Prof James Durrant presenting

Plastic Electronics CDT students in Cohort 7 have initiated Gender, Diversity and Equality Meetings (GDEMs).

These meetings take place monthly in term time and provide an informal environment for students and staff to discuss equlity issues and ways to provide an environment that increases diversity. Each meeting features a female academic, fellow or senior postdoc who gives a short talk about their career, their experiences, and challenges that they have overcome. This is followed by an informal discussion session. All CPE members, male and female, are encouraged to come along and participate in these sessions.

The first GDEM of the 2018-19 academic year proved very popular as students and staff crammed into the CDT suite to hear Prof James Durrant.

We have most recently heard from Dr Theoni Georgiou, who delivered an interesting talk on "What I did wrong, What I did right", where she offered students tips for their future careers as academics using examples from her own experience; she says "learn how to argue constructively, ensure you always work for someone you find easy to communicate with, network, meet people, ask for help, document things and meetings, and don't allow yourself to be disadvantaged because you don't negotiate or know your rights". 

Please join us on 15 February at 13.00 in Room 402 of the CDT suite for the next GDEM with Dr Olly Fenwick of Queen Mary University.

  • Ji-Seon Kim – “My Career as Female Non UK Academic”
  • Jenny Nelson – no title
  • Andreas Kafizas - "My daughter, my wife, and then my career... Keeping the right balance and priorities"
  • Sandrine Heutz – no title
  • Martin Heeney – no title
  • Laia Francas - “My Career: Behind the Scenes”
  • Robert Godin – “Balancing a family and academic career: There (UK) and back (Canada), and there and back again!” 
  • Jess Wade and Hannah Williams - “Trans-Atlantic Diversity - what are they doing in America and what can we learn?”
  • Steph Pendlebury - “Thinking about Life, the Universe, and Everything”

GDEMs are usually held at lunchtime on the first Friday of the month, although this is not always the case, so please keep an eye on our events page for full details of upcoming GDEMs. Everyone is welcome!

If you are interested in giving a talk at a GDEM, please contact the organiser, Ms Jaspreet Kainth.