Women at Sussex
We celebrate the achievements of women, past and present, who have shaped Sussex.
Working towards equality
We hold an Athena Swan Institutional Bronze award alongside School level awards for all of our STEMM Schools. Our aim is for all Schools to hold an Athena Swan award by 2025.
We encourage gender equality across the University and our Gender Equality Action Plan [PDF 528KB] outlines our commitments to improving gender equality.
For more information about how we are working towards equality at Sussex, see our equality, diversity and inclusion strategy.
International Women’s Day
International Women’s Day (IWD) is a global event celebrated every year on 8 March. The day is dedicated to promoting gender equality and celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women.
This important annual event gives us the opportunity to highlight our strong commitment to promoting gender equality and creating spaces for dialogue, reflection and action on issues related to women's empowerment.
2023/2024
To celebrate in 2023 and 2024, , Director of Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion at the School of Engineering and Informatics and , Athena SWAN lead at the School of Life Sciences created a set of portraits of our female staff including a picture and an encouraging comment. The project aimed to showcase the female role models working at Sussex. The portraits, some printed and some digital, were shared in an exhibition in the University Library during March 2024 and you can see many of them in the gallery below.
Women of Sussex share their reflections and encouragements this International Women's Day .
Dr Melissa Lazenby, Lecturer in Physical Geography, School of Global Studies
Katie Bennett, Head of Health and Safety
Olivia Connor, Marketing Coordinator, Sussex Sport
Professor Pollyanna Ruiz, Professor of Media and Cultural Studies, School of Media, Arts and Humanities
Poppy Joshi, PhD Student, Quantum Systems and Devices, School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences
Dr Rebecca Webb and Dr Perpetua Kirby, Lecturer and Senior Lecturer, School of Education and Social Work
Dr Samira Bouyagoub, MRI Physicist (Clinical Neuroscience), Brighton and Sussex Medical School
Sarah McDonald, Research Development Manager, Professional Services
Serena Mitchell, Communications Manager, Business School
Professor Alisa Lebow, Professor of Screen Media, Director of Student Wellbeing, School of Media, Arts and Humanities
Alison Burrell, PGR Coordinator & Member of Professional Services, School of Media, Arts and Humanities
Anja Pullen, Senior Timetabling Officer, Division of Student Experience
Dr. Bridget Kuama, Lecturer in Department of Economics, Business School
Brigitte Groves, Deputy School Administrator, School of Psychology
Carrie Smith, Student Communications and Campaign Manager, Internal Communications
Dr. Despoina Mantziari, Lecturer in Film Studies, School of Media, Arts and Humanities
Professor Dolores Tierney, Professor of Film (Sussex Centre for Migration Research), Head of Department of Film Studies, School of Media, Arts and Humanities
Emma Potts, Interim Chief Operating Officer and University Secretary
Dr Ferheen Ayaz, Research Fellow in 6G Lab, Advanced Communications, Mobile Technology and IoT, School of Engineering and Informatics
Helen Basterra, Head of Student Administration, Division of Student Experience
Helen Ticktin-Smith, Senior Research Project Officer, School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences
Katy Stoddard, Research Development Manager, Doctoral School
Professor Margaretta Jolly, Director of Research and Knowledge Exchange, School of Media, Arts and Humanities
Dr Alice Copsey, Research Fellow, School of Life Sciences
Anna Farlow, Teaching Technician, School of Life Sciences
Bella Malya, Lecturer in Product Design, School of Engineering and Informatics
Professor Claire Smith, Deputy Pro-Vice-Chancellor of Education and Innovation
Dr Elizabeth Rendon-Morales, Senior Lecturer in Electrical and Electronic Engineering, School of Engineering and Informatics
Erin Tilley, Student Experience Library Officer
Professor Esra Sorguven, Professor of Thermodynamics and Fluid Mechanics, School of Engineering and Informatics
Jenny Blemmings-Derrick, Teaching Technician, School of Life Sciences
Dr Karen Marshall, Research Fellow, School of Life Sciences
Dr Kate Howland, Senior Lecturer in Interaction Design, School of Engineering and Informatics
Kitty Pert, Applied Research Collaboration Assistant Project Manager, Brighton and Sussex Medical School
Dr Lisa Woodbine, Tissue Culture Manager, School of Life Sciences
Dr Louise Newnham, Senior Lecturer in Genome Stability, School of Life Sciences
Lucy Uffindell-Saunderson, Senior Technical Specialist, School of Engineering and Informatics
Dr Natacha Rossi, Research Fellow in Insect Behaviour, School of Life Sciences
Dr Ruth Murrel-Lagnado, Reader in Neuroscience, School of Life Sciences
Professor Sasha Roseneil, Vice-Chancellor
Sarah Ison, Online Distance Learning Librarian
Yueying Tian, PhD student/ doctoral Tutor, School of Engineering and Informatics.
2022
In 2022, we ran a number of events across the University, including an online panel discussion on #BreakTheBias, co-hosted with the University of Brighton. Our Organisational Development team offered courses including ‘Fighting Gender Biat at Work’ and ‘Becoming a Male Ally at Work’.
Find out more about our 2022 IWD events.
2021
The 2021 theme was #ChooseToChallenge, which included challenging our own thoughts to calling out gender bias in others. Our Library hosted a collaborative ‘Editathon’ workshop, with the aim to “make Wikipedia more representative of the diverse range of the knowledge produced by the diverse women of the world”.
Find out more about our 2021 IWD events.
2020
In 2020 we celebrated the lives and achievements of incredbile women with connections in our local area as part of the #EachforEqual movement.
Explore the stories and photographs we shared on social media.
Celebrating women at Sussex
From trailblazing academics to pioneering students and alumni, we honour the diverse voices and experiences of women who have shaped our history and continue to shape our future.
Twelve women in academia
In celebration of women working in higher education, 12 of our female academics were invited to be part of a series of photography portraits.
This collection in our Library shows the variety of disciplines they are contributing to as well as their personal motivations.
See the portraits and read their stories.
How we support women
- Carer support policies
- Carer fund [PDF 160KB]
- Guidance for Parents and Carers for Staff [PDF 184KB]
- Menopause Policy [DOCX 50KB]
- Menopause Policy – Menopause guidance for colleague discussions [DOCX 33KB]
- Flexible and hybrid working [PDF 262KB].
Support for trans and non-binary staff
We are committed to providing a positive working and learning environment free from discrimination, harassment or victimisation for trans and non-binary people.
Our Trans and Non-Binary Equality Policy Statement [PDF 119KB]  sets out our commitment to provide a positive working and learning environment free from discrimination, harassment or victimisation for trans and non-binary people.
Transitioning at Work
°Õ³ó±ð Transitioning at Work policy [PDF 344KB] sets out the University’s support for staff who wish to transition while employed at Sussex and commitment to provide a working environment where an individual feels that all members of the University are valued and supported. Staff should also read our Transitioning at Work: Guidance for Staff and Managers [PDF 299KB] when consulting the policy.