Beyond Advocacy: Actionable strategies to drive equality in STEMM

There are 1.4 million women working in STEMM in the UK — the highest proportion on record — but this still only amounts to 27.6% of the core STEMM workforce.

With women representing 47.8% of the overall workforce, it's clear that STEMM still has a long way to go before it reflects the society it serves.

Supporting women in STEMM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Medicine, and Mathematics) is not only about fairness - it is essential for driving innovation, strengthening research and industry, and developing solutions that reflect the needs of diverse communities. Inclusive STEMM environments are proven to produce better outcomes, stronger teams, and greater impact.

Everyone can play a role in increasing diversity in STEMM. But knowing where to start, or how to make a meaningful contribution, can feel daunting. Especially if you aren't a woman in STEMM!

This event is designed to change this.

It will focus on practical, day‑to‑day actions that individuals can take to support women in STEMM, and help foster a more inclusive culture across King’s. Attendees will leave with clear, tangible insights that can be applied in study, teaching, research, leadership and professional settings - regardless of role or career stage.

This event is open to all King’s staff and students, of all genders and backgrounds.

Whether you are already engaged in supporting gender inclusion or are new to the conversation and keen to learn more, your perspective is valued. Creating lasting change requires diverse voices, shared responsibility, and collective effort - and everyone has a role to play.

We'll kick off with an introduction from Professor Sir Bashir M. Al-Hashimi, Vice President (Research & Operations), followed by a keynote address from eminent Computer Scientist, Professor Dame Muffy Calder, followed by a panel discussion bringing together voices from senior leadership to undergraduate students. Together, the speakers will explore real experiences, practical approaches, and achievable changes that can make a difference at both individual and institutional levels.

Introduction: Professor Sir Bashir M. Al-Hashimi, Vice President (Research & Operations)

Guest speaker: Professor Dame Muffy Calder, Professor of Formal Methods (Computer Science) at the University of Glasgow

Panel:

• Professor Maribel Fernandez, Vice Dean (People & Planning), Faculty of Natural, Mathematical and Engineering Sciences (panel chair)
• Dr Georgina Starling, Postdoctoral fellow in the Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine
• Professor Lucy Di Silvio, Professor of Tissue Engineering and Associate Dean for Career Development, Faculty of Dentistry, Oral & Craniofacial Sciences
• Dr Jhanelle White, Technical Manager (Senior Laboratory Instructor) Chemistry, Faculty of Natural, Mathematical and Engineering Sciences
• Dr Mike Cook, Senior Lecturer in Computer Science, Faculty of Natural, Mathematical and Engineering Sciences
• Annika Sharma, Biochemistry student and President of the Womxn in STEM society

16:00 - Welcome and introduction from Sir Bashir M. Al-Hashimi

16:10 - Keynote speaker - Professor Dame Muffy Calder

16:40 - Panel discussion

17:10 - Wrap-up and thank you

17:15 - Networking and refreshments

18:00 - Event to close

Professor Dame Muffy Calder has led a varied career (scroll down for her bio). She’ll join us from the University of Glasgow to talk about her career and the lessons she has learnt along the way as a woman working in STEMM.

Muffy will outline how her technical work progressed and why, learnings from some of the leadership advocacy roles she has had, and some of the lessons and tips she’s learnt throughout her career. Muffy’s talk will show there are many ways to develop a career as a woman in STEMM, as well as the importance of allyship and support , and that opportunities come in many disguises.

Muffy’s career has been a mix of computer science theory and practice, single and multiple disciplines, as well as STEMM advocacy, and government and law enforcement policy and advice. She has worked with researchers in a range of areas from telecommunications engineering to cardiovascular and cancer medicine, criminal justice and mixed reality games. Very little of Muffy’s career was planned and yet she feels it all seems to make sense, and each aspect has reinforced the others.

Muffy Calder is Professor of Formal Methods at the University of Glasgow and a Senior Visiting Fellow at Alan Turing Institute Centre for Emerging Technology and Security. She was Vice-Principal and Head of College of Science and Engineering 2015-2025. Previously she was Chief Scientific Adviser for Scotland.

Her research is in computational modelling and automated reasoning for sensor-driven systems, responsible AI, privacy and national security. She is currently a Co-Investigator of two UKRI projects - Responsible AI UK and Probable Futures: Probabilistic AI Systems in Law Enforcement Futures. She has been a member of the Prime Minister’s Council for Science and Technology, REF main panel B, and UKRI-EPSRC council, and was a Royal Society Leverhulme Research Senior Fellow and Suffrage Science award winner in Computing Science and Mathematics.

This event is part of King's Women in STEMM Season, which marks a period from the UN’s International Day of Women and Girls in Science on 11th February to International Women’s Day on 8th March.

Through a series of inspirational talks and panel discussions with a wide variety of speakers, the season aims to celebrate women and anyone who identifies as a woman working in STEMM. We will highlight the issues faced by women in STEMM that reduce representation, including in positions of leadership and power, emphasising the importance of gender equality across the sciences and the need for an intersectional approach.

This season will bring together staff and students from across King's to share ideas for how we break down the barriers faced by women in STEMM, sparking new conversations and actions for building a culture at King’s that benefits all members of the community.

Disclaimer: For in-person events we operate a policy of overbooking, given drop-out rates. Please ensure you arrive in good time to avoid disappointment on the day.

Photography and videography: The event you will be attending will have photography and videography. If you do not wish to appear in any recordings or photographs, please approach our registration team on the day of the event or email [email protected] before the event. Photographs and recordings taken may feature in our publications or on the King’s website and social media channels. All personal data will be processed in accordance with King’s privacy policy available on request or at .

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We collect and process your personal information to help us manage and run the event. In accordance with the King’s College London Data Retention Schedule, we will keep your information until the completion of the event. To find out more about how the university deals with your personal information, including your rights, please see the . Your personal information will be transferred to the United States via Eventbrite. Please read the where you can find out more on how Eventbrite protects your data.

Info: Panel discussion hosted by Professor Maribel Fernandez, featuring Dr Georgina Starling, Professor Lucy di Silvio, Jhanelle White, Dr Mike Cook and Annika Sharma.

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