The School of Ocean and Earth Science is a broad and diverse teaching, research and support community, and we are committed to creating an inclusive and welcoming environment where all are treated equally and fairly and opportunities are provided to tackle barriers to inclusion. Our School has a bronze Athena SWAN award , which recognises our commitment to addressing gender inequality.
Representatives from the School are actively involved in developing and implementing the Faculty and University Equality Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) policies, with School staff chairing the Faculty EDI committee.
Within the School we have an (EDI) committee. This group seeks to embed the values of equality, diversity and inclusion across the School, informed by biennial SOES well-being surveys and regular topic-specific focus groups. The SOES EDI strategy recognises all protected characteristics and in particular ongoing national EDI challenges related to gender and ethnicity representation in STEM disciplines.
A key priority for us is to consult with the staff and students in the School to identify what our priorities for equality, & diversity should be - and we actively seek out the views of staff and students from across our School. We can also be a first point of contact if you have any questions or issues relating to equality and inclusion: please contact us via the emails or the anonymous form below:
The School EDI committee has representation across all staff job families and postgraduate students.
Current SOES EDI committee membership:
- Clive Trueman (Chair)
- Mark Moore
- Jasmin Godbold
- Gordon Inglis
- Sarge Bray
- Maeve Lohan
- Lauren Nadler
In partnership with the once a month charity through SUSU, we have arranged free provision of bags with sanitary and hygiene products to be supplied to NOCS. These can be collected anonymously and free of charge from the First Aid and Wellbeing Room on the first floor (251/01). This initiative targets period poverty, collection of packs is on a trust basis and is completely anonymous. We will assess take-up of supplies on a monthly basis and report back to the Once a Month team.
We welcome any feedback, which you can send to me by email ( [email protected] ), or to the EDI group via the anonymous feedback boxes (Level 6 - outside the Student Office 166/09; Level 4 - room 564/19) or via the EDI link on the SOES website here .
Contact the EDI team
Let us know your thoughts on equality, diversity and inclusion in the School. Is there anything you think we need to address, are there any events or initiatives you’d like to see put in place? Is there anything you wish to report anonymously? We hope that the School is a welcoming place for everyone, but we want people to come forward if this is not always the case.
This form allows anyone to send their comments to the chair of the Equality, Diversity & Inclusion committee anonymously.
Alternatively, you can contact an EDI rep directly, and we will treat any communication with confidentiality and care.
Your Equality, Diversity & Inclusion contacts for the academic year 2021/2022:
Main contact (for both staff and students): EDI committee chair: Clive Trueman ( [email protected] )
Disabilities rep: Gordon Inglis: ( [email protected] )
Athena Swan rep: Jasmin Godbold ( [email protected] )
Key roles of the SOES EDI committee
- Provide a forum for the discussion of policy issues relating to equality and diversity for all those who work, study or visit the school
- Actively seek input on EDI issues from all staff, students and visitors to the school
- Report to and advise the Head of School on matters of equality and diversity identified by the committee or raised by staff, students or visitors to the school.
- Oversee current practice and help understand and benchmark current equality and diversity culture within the School.
- Develop strategy and appropriate action plans to improve the support of all staff, students and visitors, including applying for Athena Swan awards where appropriate.
- Advise the SOES Policy and Resources Committee on issues related to equality and diversity.
- Advise on the action necessary to develop a positive culture within the Academic Unit that advances the contribution of all staff.
- Advise on the development and updating of SOES and FNES Codes of Practice.
- Advise on the content and mechanisms of information dissemination for new and existing members of the OES community.
- Liaise with any relevant University Committees, such as the University Equality and Diversity team
- Ensure appropriate support (financial and intellectual) is in place for those to support Equality and Diversity activities.
Policies and Support
Return to work (see link below) - SOES Guidance for staff returning to work after maternity / shared parental / adoption / caring leave
Email etiquette: Sharepoint document
Family caring leave support and application form: Sharepoint document
Grants and awards supporting flexible working and diversity
Various fellowship schemes exist for early career researchers who require a flexible working pattern due to personal circumstances, such as caring responsibilities or health issues:
Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowship : This 5-year fellowship offers a recognised first step into an independent research career for outstanding postdoctoral scientists who require a flexible working pattern due to personal circumstances. This can include parental responsibilities, caring responsibilities, clinically diagnosed health issues or other personal circumstances that create a need for a flexible working pattern. Research must be within the Royal Society’s remit of natural sciences and you must have no more than six years' postdoctoral research experience may apply.
Deadline : November 2021
L'Oréal UK and Ireland Fellowships For Women In Science : This scheme aims to promote, enhance and encourage the contribution of women pursuing their research careers in the UK or Ireland. Candidates must identify as female postdoctoral level researchers with no more than 10 years' active full-time equivalent postdoctoral experience (discounting career breaks, but including teaching experience and/or time spent in industry). Five fellowships, worth £15,000, are awarded annually.
Deadline : March 2022
Daphne Jackson Fellowships : This scheme offers researchers the opportunity to return to a research career after a break of two or more years for a family, health or caring reason. The Fellowships are usually for 2- or 3-years (depending on the sponsorship arrangement) at 0.5 FTE (full-time equivalent).
Various grants and/or awards exist to support and/or help promote women in science :
British Federation of Women Graduates Scholarships : This scheme is awarded to female 3rd Year Ph.D. students of any nationality studying at a UK University. The amounts offered in awards range upwards from £1000 with the average award being around £3000 and the maximum being £6000. The number of awards made each year depends on the funds available and on the quality of the applications but six to ten awards are usually given
Deadline : February 2022
Funds for Women Graduates : An educational charity that awards award grants to assist with the living expenses of women postgraduate students, typically in the final year of work towards a PhD or equivalent degree. This includes Foundation Grants (up to £6,000) and Emergency Grants (up to £2,500)
Deadline : March 2022 (Foundation Grants) October 2021 & May 2022 (Emergency Grants)
Rosaline Franklin Award - Royal Society : The Royal Society Rosalind Franklin Award is awarded annually for an outstanding contribution to any area of STEM. The recipient of the award is expected to spend a proportion of the grant on implementing a project to raise the profile of women in STEM in their host institution and/or field of expertise in the UK. There are no restrictions on the age of nominees, though it is anticipated that the award will be made to an individual with 6 – 20 years post PhD, with a maximum of 20 years post PhD or equivalent by the closing date of the round. Nominations are welcomed for both men and women.
Deadline : November 2021
Mentoring
Early career: Early career faculty mentoring Early career staff can also access our cross-faculty mentoring scheme: If you would like to ask for a mentor please email [email protected] with an indication of the topic you might wish to discuss.
Mentoring Network for BAME students: The Equator programme provides a network of mentoring opportunities for UK students on Earth Science programmes who self-identify as BAME. Please see the link here for details, and details of how to apply either for mentorship or to become a mentor.
EDI resources and training provided by University of Southampton
Active Bystander Training
- 90 minute live online session facilitated by the Active Bystander Training Company
- For more information please visit the Active bystander SharePoint site – click here .
- Please visit Staff book to secure your place at the virtual Active Bystander workshop.
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The session is focused on equipping you with practical tools that you can use immediately should you experience or witness any behaviour that you feel is not right.
EDI Online Bitesize Training
The new suite of online EDI modules includes a variety of topics and are filmed & led by expert practitioners. Each course will take between 10-20 minutes. Topics include:
- Age bitesize learning
- Disability bitesize learning
- Families bitesize learning
- Gender bitesize learning
- LGBTQ+ bitesize learning
- Menopause bitesize learning
- Neurodiversity bitesize learning
- Race bitesize learning
- Working across cultures bitesize learning
To find out more about what each module covers, access the full suite of online modules and further EDI training click here .
Menopause support (and advice for line managers) from the University Health and Wellbeing Team click here.