Conference for Undergraduate Women and Non-Binary Physicists UK and Ireland (CUWiP+)

• Who is the conference for?

CUWiP aims to bring together undergraduates studying physics who identify as women or non-binary. It is to open to anyone who feels excluded from physics due to their gender, and are currently studying Physics at Higher Education level in the UK and Ireland. The conference is supported by the Institute of Physics and is hosted by a different University each year.

• What will I gain from attending the conference?

By the end of the conference, we hope that you will have developed your knowledge of physics and have met inspirational people who have studied physics. There will be opportunities to meet and build connections with other physics students as well as gain insight into different career paths, increase your confidence in having a career in science and technology, and, of course have fun!

• What happens at the conference?

Our exciting schedule will consist of talks and panel sessions from inspiring speakers, interactive workshops and tours of our research facilities.

On the arrival day you will be greeted and checked in to your accommodation where you will meet the other delegates. You will be invited to join us for a welcome dinner and social activities on the University campus in the evening.

Friday and Saturday will be the two full days of the conference, we aim to start around 09.00 with a full day of sessions. There will be refreshment breaks in the mornings and afternoons, with lunch provided each day. You will also get the opportunity to network with other delegates as well as speakers. We will also host conference dinners on Friday and Saturday evening.

On Sunday morning you will check out of your accommodation and join the final sessions of the conference. A packed lunch will be provided and you will be able to depart.

• What is included?

Accommodation, tours and meals will be covered by the registration fee.

We hope your home department will cover the registration fee of £45, but a fund is available for those where this is not the case. The Institute of Physics has an accessibility fund to support those who may need it.

• How easy is to get to the University of Birmingham?

The University of Birmingham has its own railway station on campus, known as ‘University Station’. University Station is only two stops from Birmingham New Street, the journey takes approximately eight minutes. The site of the conference is on campus, 10 minutes walking distance from the train station.

• How accessible is the campus?

The University campus is generally accessible to wheelchair users and people with mobility impairments and there is lift access in the buildings. We also have parking available for blue badge holders across campus, and will have a dedicated quiet room nearby during the conference.

If you have any specific access or support requirements please let us know on your application form.

Dr Vera Guarrera

I am Associate Professor in the School of Physics and Astronomy. My research activity is focused on the manipulation and study of cold and room-temperature atomic gases. I develop atomic magnetometers with interest for metrological applications and fundamental physics. I am also working on quantum simulations with ultracold Bose-Einstein condensates, and on the investigation of Physics beyond the Standard Model using ultra-precise clocks based on highly-charged ions.

Dr Anna Kowalczyk

I am an Assistant Professor in the School of Psychology. I am specialising in development of quantum sensors that exploit the interaction of the resonant light with atomic vapours of alkali atoms and in advancing applications of these sensors for brain imaging and biomedical diagnostics. I have experience in experimental atomic physics, optics, spectroscopy, metrology, signal processing, magnetoencephalography as well as in applying physics concepts and techniques to healthcare.

Dan Cottle

I am Associate Professor of Physics Education in both the Schools of Physics and Astronomy and also Education. My work involves improving the teaching and learning of physics and widening access to physics to people from a diverse range of backgrounds. I do this through teaching, physics teacher education, in-service teacher professional development, physics outreach and engagement activity and physics education research.

 Holly Middleton-Spencer

Hannah Price

I am Professor of Theoretical Physics and a Royal Society University Research Fellow in the School of Physics and Astronomy. My research focuses on how we can use quantum systems, like clouds of ultracold atoms, to learn more about exciting physics. One question I have been exploring in recent years is how we can simulate physical effects that would emerge if we lived in a universe with four spatial dimensions, instead of our usual three. 

Sinéad Leckey

I am currently a 4^th year undergraduate student in Physics at the University of Birmingham and ex-president of Poynting Physical Society. Currently, I am undertaking a masters project in Particle Physics and training machine learning models.

Cristina Lazzeroni

I am Professor of Particle Physics in the School of Physics and Astronomy, and Fellow of the Royal Society. My research activity is in kaon physics within experiments at CERN, first NA48 and then NA62. I have made precise measurements of matter-antimatter asymmetry in kaon decays, and the first observation of the ultra-rare decay of a charged kaon to a pion and two neutrinos, that test the Standard Model of particle physics and constrain new physical interactions at high energy.

Tanshpreet Kaur (she/her)

I am a fourth year Liberal Arts and Natural Sciences student studying Physics and Biosciences at the University of Birmingham. My final year research project is identifying and analysing the role of biophysics in biosensing and nanomedicine. I am also passionate about promoting and taking part in outreach, EDI, entrepreneurship and journalism in the context of interdisciplinary science.

Harriett (Harry) McCormick (she/he/they)

I am a second year physics undergraduate at the University of Birmingham. I am a past CUWIP+ attendee and care deeply about supporting minority groups in physics. My main interest is nuclear physics and the decommissioning of nuclear power plants.

Thomas Brogan (He/Him)

I am a third-year Ph.D. student at the University of Birmingham. My research area is Quantum Magnetism in low-dimensional materials; I utilise Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) to probe the ground-state phases of exotic magnetic systems at low temperatures and high magnetic fields.

Chloe Phipp (she/her)

I am a fourth year undergraduate Physics student at the University of Birmingham and current secretary for PPS. This year, I am undertaking a Year in Computer Science prior to my final year in Physics. My area of interest in physics is particle physics.

Maitreyi Jayaseelan

I am a Research Associate in the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Birmingham. My interests are in experimental atomic, molecular and optical physics. I have experience with a variety of systems, from Bose—Einstein condensates and ultracold polar molecules to warm vapours with Rydberg atoms. I’m currently working on developing atomic magnetometers for metrological applications.

• Dr Vincent Boyer
• Dr Emma Willett

Code of Conduct CUWiP 2026 is a conference that aims to inform and empower women and non-binary people in physics while offering an opportunity to network with your peers. We value the engagement of each attendee and work to ensure all participants have an enjoyable and fulfilling experience. We want everyone to enjoy the conference and feel able to contribute. Accordingly, all attendees are expected to show respect and courtesy to other attendees throughout the conference and at all conference events. All attendees, speakers, sponsors and volunteers at CUWiP 2026 are required to agree with the following code of conduct.

Organisers will enforce this code throughout the event. We expect co-operation from all participants to help ensure a safe environment for everybody. Thank you for helping make this a welcoming, friendly event for all.

Summary

The CUWiP 2026 team is dedicated to providing a harassment-free conference experience for everyone, regardless of gender, gender identity and expression, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, ethnicity, religion (or lack thereof), or technology choices. We do not tolerate harassment of conference participants in any form. Sexual language and imagery is not appropriate for any conference, including talks, panels, dinners and social media. Conference participants violating these rules may be sanctioned or expelled from the conference at the discretion of the organisers.

More information

Harassment and other code of conduct violations reduce the value of our conference for everyone. Anyone who violates the Code of Conduct may be asked to leave. Harassment includes, but is not limited to:

• Verbal comments that reinforce social structures of domination related to gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, age, religion, or technology choices.
• Sexual images or comments
• Deliberate intimidation, stalking, or following
• Harassing photography or recording
• Sustained disruption of talks or other events
• Unwelcome sexual attention
• Advocating for, or encouraging, any of the above behaviour

We expect you to:

• Avoid negative comments, assumptions and stereotyping of people on the basis of their race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, nationality, class, disability, religion, beliefs, age, accent, culture, gender identity, gender expression or gender reassignment.
• Respect each other’s identities, names and pronouns at all times.
• Refer to speakers, chairs and attendees by the pronouns that they state. If you are unsure of the pronoun someone uses, ask them politely, or avoid gendered language, e.g. use “they” instead of “she” or “he”. Accept people’s self-identified gender at all times.
• Treat others with dignity and respect and to conduct yourselves in a proper and professional manner. All communication should be appropriate and be considerate of people from different cultural backgrounds. This includes recognising that some experiences may be different to your own.

Remember that harassment and sexist, racist or exclusionary jokes are not appropriate.  

CUWiP 2026 is a trans inclusive group. Negative or exclusionary comments about any identity, including sexual orientation or gender identity should be reported to the organisers and/or chair as soon as possible, and will not be tolerated. Participants asked to stop any harassing behaviour are expected to comply immediately. 

We expect participants to follow these rules throughout the conference at all venues, on all platforms and conference-related social events.

Reporting breaches of conduct

If someone makes you or anyone else feel unsafe or unwelcome, please contact a member of the organising committee as soon as possible, either in-person or via this form. All reports will be confidential.

The CUWiP committee is the first point of contact to assist those experiencing harassment and members are aware of the guide for handling any incidents at the conference.

They may involve other event staff to ensure your report is managed properly. During the reporting process, we’ll ask you to tell us about what happened. This can be upsetting, but we'll handle it as respectfully as possible. You won't be asked to confront anyone and we won't tell anyone who you are. We will only involve law enforcement or security at a victim's request.

Attribution

This Code of Conduct was adapted from the CUWiP 2025 conference in Warwick, and was originally adapted from codeofconduct.com, and the Equality Network.