ISAT for 2025 Silver Athena Swan Application

The Institutional Athena Swan Steering Group was reconstituted as the Institutional Self-Assessment Team (ISAT) in November 2024 in preparation for applying for an institutional Silver award in Q2 2025. 

ISAT Members

Front row: Tina-Karen Pusse, Aoife Cooke, John Caulfield, Laura Loftus, Niamh Gallagher
Back row: Peter McHugh, Helen Maher, Donal Leech, Aoibhín Keighron

The ISAT comprises staff members at every level and from every staff category to ensure that there are representatives from across the University.

The group will have responsibility for writing the application, conducting quantitative and qualitative analysis, and for ensuring that University of Galway’s 2021 Athena Swan Action Plan is implemented. Thematic areas in the 2021 action plan include:  

  • Embedding Athena SWAN and Gender Equality in University of Galway
  • Advancing Recruitment and Career Progression of Female Staff
  • Developing Women Leaders in University of Galway – including increasing the proportion of Senor Academic Women
  • Enhancing Culture and Wellbeing at Work – University of Galway is committed to listening to staff in order to enhance institutional culture, balancing work, wellbeing and caring responsibilities
  • Developing an infrastructure to support easier access to data required for Athena SWAN and other EDI initiatives.  

 

Institutional SAT Members 

 

Name  

Role 

Staff Category  

Gender  

Working Group 

1.  

Helen Maher  

Co-Chair/ VP for EDI   

PMSS  

F  

WG E  

2.  

Peter McHugh 

Co-Chair/ Deputy President and Registrar  

Academic  

M  

WG C  

3.  

Josephine Hynes  

HR Representative  

PMSS  

F  

WG B  

4.  

Donal Leech   

Dean of Graduate Studies   

Academic  

M  

WG B  

5.  

Brid Daly  

Representative from VP International Office  

PMSS  

F  

WG E  

6.  

Tony Flaherty  

Representative from VP for Research and Innovation Office  

PMSS  

M  

WG C  

7.  

Mary Dempsey  

Vice Dean for EDI CSE  

Academic  

F  

 

8.  

Kasia Whysall  

Vice Dean for EDI CMNHS  

Academic  

F  

WG C  

9.  

Deirdre Curran  

Vice Dean for EDI CBPPL  

Academic  

F  

 

10.  

Sarah-Anne Buckley  

Vice Dean for EDI CASSCS  

Academic  

F  

WG D  

11.  

Declan Devane  

Head of School: STEM  

Academic  

M  

WG D  

12.  

Martin Hogg  

Head of School: Non-STEM  

Academic   

M  

WG C  

13.  

Laura Loftus  

EDI Programme Manager for Gender Equality   

PMSS  

F  

WG A/C  

14.  

Aoife Cooke   

Head of EDI  

PMSS  

F  

WG A/B  

15.  

Margaret Forde   

EDI Data Manager  

PMSS  

F  

WG D  

16.  

Aoibhín Keighron  

Research Staff Network Representative  

Research  

F  

WG C  

17.  

Roisin Doohan  

Technical Staff Working Group/Network   Representative  

PMSS  

F  

WG D  

18.  

Daniel Mc Gonigle  

Postgraduate Representative   

Student  

M  

WG B  

19.  

Daniel Savery  

Widening Participation/Access  Representative  

PMSS  

M  

WG E  

20.  

Oonagh Meade  

Academic Staff Representative   

Academic   

F  

WG C  

21.  

Aaron Croke  

PMSS Staff Representative   

PMSS  

M  

WG D  

22.  

John Caulfield  

Director of University Strategy  

PMSS  

M  

WG A  

23.  

Aidan Harte   

LGBT+ Staff Network   

PMSS  

M  

WG E  

24.  

Olivia McDermott  

University Women’s Network   

Academic   

F  

WG C  

25.  

Tina-Karen Pusse  

International Staff Network   

Academic   

F  

WG E  

26.  

Prof Lokesh Joshi   

Academic Staff Representative  

Academic   

M  

WG C  

 

The ISAT Working Groups

The ISAT Working  Groups are outlined below and the relative themes for each working group

 Working Groups

Name 

Staff Category  

Working Group 

 

Claire O’Connor 

PMSS 

WG C (Academic/Research Staff) 

 

Rebecca Connolly 

PMSS 

WG E (Additional Eq- SVH) 

 

Mary Surlis 

PMSS  

WG B (Culture & Org) 

 

Galina Brychkova 

Academic Staff 

WG C (Academic/Research Staff) 

 

Zina Alfahl 

Research Staff  

WG C (Academic/Research Staff) 

 

Mark Elliott 

Academic Staff  

WG E (Additional Eq)  

 

Anahita Shariat 

Research Staff 

WG E (Additional Eq) 

 

Máire Bríd Breathnach 

PMSS 

WG D (PMSS Staff) 

 

Antony Wheatley 

Academic Staff  

WG E (Additional Eq- Bullying & Harassment) 

 

Eva O'Byrne 

Research Staff 

WG E (Additional Eq- SVH) 

 

Tara Ryan 

PMSS 

WG B (Culture & Org) 

 

Patricia Scully 

Academic Staff  

WG C (Academic /Research Staff) 

 

Mary Kelly 

Academic Staff  

WG C (Academic/Research Staff) 

 

Aideen Ryan  

Academic Staff 

WG E (Additional Eq- Bullying & Harassment) 

 

Nuala Ní Chonghaile 

PMSS 

WG A (Communications & Consultation)  

 

Órla O'Donovan 

PMSS 

WG C (Academic /Research Staff) 

 

Gerardine Deacy  

PMSS 

WG C (Academic /Research Staff) 

 

HR Rep- TBC 

PMSS 

WG E (Additional Eq- Bullying & Harassment) 

 

Owen Ward

PMSS 

WG E (Additional Eq- Bullying & Harassment)