The founder of one of the UK’s most influential conferences dedicated to promoting women in technology is set to play a leading role in new initiative to address diversity challenges.

Dr Hannah Dee, founder of the BCS Women Lovelace Colloquium and senior lecturer in computer science at Aberystwyth University, is the Equality Champion for Gender for the new Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Hub+.

The Hub will harness the engineering, physical and mathematical sciences research and innovation community’s collective effort to address diversity challenges specific to the sector.

The four-year project is supported by the UKRI Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council through a £2.5 million investment.

The Hub involves eight university partners including Aberystwyth University and is led by the University of Leeds.

Dr Dee, who was awarded an MBE for services to ‘Technology and to Women in the Information Technology Sector’ in this year’s King’s Birthday Honours list, said: “I’m delighted to be working as one of the Equality Champions on this project.

“The aim here is to create better places for everyone to work, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage, civil partnership, pregnancy, race, beliefs, sex, or sexual orientation, and based on what actually works and is worth doing.”