Royal Holloway has awarded an Honorary Doctorate of the University of London to Suw Charman-Anderson in recognition of her role as the founder of Ada Lovelace Day; an international celebration of women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, and her continued advocacy for women in STEM.
Suw is an entrepreneur, author and campaigner, and from an early age, she was interested in technology, using her father’s ZX80 computer to develop her skills in programming.
After completing her degree in geology, she moved from science publishing to music journalism and then to website design.
In 2005, Suw co-founded the Open Rights Group, a leading UK digital rights campaigning organisation.
As its first Executive Director, she shaped the group’s early policy work, gave evidence in Parliament on digital rights management, and made regular appearances on television, including BBC Newsnight.
Suw’s interest in how technology can improve communications and collaboration developed greatly, and she became an early adopter of social media, becoming one of the UK’s earliest social media consultants.
In 2009, Suw pledged that on 24 March she would write about a woman in tech who she admired and encouraged others to do the same.
What she thought would just be a few friends blogging, ended up really taking off and becoming known as Ada Lovelace Day.
Beyond Ada Lovelace Day, Suw has consistently worked to improve opportunities for women in STEM.
During the pandemic, she established the Finding Ada Network, an online mentoring programme that supported early-career women across science and technology and continues to provide support and professional development opportunities.
Suw is proud that Royal Holloway is recognising her work, particularly given the University’s reputation as a pioneer in women’s education.
Dr Maryam Mehrnezhad, from the Department of Information Security at Royal Holloway, said: "Given the University’s long history of pioneering women in STEM, it is our honour to confer the honorary Doctor of Science degree on Suw Charman-Anderson."
Although the 2024 Ada Lovelace Day marked the end of the official live event, Ada Lovelace Day is still recognised on the second Tuesday of October each year, and the global grassroots movement Suw created continues to inspire new generations of scientists, technologists, engineers and mathematicians.
