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Our history

We were established in 1992 in memory of Professor Daphne Jackson – the UK’s first female Professor of Physics and a tireless advocate for women’s rights.

Professor Daphne Jackson

Who was Professor Daphne Jackson?

Professor Daphne Jackson was appointed Professor of Physics at the University of Surrey in 1971 – the first female Professor of Physics in the UK. Throughout her career, she met many talented women who had taken a career break and were subsequently forced into non-skilled jobs, outside of their expertise, due to a lack of retraining opportunities to enable them to remain competitive with peers who had not had a break. Recognising this huge loss of talent, in 1985, Daphne devised a fellowship scheme to help these women. This scheme had a novel combination of research and retraining that laid the foundations for generations of future returners hoping to restart their careers in research.

Over the last thirty years

we have evolved to help more than 500 people return to careers in research and technical professions while staying true to Daphne’s original vision.

We actively embrace inclusivity and welcome individuals from all backgrounds, career trajectories and across all research and technical disciplines.

1958

Daphne Jackson graduated from Imperial College of Science and Technology

1962

Daphne was awarded a PhD in Physics from Battersea College of Technology (now the University of Surrey)

1971

Daphne was appointed Professor of Physics at the University of Surrey

1985

The Daphne Jackson Fellowship pilot scheme began under Daphne’s leadership

1987

Daphne was awarded an OBE

1992

The Daphne Jackson Trust was established following Daphne’s death in 1991

2002

10th Anniversary Symposium

2003

Fellowships extended beyond women only

2009

1st former fellows’ survey undertaken to begin to understand the impact of Daphne Jackson Fellowships

2011

Dr Katie Perry appointed as Chief Executive of the Trust.

200th fellowship awarded

2012

The Trust began holding a regular conference

2013

The Trust increased its engagement and influence on policy.

Development of funded fellowships

2015

300th fellowship awarded

2017

Conference held, alongside fellows’ training sessions

2019

Development and expansion of the Trust’s staff and governance processes

2020

Expansion of remit into Arts & Humanities research making fellowships available to all researchers in all disciplines

2021

New Research Technical Professional Fellowships piloted for professionals returning to careers with more technical and skills specialisms

2023

We held a brand-new event: Fellows’ Day! This is now a regular feature in our events calendar.

We were awarded the Royal Society Research Culture Award

2024

Our biggest conference yet: Your Research, Your Way.

500th fellowship awarded

Whoever you are or whatever your background, we want to hear from you!

Initially, Daphne Jackson Fellowships were focused on women returning to STEM subjects. As we have grown, we’ve been pleased to offer fellowships to all genders and across all research areas.

More recently, we’ve expanded again – by helping research technical professionals with more tailored fellowships and career support. In the future, we have big ambitions to go further!

If you’re wondering whether a Daphne Jackson Fellowship is the right fit for you, please get in touch. We want to hear from you – whoever you are or whatever your background. We are always ready to talk about any matters you’d like to raise with us. Go for it!

Andy White, Freelance WordPress Developer London