Education Special Interest Group

The WES Education Special Interest Group brings together faculty members from our partner universities.

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The WES Education Special Interest Group brings together faculty members from our partner universities who are committed to improving the experiences, opportunities and progression of women in engineering academia.

The group provides a collaborative space for educators, researchers and academic leaders to work on initiatives that strengthen equity, visibility and support for women across the academic pipeline.

Why it matters

Women in engineering academia continue to face structural barriers, uneven progression pathways and under‑representation at senior levels. By working together, we can:

Strengthen

Strengthen support for women at all academic career stages and for transition into industry roles and vice versa

Build

Build stronger pathways from undergraduate study through to research leadership

Align

Ensure our partner universities are aligned with best practice in gender equity

What we do

The Education Special Interest Group focuses on uncovering, documenting and promoting the rich history of WES and women engineers across the UK. Our work includes:

Developing and sharing evidence‑based approaches to supporting women in academic careers

1

Collaborating on projects that address barriers to progression, retention and recognition for women in academia

2

Contributing to national conversations on gender equity in engineering education and research

3

We are grateful to be able to work in collaboration with industry actors including the Engineering Professors Council and the Engineering Council.

Who can join?

This group is open to faculty at WES partner universities, including:

Lecturers, senior lecturers and professors

Researchers and research fellows

Academic leaders and programme directors

EDI leads and faculty members involved in gender equity initiatives

Get Involved

If you are interested in contributing to collaborative projects, sharing insights from your institution, or helping shape sector‑wide initiatives, we would be delighted to welcome you. Please contact ceo@wes.org.uk to express interest or to learn more.