Women Professors Network

The Women Professors Network (WPN) is a collegial space for women who hold, or are working toward, professorial rank at Liverpool John Moores University.

We recognise that senior academic life can sometimes feel isolating. The WPN provides a supportive environment for connection, mutual support and purpose: a space to share insight, steward influence and strengthen each other’s academic journey.

Operating within LJMU’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion framework, the WPN complements the wider Women Academics Network by focusing on the distinct experiences of women at professorial level.

Our members bring together expertise from across faculties and disciplines, creating a strong and visible community of senior women whose collective voice helps shape the university’s direction and culture.

Our vision

To forge a visible, empowered and respected community of women professors, and those aspiring to become professors, whose voices shape LJMU’s research, teaching and governance, while cultivating meaningful connections across disciplines and departments.

What we do

Through peer dialogue, guest speakers and collaborative initiatives, the Network promotes professional development and mentorship by supporting both existing women professors and women aspiring to professorial roles through career-path-specific mentoring and guidance.

We host conversations with inspiring women leaders from higher education, public life and industry; we advocate for gender equity across academic governance; and we offer a trusted forum for exchanging insights about leadership, research, and the balance between professional and personal demands. As a community, we also contribute actively to LJMU’s strategic development.

Members represent the Network on key university committees, including:

  • Academic Board
  • EDI Committee
  • Athena Swan Implementation Group
  • Research and Knowledge Exchange Committee
  • Education Committee
  • Conferment Committee

This ensures that the perspectives and contributions of women professors are heard at decision-making levels.

Join us

Membership of the WPN is open to all women, and those who identify as women, who hold or are on the pathway to a professorial title at LJMU. The Network currently includes around thirty professors, alongside several women professors in senior management roles.

Participation is flexible: members engage through meetings, events or working groups as time allows, united by a shared commitment to championing women’s leadership in academia.

Join our Women Professors Network teams group

Together, we affirm that professorial life can be collaborative, generative and deeply connected. The WPN is a place where experience and ambition meet to shape a more inclusive future for higher education.

Contact us