Dorothy Seymour "Dot" Griffiths, (born 26 May 1947) is a British academic and sociologist. She championed gender equality at

Imperial College London Imperial College London (legally Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom. Its history began with Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria, who developed his vision for a cu ...

, where she was a lecturer in sociology from 1969. She was Professor of Human Resource Management from 2002 to 2017.

Early life and education

Griffiths was born on 26 May 1947 in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, England. She received a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University o ...

(BSc) degree in sociology from the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

in 1968, and a

Master of Science A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast t ...

(MSc) degree in Sociology of science and technology from the

University of Bath (Virgil, Georgics II) , mottoeng = Learn the culture proper to each after its kind , established = 1886 (Merchant Venturers Technical College) 1960 (Bristol College of Science and Technology) 1966 (Bath University of Technology) 1971 (univ ...

Career

In 1969 Griffiths joined

. At Imperial she held many roles, including Dean of

Imperial College Business School Imperial College Business School is the graduate business school of Imperial College London in the UK. In 2004, the business school was opened by Queen Elizabeth II. History In 1851, the Great Exhibition was the first World's Fair, organized by ...

and Provost's Envoy for

Gender Equality Gender equality, also known as sexual equality or equality of the sexes, is the state of equal ease of access to resources and opportunities regardless of gender, including economic participation and decision-making; and the state of valuing d ...

. She chaired the Academic Opportunities Committee and was Deputy Chair of the Graduate School of Engineering and Physical Sciences. She acted as a consultant in Human Resource Management for major international organisations, including BP. Griffiths published extensively on management and organisational research. She was a founding editor of

Feminist Review ''Feminist Review'' is a triannual peer-reviewed academic journal with a focus on exploring gender in its multiple forms and interrelationships. The journal was established in 1979. It is published by SAGE Publishing and is edited by a collective. ...

and Chair of the

Trust. For several years, Griffiths was the coordinator of Imperial College's institutional

Athena SWAN Athena SWAN (Scientific Women's Academic Network) is a quality charter mark framework and accreditation scheme established and managed by the UK Equality Challenge Unit (now part of Advance HE) in 2005 that recognises and celebrates good pract ...

applications, creating a more supportive College community that benefitted all staff. Griffiths campaigned for gender equality at Imperial, believing if the environment was better for women it would better for everyone. She was concerned that women hesitated before applying for prestigious research fellowships and chairs. In 2004 she was elected a Fellow of the City and Guilds of London Institute. She was awarded an

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

for services to

Higher Education Higher education is tertiary education leading to award of an academic degree. Higher education, also called post-secondary education, third-level or tertiary education, is an optional final stage of formal learning that occurs after comple ...

in 2010. She was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in 2010. She helped to create the annual Women@Imperial and Diverse@Imperial weeks. Griffiths became non-executive director at the

Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust is an NHS Foundation Trust in England. It provides healthcare in London, Milton Keynes, Surrey and elsewhere. It was created in 2002 by a merger between Brent, Kensington & Chelsea and Westminst ...

in 2000. In 2014 she became Chair of Central North West London NHS Foundation Trust. She was Chair of Governors at Salusbury Primary School and a Governor at Queen's Park Community School. She helped to establish the Science Toy Award at the Imperial Festival. She lists her recreations in Who's Who as 'work, cats, tennis when knees permit, watching sport, house in Cyprus, progressive politics.'

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Griffiths, Dorothy Management scientists Academics of Imperial College London Alumni of the University of London British social scientists British women social scientists 1947 births Officers of the Order of the British Empire Living people