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About Astrea
We meet regularly to learn new skills, hear inspiring career stories and build connections with women at all levels across UCL. It is open to all women, so whether you are at the early stages of your career, or are already well established, you will get something out of being part of the network.
In addition to our events, we publish a newsletter and run social media channels. Our wider remit is to support professional development and ensure our members are aware of the relevant resources and policies that could support them.
Who we are
Astrea is UCL’s network for women in professional services. Our aims are to:
- Improve policy and practice to achieve greater gender equality at UCL with an intersectional lens.
- Connect women across UCL to share their experiences and support each other.
- Enable our members to realise their potential within UCL by providing professional development opportunities and ensuring they are aware of the relevant resources and policies that could support them.
We do this by:
- Advocating for changes in UCL policy and practice around gender equality through working with other staff networks and engaging with UCL leadership.
- Hosting a range of events to help our members learn new skills, hear inspiring career stories and build connections with women at all levels across UCL.
- Communicating policy updates, skills tips and stories from our network through our newsletter and social media channels.
Where did our name come from?
We took inspiration from Aphra Behn (1640–89) who was the first woman in England to make money from her writing. 'Astrea' was the code name used by Aphra while working as a spy for the King. A definite trailblazer.
The Astrea Committee
We meet every 6-weeks to plan events, newsletters, initiatives and discuss relevant policy issues. Please do get in touch with us at any time via email: astrea@ucl.ac.uk
Meet the committee:
| Co-Chair | Aparna Murthy | a.murthy@ucl.ac.uk |
| Co-Chair | Ferdouse Akhter | f.akhter@ucl.ac.uk |
| Deputy Co-Chair | Kristina Narvet | k.narvet@ucl.ac.uk |
| Deputy Co-Chair | Vacant | |
| Comms Manager | Rosie Niven | r.niven@ucl.ac.uk |
| Comms Manager | Isha Degun | i.degun@ucl.ac.uk |
| Comms Manager | Daisey Harvey | d.voake@ucl.ac.uk |
| Comms Manager | Amalia Mihailescu | amalia.mihailescu@ucl.ac.uk |
| Comms Manager | Eva Jessamy Schaessens Coleman | e.schaessens@ucl.ac.uk |
| Comms Manager | Lydia Walker | lydia.walker@ucl.ac.uk |
| Events Manager | Sharon Betts | sharon.betts@ucl.ac.uk |
| Events Manager | Seema Walker | seema.walker@ucl.ac.uk |
| Events Manager | Arianna Franculacci | a.franculacci@ucl.ac.uk |
| Events Manager | Vacant | |
| Events Manager | Vacant | |
| Inclusion Manager | Lauren Gillett | lauren.j.gillett@ucl.ac.uk |
| Inclusion Manager | Charlotte Sinclair | charlotte.sinclair@ucl.ac.uk |
| Inclusion Manager | Lucy Dang | l.dang@ucl.ac.uk |
| Inclusion Manager | Vacant | |
| Inclusion Manager | Vacant | |
| Inclusion Manager | Vacant | |
| Policy Manager | Linda Lam | linda.lam@ucl.ac.uk |
| Policy Manager | Lisa Andrews | lisa.andrews@ucl.ac.uk |
| Policy Manager | Victoria Abbott | v.abbott@ucl.ac.uk |
| Policy Manager | Kimberley Baylis | k.baylis@ucl.ac.uk |
| Policy Manager | Hannah Kahn | h.kahn@ucl.ac.uk |
| Budget Co-lead | Alisia Carnemolla | a.carnemolla@ucl.ac.uk |
| Budget Co-lead | Magda Knitter | m.knitter@ucl.ac.uk |