Springboard Development Programme

Participants were presented with certificates for completing the Springboard Women’s Development Programme.

Professor Leinonen said: ’Supporting our talented women researchers is a priority for King’s, and these priorities are reflected nationally through such initiatives as the Athena SWAN charter and the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers. The Springboard Programme represents one of the ways in which the College is showing its commitment to encouraging women researchers to pursue their research and career related goals in the competitive academic environment, where they are still outnumbered in senior positions by men.’

The Springboard Women’s Development Programme is an award winning international programme (with more than 200,000 participants in 26 countries) which enables women to identify the clear, practical and realistic steps they want to take, and supports them in the development of skills and self-confidence to take those steps. The programme consists of four workshops scheduled over four months, focusing on aspects such as building confidence, networking, identifying goals, dealing with pressure and managing image and visibility.

Through the workshops the researchers have the chance to hear from several successful, high-profile women at the College about the challenges they have faced in their professional and personal lives. Speakers on the pilot Programme have included Julie Keeble, Professor Susan Lea, Professor Eeva Leinonen and Fiona Denney. The meetings also provide an opportunity for participants to network with other women at similar career stages.

Anna Price, Emma Williams and Fiona Denney.

A member of the first cohort, Maria Teresa Esposito from the Department of Haematological Medicine, said: ’I think this programme is excellent to help you recognize your strengths, your resources and work on your personal and professional goals in a more productive way. It has taught me how to get recognition from others and how to get my own satisfaction from my achievements. I feel more positive and confident now about what I have achieved so far in my career and about my contribution to my research and well equipped to move on my next steps.’

Fiona Denney, Assistant Director (Researcher Training and Development) of the Graduate School and Anna Price, Researcher Development Adviser (Research Staff), set up the Springboard Programme at King’s.

Denney said ’Springboard is a unique development programme and looks holistically at the issues and challenges women face both professionally and personally. Providing women with support so that they can overcome these issues is important not only for the individual women, but also for the departments and disciplines within which they work, so that King’s can continue to benefit from their skills and expertise. We are delighted by the success of the first Springboard program at King’s and we look forward to providing the programme again next academic year.’

The Springboard programme will run again twice next academic year as part of the Researcher Development Programme. The first course will run on: 19 October, 16 November, 14 December 14 and 18 January; and the second course will run on: 22 March, 26 April, 24 May and 21 June.