9:00 – 9:45 Registration
9:45 – 10:00 Introduction by the Chair: Dr Maureen Cooper, Former Director, Scottish Resource Centre for Women in SET, Napier University, Edinburgh
10:00 – 10:30 Managing you career break
Dr Katharine Hollinshead, Diversity Programme Leader, The Institute of Physics, UK
In 2003 the Institute of Physics, in collaboration with the Daphne Jackson Trust, commissioned a study of career-break activity to help define the role that professional institutions could play in supporting members who had taken a career break. A key issue to emerge was that few people thought in advance about how they manage their career break. As a result the Best Practice in Career-Break Management guide was published. This covers planning and managing a career break, CV enhancement, returning to work and getting a new job.
10:30 – 11:00 Top Ten Tips for Returners to SET Careers
Mrs Jenny Woolly, Director, The Daphne Jackson Trust, UK
The Daphne Jackson Trust helps talented women and men to return to their careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) after a break. The Trust awards Fellowships composed of a retraining programme linked to a challenging research or development project, with the overall focus put firmly on improving future employment potential of the individual. The key objective is that the Fellowship should make it easier for the returner to re-establish professional expertise as well as personal confidence, within an appropriately supportive environment, with significantly improved job prospects at the end. There are a variety of reasons for a career break including bringing up children, relocating with a partner, illness, looking after elderly relatives, disabled family members and many more. The problem for highly qualified professionals is their field rapidly moves on or changes and they need to retrain to return at the appropriate level. Without the Trust, their talent, plus the investment, time and effort spent in their initial training, is completely wasted. Fellows are selected on their potential to make a successful return to their professions and to once again benefit the economy. This realistic approach has gained the Trust widespread support from charities, institutions and industries, which benefit considerably from their involvement. Sponsors with an interest in the proposed research are ‘matched’ with Fellows and many organisations both sponsor and host Fellows. The Trust is always looking for new sponsors! The Trust normally arranges two year, part time, paid, Fellowships held in academic institutions or industrial Research and Development laboratories in the United Kingdom. Fellows carry out a supervised research project and retraining programme. They are offered support, guidance and mentoring throughout the application process and Fellowship. On completion Fellows are able to compete for employment on a level playing field with their peers. The Trust is based at the University of Surrey in Guildford and is 16 years old. Daphne Jackson was Britain’s first female Professor of Physics and a lifelong campaigner encouraging women into engineering and science. In 1985 she began a pilot scheme for women who wanted to return to a career in science, engineering and technology (SET). The Daphne Jackson Trust was set up in 1992 after her death, to continue her inspired work. So far the Trust has awarded more than 175 Fellowships held primarily at universities throughout the United Kingdom. The success rate of Fellows returning to scientific careers is excellent. Most of those completing their Fellowships have found positions in academia or industry. The Trust has been acknowledged as running “the foremost returners scheme in the country”; 96% of Daphne Jackson Fellows have returned to SET careers. The work of the Trust has been highly praised as “exemplary” by the Government of the United Kingdom.
11:00- 11:10 Speakers photo
11:10 – 11:30 Mid-morning break
11:30 – 11:50 Returners, do you think you have what it takes?
Dr Pia Ostergaard, St Georges Medical School, UK
What does it take to juggle kids and career? Superwoman? Or are there others players in the field? Can you have it all without compromising? I’ll give you an insight into my experience as a 100 percent mum and part-time researcher.
11:50 – 12:20 Career Development via the maternity ward….
Dr Sara Shinton, Shinton Consulting, UK
Children? Or Career? It can seem like you can’t have it all. My experience is very different – having children has opened my career up in a new and exciting direction and brought more professional success than I experienced BC (before children). I’ll share my perspectives and draw out useful lessons for any parent wanting to balance career and family
12:20 – 12:30 Small talk about the Biopark
12:30 – 13:30 Lunch
13: 30 – 14:00 Panel Discussion
14:00 – 14:30 Scientific Research - a great way to travel
Professor Ijeoma F. Uchegbu, Chair in Pharmaceutical Nanoscience, University of London
Ijeoma Uchegbu has spent over 10 years as an independent researcher and will chronicle her research activities in the area of pharmaceutical nanotechnology. Her work is aimed at making medicines more effective. Ijeoma Uchegbu will also talk about combining her working life with an active family life.
14:30 – 15:00 Afternoon Tea/Coffee
15:00 – 15:30 Construction
Janet Shelley MBE, Women Builders, UK
15:30 – 16:00 How the UK Resource Centre for Women in SET can support you in returning to a career in science
Ms Veronica Benson, Oxford Women's Training, UK
What the UKRC does to support women returners. Tips to returner to SET careers. Success stories and case studies
16:00 – 16:30 Chairman’s summing up & close.
This meeting was organised by Euroscicon (www.euroscicon.com), a team of dedicated professionals working for the continuous improvement of technical knowledge transfer to all scientists. Euroscicon believe that they can make a positive difference to the quality of science by providing cutting edge information on new technological advancements to the scientific community. This is provided via our exceptional services to individual scientists, research institutions and industry. The event was hosted by 'BioPark’ (www.biopark.co.uk), a research and development centre in Welwyn Garden City providing specialist facilities and support for bioscience and health technology businesses to grow, and to develop new products and technologies
About the Chair
Dr Maureen Cooper, Director, Scottish Resource Centre for Women in SET, Napier University, Edinburgh
Dr Cooper became involved in women and science activities 17 years ago when she set up a network “Women Scientists and Engineers in Scotland”. This led to “Winning Women” a Scottish Higher Education Funding Council project to produce 3 guides to good practice to women’s access, participation and career progression in SET in HE. EU funded women and engineering research projects have included “WOMENG – creating cultures of success for women engineers”. She was Director of the Scottish Resource Centre for Women in Science Engineering and Technology during its set up. She has founded “Cultures for Success” a not for profit organization dedicated to carrying on her work in this area.
About the Speakers
Dr Sara Shinton works with a range of organisations in a variety of ways, but with a common theme of improving the career management and effectiveness of scientists and researchers. Originally a chemist, she followed a PhD in materials chemistry with postdoctoral research into polymer blends. An interest in teaching and student development was fueled by an RSC-funded project on communication skills for undergraduate chemists which lead to a position as a university careers adviser. In 2000, she founded Shinton Consulting to focus on supporting researchers, particularly those on postdoctoral contracts and in the early stages of academic careers.
Mrs Jenny Woolly has spent most of her professional career in academia. Her background is personnel and business management. Jennifer had a short break when her son was born but after eighteen months returned to the workplace when she launched her own business as a statistical analyst specialising in the pharmaceutical industry. She ran this for more than ten years. In 1994 Jennifer joined the The Daphne Jackson Trust, and subsequently became the Director of a small but very dedicated team, which arranges Fellowships for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) professionals to help them return to their careers after a break.
Dr Katie Perry - After obtaining a degree and a PhD in physics from the University of Surrey in 1994, Katie moved into science communication. She worked in the Public Affairs Department at the Institute of Physics, first as a press officer, and then managing their public understanding of physics programme. In 2000, after a period of maternity leave, she worked freelance for the Marketing Department at the University of Surrey on a part-time basis for 2 years, and now works for the Daphne Jackson Trust. She still does occasional freelance work in science writing or science communication. She is a member of the Institute of Physics, the Science, Technology, Engineering and Medicine Public Relations Association (STEMPRA) and the Association of British Science Writers (ABSW).
Janet Shelley, founder and Managing Director of Women Builders, just wanted to learn how to plaster!
She couldn’t find any suitable courses and during her enquiries discovered that many other women also wanted to learn various aspects of the building trade. Hitting such a ‘brick wall’ identified a huge gap in the market – an unacceptable lack of women in the building trade, brought about by too few training opportunities - not to mention the obvious ‘weaker sex’ barrier. Janet is an original thinker; she loves a challenge. What began as a frustration rapidly turned into a passion - that brick wall was definitely coming down.
The first task was to obtain enough funding to get the idea off the ground, once in place, things moved very fast!"Why start as an acorn, I wanted my company to be an oak tree?" - Janet Shelley. She has recently been awarded a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) by Her Majesty The Queen for services to the construction industry during this years Birthday Honours.
Professor Ijeoma Uchegbu holds a Chair in Pharmaceutical Nanoscience within the School of Pharmacy, University of London. Ijeoma obtained her PhD from the School of Pharmacy, University of London in 1994, was appointed to a lectureship within the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Strathclyde University in 1997 and a Chair in Drug Delivery at Strathclyde University in 2002. In 2006 Ijeoma was appointed to the Chair in Pharmaceutical Nanoscience at the School of Pharmacy, University of London. Ijeoma’s research in pharmaceutical nanoscience has provided insights into nanoparticle design for drug delivery, producing nanosystems (nanomedicines) that promote oral drug absorption and drug transport to the brain for example. Ijeoma and Andreas Schatzlein have also designed an anti-cancer gene medicine that is currently in pre-clinical development. Ijeoma is the Science Secretary of the CRS, a US based learned society with interests in the delivery of pharmaceuticals, former Chair of the Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Great Britain and is the Academia Expert on the Department for Innovation University and Skills’ Science Engineering and Technology Strategy for Women Expert Group. Ijeoma has been awarded various prizes for her work, the latest of which is the Department for Innovation University and Skills’ Women of Outstanding Achievement in Science Engineering and Technology award. Ijeoma along with five other awardees took part in a national photographic exhibition in 2007 at various venues including the Science Museum and the British Museum.