About the WISDOM Group

The Women In the Security Domain and/Or Mathematics (WISDOM) group was formed in the School of Mathematics and Information Security at Royal Holloway, University of London (RHUL) in 2016. The group was born out of the recognised need to increase diversity in the fields of Mathematics and Information Security, and to support the women already working in these fields. The WISDOM group welcomes any individuals who support this endeavour.

The WISDOM Vision:

  • to raise the profile of women in Information Security and Mathematics
  • to create a network of women working in Information Security and Mathematics at Royal Holloway, University of London (RHUL) that offers support and encouragement to its members in both their research endeavours and personal challenges, whilst pursuing careers in academia
  • to encourage more women to study Information Security and Mathematics at RHUL by fostering a community that is welcoming to, and supportive of, women
  • to highlight areas and/or issues in the school in which women feel underrepresented or in which women feel they need more support
  • to ensure that school management is fully engaged in resolving the issues raised
  • to support and receive support from other groups with similar objectives, be they internal or external, where possible
  • to extend our network, in time, to other departments and groups at RHUL.

 “From ISG student figures, we know that year-on-year, the proportion of female students is surprisingly consistent at about 20%; and considering how many of the world’ experts we have trained this could well be the proportion in industry. Why 20%? – Why can we not attract more and swell our student numbers? Furthermore, with less female students training to be experts, there are less top-class female applicants for our academic posts, so even the departments cannot buck the trend.
However, things can change; for example, veterinary science used to be heavily male dominated and now has turned full circle. The formation of WISDOM is a very positive first step, providing a friendly discussion group within the School, which will hopefully lead to positive ideas/events that could make a real difference. I very much hope that you will consider joining the new WISDOM group, which I consider to be important for the future of the ISG/School and the related subject areas.”

Professor Keith Mayes, Director of the Information Security Group (ISG),  Head of the School of Mathematics and Information Security, Royal Holloway, University of London

 

Fractal image generated by Fractal Science Kit