2016 Mary Mulvihill Lecture: Professor Jane Grimson

Please register via http://witsireland.com/events/?event_id=32

Event Schedule
============
18:00 Welcome
18:15 Targets, quotas, carrots and sticks – eliminating gender inequality in academia, Prof Jane Grimson
19:00 Q&A
19:15 Reception
20.00 Event ends

Targets, quotas, carrots and sticks – eliminating gender inequality in academia
===================================================
In virtually every country, women are significantly under-represented in senior positions in academia. There have been and continue to be many initiatives both nationally and internationally to address this inequality, including Athena SWAN in the UK and since 2015 also in Ireland, and the ADVANCE Programme in the US. These are at last beginning to have a positive impact, not simply in moving the issue up the agenda of governments, funders and institutions, but also in improving the figures. But this improvement is happening at a glacial pace. It is now recognised that eliminating gender inequality in universities requires a range of measures and actions across a wide range of areas. There is no simple solution. Carrots alone are insufficient and sticks in the form of linking progress in eliminating gender inequality with funding are required. Equally, there is a growing, if reluctant (including among many women), of the need to replace targets with mandatory quotas.

This lecture will explode some of the myths surrounding the reasons for the persistence of gender inequality in universities, and look at some of the evidence and best practice in driving sustainable change.

Professor Jane Grimson
===================
Jane Grimson graduated in Engineering from the University of Dublin, Trinity College following which she obtained her masters and doctorate in Computer Science from the Universities of Toronto and Edinburgh, respectively. She returned to Trinity as a lecturer in 1980 where she served as Dean of Engineering, Pro-Dean of Research and Vice Provost. Prior to her retirement in 2014, she was seconded as Director of Health Information and then as Acting Chief Executive of the Health Information and Quality Authority. She has published widely in the field of health informatics. Jane is also a Past President of Engineers Ireland, the Irish Academy of Engineering, the Healthcare Informatics Society of Ireland and the Irish Computer Society. She is a member of the Royal Irish Academy, the Royal Academy of Engineering, the Health Research Board and the Mary Robinson Foundation for Climate Justice.

Jane has a passionate interest in promoting the recruitment, retention and advancement of women in engineering and in research more broadly. A long-time member of WITS, she helped to establish WiSER (the Centre for Women in Science and Engineering Research) at TCD in 2006 with funding from Science Foundation Ireland. She also chaired the Gender Equality Task Force at NUI Galway from 2015-2016.

This event is in association with The Science Gallery Dublin.