Napier Talks: International Women’s Day Professorial Lecture
Description
Celebrate International Women’s Day (Sunday 8 March) by joining Edinburgh Napier University for a celebration of academic excellence and the pursuit of equality. This special event brings together five appointed professors; one from each of our schools, who will reflect on their academic journeys and share insights from their research expertise. In marking a day dedicated to recognising women’s achievements and advancing gender equality, the lectures highlight the diverse ways women shape knowledge, challenge barriers and lead progress across disciplines.
Followed by a reception, this will be a stimulating, fascinating and inspiring afternoon.
Professor biographies and more information on each of their individual talks are included below.
The event will be available to watch online too, please register for an online ticket to receive the joining link.
Lineup
Welcome from Professor Sue Rigby, Principal and Vice Chancellor
Professor Nicola Ring, Professor of Nursing, School of Health & Social Care
Professor Nicola Ring is a qualified adult and children’s nurse, health visitor, and former NHS healthcare manager with experience in clinical effectiveness and governance at local and national levels. Since beginning her academic career in 2002, she has taught extensively across child and adult nursing programmes and has played a key role in developing future health researchers through postgraduate leadership and supervision. A Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, Nicola is an experienced principal investigator whose research focuses on the self management of long term conditions in children and adults, with an increasing emphasis on young people’s mental health and wellbeing. She specialises in qualitative evidence synthesis using meta ethnography and contributed to the NIHR funded eMERGe project that developed international reporting guidance. Passionate about the social history of nursing and midwifery, she explores how issues of gender, power, race and ethnicity shape the profession today, informing contemporary healthcare practice and policy.
Professor Clare Taylor, Professor of Microbiology & Inclusive Practice, School of Applied Sciences
Professor Clare Taylor is Professor of Inclusive Practice and Microbiology in the School of Applied Sciences, specialising in the intersection of scientific research, equity and educational practice. A microbiologist by training, her earlier research focused on host–pathogen interactions in Salmonella enterica and Listeria monocytogenes, informing the development of novel diagnostic tools. Her current work explores sustainable antimicrobial approaches to improve water and food safety. Alongside her scientific research, Clare is a leading advocate for inclusive practice in higher education, working with colleagues and external partners to reduce barriers to participation in microbiology and the life sciences. As Editor in Chief of FEMS Microbiology Letters, she brings these priorities together to support equitable career development across the publishing landscape. Clare also contributes to evidence based policymaking and is deeply committed to engaging the public with research on issues such as vaccination and antimicrobial resistance.
Professor Suha Jaradat, Professor of Architectural Technology, School of Computing, Engineering and the Built Environment
Professor Jaradat is Professor of Architectural Technology and Programme Leader within the School of Computing, Engineering & the Built Environment. Appointed in 2025, she became the first female Professor of Architectural Technology in the UK. A Principal Fellow of Advance HE, she has held senior leadership roles including Head of Construction and Surveying, Research Lead for the Built Environment, and Lead for Research Integrity and Ethics. Suha is a Chartered Architectural Technologist, Chartered Building Engineer and Registered Architectural Engineer, and sits on the QAA Advisory Group for the Architectural Technology Subject Benchmark Statement. Her interdisciplinary research spans architectural education, digital innovation, BIM and the interaction between people and the built environment. Co leader of the CEDAR research centre, she has secured funding from Innovate UK, the British Council and the Gulf Strategy Fund to advance digital transformation and global collaboration in the built environment.
Professor Nathalia Tjandra, Professor of Marketing,The Business School
Professor Nathalia Tjandra is Professor of Marketing and Associate Dean International at Edinburgh Napier University Business School, where she leads internationalisation strategy across on campus, transnational education and online provision. A Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, she works extensively with international partners to support sustainable programme delivery, global mobility and research collaboration. Nathalia is a member of the Business School’s Marketing leadership team and chairs the Marketing Professional Advisory Group, a forum connecting global industry leaders with curriculum and research development. She is an active researcher in branding, international marketing, B2B marketing and sustainability, with publications in international journals, conference presentations and successful grant funding across Europe and Asia. Nathalia also serves on the board of the Marketing Society Scotland and is a founding member and mentor within the Student Marketing Society Scotland.
Professor Kirsten Macleod, Professor of Creative Media Practice, School of Arts & Creative Industries
Professor Macleod is Professor of Creative Media Practice at the School of Arts & Creative Industries and the School’s Academic Lead for Equality, Diversity & Inclusion. With over two decades of experience across broadcast, community and collaborative media, she brings expertise in practice led research and ethnographically informed filmmaking. Her academic background spans archaeology, visual anthropology and creative media practice, culminating in a PhD centred on community media in Govan and on the Isle of Bute. Kirsten has led and contributed to major AHRC, ESRC and GCRF funded projects, including research on gender and community filmmaking in the Pacific and on temporary accommodation for asylum seekers during Covid 19, which produced the documentary I’m Still Here. She also executive produced Bleeding Free, part of the award winning Bleedin Saor project. Her work focuses on community media as a form of knowledge practice and on the collaborative processes that shape how stories are told
Agenda
- 1:30 pm - 1:40 pm
Welcome
Welcomes and introductions
- 1:40 pm - 2:20 pm
Re-assessing Nursing History. Less Florence – more Witches
30 minute presentation from Professor Nicola Ring, School of Health & Social Care, followed by a 10 minute Q&A Professor Ring will advocate that nursing and midwifery needs to recognise greater diversity in its history, and take a fresh approach to teaching it, so students and the public can see its relevance. Less Florence Nightingale and lists of dates, more witchcraft…
- 2:20 pm - 3:00 pm
Better Science Through Equality: Insights from Microbiology and Beyond
30 minute presentation from Professor Clare Taylor, School of Applied Sciences, followed by a 10 minute Q&A Microbiology sits at the intersection of health, environment, technology, and global inequality. It is a field that depends on collaboration, diverse expertise, and creativity. And, like many areas of science, it has also inherited structures, cultures, and assumptions that shape who is able to participate fully, whose work is recognised, and which problems are considered worth solving. By examining evidence from microbiology and beyond, I will explore the proposition that science does not achieve excellence in spite of equality, but through it.
- 3:00 pm - 3:15 pm
Refreshment Break
- 3:15 pm - 3:55 pm
Advancing Gender Equality in Construction and Enhancing the Curriculum
30 minute presentation from Professor Suha Jaradat, School of Computing, Engineering & the Built Environment, followed by a 10 minute Q&A Professor Suha Jaradat will explore how advancing gender equality in construction goes hand in hand with creating more inclusive, future focused built environment curricula. Drawing on her research and leadership across architectural technology and digital innovation, she will highlight key barriers facing women in the sector and demonstrate how evidence informed educational approaches can support meaningful change and encourage diverse participation in the industry.
- 3:55 pm - 4:35 pm
Why Conscientious Brands Matter in an Age of Uncertainty
30 minute presentation from Professor Nathalia Tjandra, The Business School, followed by a 10 minute Q&A In an age defined by volatility, mistrust and ethical ambiguity, conscientious brands play a crucial stabilising role. Grounded in moral belief systems that shape strategy, behaviour and impact, such brands demonstrate purpose, fairness, temporal responsibility and organisational openness. This lecture explores how conscientious brands develop internal coherence and external credibility, enabling confident and legitimate decision making in uncertain contexts. When underpinned by moral integrity and translated into measurable action, these qualities allow brands to build trust, drive transformation and create meaningful benefit for society and the planet.
- 4:35 pm - 5:15 pm
From Surfing to Saor – Community, Collaboration & Creative Practice
30 minute presentation from Professor Kirsten Macleod, School of Arts & Creative Industries, followed by a 10 minute Q&A Professor Macleod’s lecture explores the role of community based creative practice, collaboration and lived experience in shaping knowledge production. Drawing on major funded projects and long term partnerships, she reflects on how media-making becomes a tool for empowerment, connection and social change.
- 5:20 pm - 6:15 pm
Networking and Celebratory Drinks Reception
A chance to ask any further questions and network with our Professors
Tickets for good, not greed Humanitix dedicates 100% of profits from booking fees to charity
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