Women in Fluid Dynamics UK SIG Inaugural Meeting
We were pleased to host the inaugural Women in Fluids Dynamics UK special interest group (SIG) meeting earlier this week. 35 people attended, from across the UK, academia and industry. The session was led by SIG leader Dr Claire Savy.
We briefly introduced the newly established UK Fluids Network SIG,
"Women in Fluid Dynamics in the UK: supporting the engagement, retention and progression of women in the fluid dynamics discipline in academia and industry. There is currently a substantial underrepresentation of women in fluid dynamics at all career stages, and this SIG will provide a space to network, raise the profile of women across the breadth of fluid dynamics, support career development, be a voice for the community and to funders, and ultimately be a platform to enhance wider aspects of diversity in fluid dynamics. An initial meeting with the members below indicated substantial support for the initiative as well as strong need for a national initiative to provide support to early career women in fluids.
Our objectives are:
- Enabling a better pipeline for women in fluids
- Facilitating support and mentoring for women in fluids across career stages
- Enhancing visibility and connectivity of women in fluids
- Supporting the development and progression of women in fluids
- Providing a mechanism to raise issues and highlight best practice, and to feedback to the UK fluids community, academic institutions and to UK research funders"
Break out group discussions were held to get input from the community on what needs to be done to support career progression, enabling work life balance and the barriers and opportunities in the fluids community. This input will support the SIG in shaping its strategy and its initial priorities and activities.
A survey is currently being prepared and will launch in the next few weeks to capture a broader picture of the current landscape of women working in fluids in both academia and industry, and their experiences of working in fluids.