The School first achieved the Athena Swan Gold Award in 2012,  the first School of Biology in the UK to do so. This latest award marks the School’s fourth consecutive gold, a significant achievement demonstrating the school’s longstanding commitment to gender equality.

The application was led by Swan Co-champions, Dr Paul Caplat and Prof Lisa Connolly.  Dr Caplat welcomed the news of the Award:

"We are absolutely delighted to have renewed our gold award. We were the first School of Biology in the UK to get a gold award in 2012, and we have kept gold since, reflecting the commitment of the School leadership and culture to gender equality."

Prof Lisa Connolly, added:

“This continued repeat of Athena Swan gold renewal success is a great achievement for the School of Biological Sciences, demonstrating our innovative commitment to and engagement with Swan through continued progress and development of new actions.”

This award follows a series of recent successes across Queen’s, with the University achieving an institutional Gold Award in January 2024 - the first university on the island of Ireland and only the second in the UK to do so.

Commenting on the School’s recent Swan Gold Award, Interim Head of School, Prof Nigel Scollan, added:

“We are absolutely delighted to have achieved a remarkable fourth consecutive Athena SWAN Gold Award. The School was first awarded Gold in 2012 and became the first School of Biological Sciences in the UK to achieve this national recognition.

Colleagues, both past and present, have worked to create an environment that is committed to equality and one in which all staff can thrive and encourages excellence, whether that be in teaching, research or technical and professional support. 

The School recently celebrated 100 years of Agriculture and Biological Sciences at Queen’s University and this incredible achievement is a testament to how the School has evolved and developed. I extend my congratulations to all staff across the School and Institute for this remarkable success.”

All fifteen schools at Queen’s hold Athena Swan awards (4 Gold, 6 Silver and 5 Bronze).