The Department of Physics is delighted to announce that the recipients of this year’s Physics EDI Prize are third-year undergraduate students Tala Clark and Ida Nikolova.

Tala and Ida have each received multiple nominations for this award due to their considerable work organising the Women in Physics+ Group (including the organisation of coffee mornings, speaker events, networking events, and visits to local employers). They have also been involved in alumni events, mentoring, and the organising of events with other societies.

We would like to thank both of them for their contributions to our department. As a thank you for their efforts, each recipient has been provided with a £25 gift voucher.

The aim of the Physics EDI (Equality, Diversity, and Inclusivity) Prize

The Physics EDI Prize is a new award introduced by Department of Physics.

The goal of the prize is to create a Physics Department that is supportive and fulfilling for all, where everyone feels a sense of belonging and is provided with the opportunity to succeed. Promoting Equality, Diversity, and Inclusivity is essential to building a welcoming and respectful academic environment.

The Athena Swan Silver Award and the IOP Juno Champion Award have provided valuable frameworks for advancing our EDI initiatives. The Department continues to be proactive and challenges itself to further enhance these efforts.

To recognise students who are driving EDI initiatives within the department and to inspire continued progress, the Physics EDI Prize has been introduced. This prize seeks to honour those whose efforts have demonstrated a positive impact, shown leadership, exhibited creativity, and contributed to the sustainable promotion of EDI within the Physics Department at Royal Holloway, University of London.