The University of Nottingham’s Women in Aviation and Aerospace Charter (WiAAC) network, launched today (Friday 8 March 2019) supports aims for improved levels of gender equality in the aviation and aerospace sectors.

The national WiAAC exists to help organisations make a commitment toward gender equality in the aviation and aerospace sectors. Organisations that sign up to the Charter are committing to be the very best at driving diversity and inclusion within their sector and providing fair opportunities for women to succeed at the highest levels.

The University of Nottingham is a founding WiAAC signatory. Our new network aims to support University efforts to achieve greater levels of diversity and inclusion across teaching programmes (both students and staff), post-graduate cohorts and early career researchers. This can be related to gender balance on courses and post-graduate programmes and support for early stage researchers and academics.

Dr Elizabeth Argyle (Research Fellow, Human Factors Research Group/Faculty of Engineering) and interim co-chair of the Network, said: “The University of Nottingham’s WiAAC Network seeks to support the University’s ongoing commitments to Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion by creating a community of practice with a focus on these areas in the aviation and aerospace domains. I am thrilled to be a part of this community and to be able to support the Charter’s objectives for enhancing diversity and inclusion within the University and the broader aerospace/aviation industry.”

Mahnaz Sharafkhani, Marie Sklodowska-Curie INNOVATIVE programme doctoral fellow and interim co-chair of the Network, said: “I really welcome the launch of this new network, which will help to support the University’s Charter efforts to achieve greater equality, diversity and inclusion.  The network will also strengthen efforts to help our graduates and researchers to succeed at the highest levels within the aviation and aerospace sectors and beyond.”

The network will provide a platform for raising good practice, engaging with staff and students, sharing information and promoting opportunities offered by our industry partners and fellow Charter organisations. This activity will be coordinated and promoted by the University’s Institute for Aerospace Technology (IAT) through the new network.

Interested students and staff are warmly invited to join the network and get involved. To learn more about the University’s WiAAC network, visit https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/aerospace/projects/index.aspx.

The launch of the UoN WiACC network at the University of Nottingham coincides with this year’s International Women’s Day celebrations. To find out more about how the University of Nottingham has celebrated International Women’s Day 2019, visit the People and Culture blog.