51Âþ»­

Work to champion more female role models in the tech industries and research at the forefront of immersive technology has earned a senior academic at 51Âþ»­ Leicester (51Âþ»­) a top award nomination.



Dr Jones, who is Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Computing, Engineering and Media (CEM) at 51Âþ»­, has been nominated in the . Voting is open now and ends on August 20. 

She has been nominated in the Academic Awards category, awarded to women in academia who have made an outstanding contribution to technology and whose work has made or has the potential to make a significant long-term impact.  

“It is an honour to be nominated,” said Dr Jones. “Girls need to see women succeeding in the technology sectors and understand the opportunities that are out there.

“Technology covers such a broad spectrum of interests. We find that when there is a fusion of art and technology, you do not have such a big gender divide, but there is still a long way to go in some areas of computing. Girls aged 12 or 13, when they are choosing their options, are still not looking at technologies and that is a big issue.

“We know the very best collaborations come from the most diverse groups, so the more perspectives we can bring to the industries, the better.”

Dr Jones founded Women in VR to set up a professional network to support women working in the virtual reality space.  She has also advised the UK Government on immersive technologies.

Before a career in academia, Dr Jones was a journalist, working for ITV as an award-winning news anchor, reporting for GMTV on the Obama presidential campaign.  

More than 150 women were put forward for the Midlands Women in Tech Awards across a variety of categories, including best apprentice, rising star and best innovator.

Awards organisers say that women remain “woefully under-represented” in the UK’s technology workforce. Fewer than 20% of IT roles are filled by women and 5% of women in leadership roles.

A spokesperson for the awards said: “These awards are important as they recognise top-performing women from across the technology space and provide inspiration for younger women looking to build a career in our industry.

“The Women in Tech Excellence Awards is designed to help move us as an industry towards a solution, by recognising and promoting the many talented women, and other success stories. There are places in IT for women, and this industry can lead to rewarding, fulfilling careers for everyone.”
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The award winners will be announced at a ceremony in Birmingham on October 7.