Athena SWAN
Athena SWAN is a national scheme to promote women's careers in science, technology, engineering, maths and medicine (STEMM). As a founder member and institutional award holder, the University is actively engaged in promoting the principles of the Athena SWAN Charter and encourages eligible Departments to participate in this important initiative. The scheme has evolved to encompass not only researchers but all staff in the departments.
The Department of Chemistry holds an Athena SWAN silver award and has a number of working group tasked with identifying and driving a Departmental action plan. As a result, the Department has made significant progress in its provision for researchers and professional services staff working through its actions and targeting the following key priorities including:
- Helping institutions achieve their gender equality objectives.
- Acknowledging that advancing gender equality requires a commitment at every level of the organisation and in particular active leadership from those in senior roles.
- Applying a targeted self-assessment framework to support institutions to identify areas for positive action as well as recognise and share good practice.
- Supporting the promotion of inclusive working practices that can increase the retention of valued academics and professional support staff, demonstrating an institution's commitment to an equitable working environment.
The outcomes of our actions have improved our processes and policies around training provisions, parental and carer leave, career development, recruitment, appointment and retention of researchers and staff.
Chemistry in Cambridge
Chemistry in Cambridge aims to support fundamental science of the highest quality in a first class physical environment. The Department includes a large number of internationally recognised research groups covering an exceptionally broad spectrum of chemical science ranging from molecular biology to geophysics. Our enthusiastic research culture embraces new challenging areas, including strong collaborations with other academic disciplines and institutions, while maintaining a powerful presence in the traditional core areas of chemistry.
The Chemistry Department hosts around 200 postdoctoral research staff, over 250 postgraduate students, and around 60 academic staff, including newly independent researchers and over 140 professional services staff.
Three strategic collaborative research areas unify the development of research within the Department:
- Chemistry of Health aims to advance the understanding of health and disease in a number of areas that are of global importance: these include ageing, cancer and infection.
- Sustainable Energy, Environment and Climate aims to increase understanding of the impact of chemical processes on the environment and to develop sustainable energy systems.
- Innovative Molecular and Materials Design aims to transform the development and assembly of important functional chemicals to produce new high-value products that will lead to novel applications in health care, agriculture, energy and consumer products.
Commitment to the University Mission and Core Values
The Department is committed to:
- The University’s Mission and Core Values statement
- The University's Dignity@Work policy for employees
- The University’s guidance on equal opportunities policy
These embrace the framework in which the Department operates and the requirement that we create and maintain an environment that is free from all unlawful forms of discrimination and unacceptable behaviour such as racial, sexual and disability harassment, as well as bullying. If you ever feel that these freedoms are being violated you should talk to the Head of Department and/or line manager.
Our Departmental Vision, Mission and Values
Our vision is to enhance our reputation as a world-class teaching and research institution which is recognised for its innovation, excellence and discovery, and attracts the best students and staff worldwide.
Our mission is to maintain a Department that is regarded as equal to any in terms of its relevance of teaching and research, its quality of support and facilities and the learning opportunities and working experience it offers.
We aspire to values which are based on the highest professional and academic standards in terms of personal growth and satisfaction offered to our staff and students, growth and excellence in what we do, teamwork that is based on respect, trust and integrity, and innovation to promote growth and value to our research sponsors.
Committees
The Department has a number of Committees representing staff, operational and research matters. Each has its own staff committee that reports to the Staff Management Team to ensure that employee-related issues and ideas are given the time and attention they deserve, well communicated and escalated as appropriate.
The structure of the Department and its Departmental committees is available on the Departmental Committee pages.
Personnel
|
Title |
Name |
Ext. |
|
|
Head of Department |
Dr James Keeler |
36341 |
hod@ch.cam.ac.uk |
|
Executive Assistant to HoD |
Xani Thorman |
36339 |
|
|
Deputy Head of Department - responsibility for staff |
Dr Nick Bampos |
62970 |
|
|
Academic Secretary (Departmental Administrator) |
Dr Howard Jones |
36068 |
|
|
Head of Operations and Estates (Departmental Administrator) |
Marita Walsh |
36453 |
|
|
Departmental Safety Officer |
Dr Richard Turner |
63936 |
|
|
Facilities Manager |
Matthew Bushen |
36429 |
|
|
Finance Manager |
Ann Searle |
62937 |
|
|
Computing and IT Manager |
Dr Tim Dickens | 63811 | tkd25@cam.ac.uk |
|
Postgraduate Student Adviser |
Tessa Blackman |
62031 |
|
|
Research Grants Adviser |
Ilona Jones |
68212 |
|
|
HR and Administration Coordinator |
Kathleen Pickett |
36448 |
|
|
HR Administrator and Head of Reception |
Emma Graham |
63188 |
Research Interest Groups (RIGs)
The Department’s research structure is organised around five Research Interest Groups (RIGs). Most staff participate in more than one RIG; this interaction benefits research in all of the groups.