A development programme for women researchers, run for you
I'm Dr Emma Williams, researcher development consultant. UNIque gives your women PhD students, postdocs and fellows eight weeks to work out what they want from their careers and how to go after it, alongside women from other universities who feel exactly the same.
You send me the email addresses. I handle everything else.
You're in the right place if...
Most researcher developers I talk to want to do more for their women researchers. Time and team are what's missing.
- You want to retain your women researchers and stop talent quietly slipping away.
- You're serious about equity, but you don't want to create yet another working group.
- You know peer support and mentoring matter, but keeping them going is hard.
- You want something evidence-based, that already works, with results you can report.
You send the emails. I do the rest.
UNIque is designed for researcher development teams with no time to spare.
- 1
You book your places and raise a PO.
- 2
You send me your researchers' email addresses.
- 3
My team and I handle the welcome, platform access, the e-book, reminders and chasing.
- 4
You get attendance and engagement reports during the programme, and a feedback report at the end.
Reports you can use
- During: who attended each live session, and who is working through the modules.
- At the end: participants' ratings and comments, gathered and summarised for you.
The feedback report is ready to drop into Concordat, Athena SWAN or internal reporting. UNIque has already been used as evidence in fellowship applications, gender pay gap action plans and Athena SWAN awards.
Eight weeks. Five live hours. One cohort.
Researchers are super literate, super numerate, problem solving, project managing warriors. They are also time poor, so UNIque gives them structured career challenge and support. Expeditiously.
Five live workshopinars
One focused hour on Zoom every two weeks, with breakout rooms. Every session is recorded.
Four self-paced modules
You and the University, You and Yourself, You and Your Career, and You and Your Goals. Released in stages, with videos, exercises and worksheets on values, strengths, personal brand, CV, networking, negotiation, goal setting and time management.
A cohort of 20+ women
PhD students, postdocs and fellows from several universities and disciplines, so your researchers see the wider research ecosystem and build a network beyond their own department.
An electronic copy of the book
Every participant receives an electronic copy of the new second edition of The UNIque Guide for Women, the Amazon bestseller the programme is built on.
Want to see the thinking behind UNIque first? Read the book it grew from.
Get the book behind UNIqueBox ticking won't fix research culture
Over three decades in and around higher education have shown me that individuals matter.
- The unique idea that became the Nobel prize.
- The diversity of ideas in a research group that clinched that grant.
- The visionary who changed the curriculum to tap into student potential.
In 2024/25, 32% of UK professors were women, up from 28% in 2020/21. Progress, and still a long way from half. UNIque is positive action for women PhD students, postdocs and fellows, and it maps onto your Athena SWAN and Concordat commitments.
Source: HESA staff data, 2020/21 and 2024/25.
The course I needed as a physics postdoc
Passion. Frustration. Desire. These colliding forces created UNIque, my flagship programme for women researchers.
My degree, PhD and postdoc were all in physics at Cambridge, in MRI, and I was often the only woman in the room. In 2002 I moved into researcher development and built Cambridge's early researcher development programme. Twenty-four years on, I still watch the same scenarios unfold.
Many of UNIque's elements also went into SeedWISE, which I designed for the University of Oxford: a programme for women PhD students with an enterprise theme, now on its ninth cohort.
Passion for personal development, so that every researcher can craft a positive and proactive career.
Frustration at a system that loses too many ideas and diminishes too many people. Our world needs these bright, sparky people in every sphere.
Desire to see universities step up again as the champions of learning and opportunity. For everyone.
In their wordsAll universities should support their ECRs to attend a training like UNIque!
UNIque participant, Geography
420 women, every rating a 4 or 5
Across the last four cohorts, UNIque averages 4.6 out of 5. Cohorts so far have included researchers from these universities.
Universities that have booked places
- Imperial College London
- King's College London
- UCL
- Queen Mary University of London
- Queen's University Belfast
- University of Strathclyde
- University of Bath
- University of Exeter
"The 1h-only live sessions were also suitable to my busy academic schedule."
"Before UNIque, I was focused mainly on lab work and publishing papers... As a result, I feel much more confident about the steps I need to take to shape my career."
"It made me realise that most women in academia go through same worries as me. This made me feel less alone."
"UNIque gave me the time to take a step back and try to reframe my career and personal goals to not only fit my skills but also my personal values."
Book your places by 1 April 2027
Five Wednesday mornings, 09:30-10:30 UK time, every two weeks.
- Workshopinar 114 April 2027
- Workshopinar 228 April 2027
- Workshopinar 312 May 2027
- Workshopinar 426 May 2027
- Workshopinar 59 June 2027
Your investment
£125 + VAT per place, for 10 or more places. VAT is added at 20%, and universities can usually reclaim it. I invoice against your PO.
Book sooner if your PO takes time. I need email addresses before 14 April so everyone is onboarded before the first session.
Most university financial years end on 31 July, so a spring booking can use this year's budget.
Ready to book now? Email Zita at admin@ejwsolutions.com
What researcher developers ask me
If yours isn't here, bring it to a 30-minute chat.
Is a women-only programme defensible?
Yes. It's positive action for an under-represented group, and the HESA figures on women in senior roles make the case. UNIque maps onto Athena SWAN and Concordat commitments, and the feedback report gives your committee the evidence.
We already have a women's network or mentoring scheme.
UNIque complements it. It's structured, time-limited and career-focused, it brings in women from other universities, and it comes with reports.
Will our researchers actually turn up?
The format is built for that. One hour, online, every two weeks, and every session is recorded. The engagement reports during the programme show you who's taking part, so there are no surprises at the end.
Who is it for?
Women PhD students (usually in the later stages), postdocs and fellows. It isn't designed for lecturers or professors. A researcher further on, facing one specific decision, may be better served by Your Next Move, my one-to-one coaching.
What's in the reports?
Attendance at each live session and engagement with the modules while it runs, then an end-of-programme feedback report with participants' ratings and comments, ready for Concordat, Athena SWAN or internal reporting.
How do we pay?
I send a quote, you raise a PO and I invoice your institution. Places are £125 + VAT each, with VAT added at 20%.
Can a researcher join without university funding?
Yes. Individual places are £150 inc VAT. Point her to UNIque for you.
When do cohorts run?
Twice a year, in spring and autumn. Spring 2027 starts on 14 April.
Put your women researchers in the driving seat of their careers
UNIque starts on 14 April 2027. Book a 30-minute chat and I'll walk you through the eight weeks, the reports and the booking.
