledge of women in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine. In this online workshop, you will learn how to use Wikipedia to make the stories of these inspirational women discoverable and improve our understanding of the role women have played in the modern world. Complete beginners and experienced editors are both welcome to attend - we'll provide training for anyone new to editing.
Thursday 11 March
Celebrating your strengths workshop
10.00-12.30. Registration for the Celebrating your strengths workshop
The Learning and Development Centre (LDC) is running this training workshop for anyone who wants to identify and utilise their strengths for higher performance and greater satisfaction at work.
Business School Fireside chat
12.00-13.00. Registration for the Fireside chat
Join us for a fireside chat with a faculty member from Imperial College Business School. We'll be discussing key topics based on the 2021 IWD theme 'Choose to Challenge', and it will be an opportunity to ask any questions you may have about leadership, women in business, and the Business School.
Poetry workshop
12.30-13.30. Registration for the poetry workshop
Feeling like doing something a bit different? This one off workshop with award winning poet and performer Elle will explore womxn (trans and non binary inclusive) in poetry and get us writing through games and exercises.
Women transforming South Kensington
13.00-14.00. Registration for the Women transforming South Kensington event
The Great Exhibition Road Festival team are holding an event exploring how we can design new spaces across South Kensington’s cultural district that celebrate sustainability, accessibility and innovation in the arts and sciences. Join an all-female panel to discuss how women are re-shaping Albertopolis.
Speed mentoring
14.00-16.30. Registration for speed mentoring
The Learning and Development Centre (LDC) is hosting this speed mentoring session, where 15 minute slots with a mentor will be available. Mentoring is a confidential conversation and an opportunity to talk through a particular work-related challenge you may be facing with a colleague not directly connected with your area of work.
Accelerating solutions towards Gender Equality webinar
16.00-17.30. Registration for Accelerating solutions towards Gender Equality
As part of their UN Sustainable Development Goals webinar series, the Global Development Hub has brought together a panel to discuss Goal 5: Achieving Gender Equality. The webinar will explore the progressive work and innovative research towards achieving gender equality from three different UNDP Accelerator Labs covering unpaid care work and supporting female entrepreneurs. We will hear from UNDP labs based in India, Palestine and Niger.
Friday 12 March
Invisible Insecurity – How to deal with Imposter Syndrome
9.30–10.30. Registration for Invisible Insecurity workshop
The Learning and Development Centre (LDC) are running this session to to equip you with the theory, research and tools to understand the phenomenon of Imposter Syndrome, how it manifests and ways to manage it.
Belonging series interview: Danielle Tran
12.30-13.30. Join the livestream.
Join Wayne Mitchell, co-chair of Imperial As One, as part of the network's ongoing Belonging series. This week Wayne interviews Danielle Tran.
Women at Imperial - Tackling COVID-19
14.00-15.15. Registration for Women at Imperial - Tackling Covid-19.
In this online panel discussion, we will focus on some of the many women who have contributed to the College’s Covid-19 research. They will reflect on their Covid-19 work, their careers, and their experiences of working at Imperial.
After the week
Joan Woodward Lecture
13.00-14.00, Thursday 18 March. Registration for Joan Woodward Lecture
This Business School Lecture Series was set up in memory of the late Professor Joan Woodward. Joan was the second ever female professor at Imperial College London and continues to be a role model for women in science, engineering and technology.
This year, to celebrate International Women’s Day, Professor Dorothy Griffiths will share her memories of Joan and her legacy at Imperial. We are also delighted to be joined by Dame Inga Beale, former CEO of Lloyd’s of London, who will discuss this year’s IWD theme, ‘a challenged world is an alert world’, alongside her experience of breaking glass ceilings and building inclusive environments within the workplace.
Videos of events from previous years

The state of, and prospects for, gender equality in academia
Simone and Mark discuss progress made and the challenges ahead
For Women@Imperial Week 2020, Professor Simone Buitendijk, Vice-Provost (Education), and Professor Mark Burgman, Director of the Centre for Environmental Policy, reflect on the state of gender equality here at Imperial and elsewhere in higher education. Drawing on evidence and personal experience, they will reflect on progress made and the challenges ahead.

What academia could learn from the military
Nadia Soliman compares her experiences in the British Army and as a young academic
For the Department of Life Sciences 2019 International Women's Day Lecture, Nadia Soliman compares her experiences in the British Army and her time as a young academic and reflects on leadership.
Nadia discusses the myth that women don’t have success in the military and the myth that military training has little relation to academia.

Struggles, Strategies and Secrets of Success
Panel discussion exploring the difficulties faced by women in the workplace
This panel discussion for Women@Imperial Week 2016 explores the difficulties still faced by women in the workplace and the challenges employers face in overcoming these difficulties.
Chaired by Anjana Ahuja (freelance science journalist), the panel comprised: Rachel Higham (MD CIO from BT group), Alison Atkinson (Director Capital Projects from AWE), Nupur Singh Mallick (HR Director from TCS UK), and James Stirling (Provost, Imperial College London).

Gendered Innovations in STEM
Professor Londa Schiebinge talks about the importance of integrating gender analysis in research
For Women@Imperial Week 2018 Professor Londa Schiebinge, University of Stanford, discusses the importance of integrating gender analysis to achieve excellence in science and technology research.
More information Professor Schiebinge and her work can be found on the Gendered Innovations website.

One Size Does Not Fit All
Leyla Okhai discuses how organisations and individuals can take steps for positive change
For the 2017 Department of Life Sciences International Women's Day Lecture, Leyla Okhai, Head of the College's Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Centre, discusses how one size does not fit all, and how we can all take responsibility for positive change.