Conference 2026

The Centre for Military Women’s Research and the Centre of Excellence for Equity in Uniformed Public Services (CEEUPS) are holding a joint conference in spring 2026, themed around women’s experiences in the military and uniformed public services.  

The conference will take place over two days, with two parallel programmes on the first day: one with a military theme (with a keynote by Dr Maya Eichler), and one focusing on uniformed public services (with a keynote by Dr Camilla De Camargo), ending with a drinks reception.  The second day comprises a keynote by Dany Cotton, followed by a choice of five panel discussions on a variety of themes, concluding with a review and plenary.

The keynote speakers on the first day are:

For CMWR: Dr Maya Eichler is an Associate Professor in Politics, Economics and Canadian Studies and Women’s Studies at Mount Saint Vincent University. She is the director of the Centre for Social Innovation and Community Engagement in Military Affairs (SICEMA) and one of the co-directors of the Canadian Department of National Defence funded international collaborative network Transforming Military Cultures (TMC). Her current research focuses on gender and the armed forces, military sexual violence, military-to-civilian transitions, transforming military cultures, defence policy, and community stories of war and peace.

For CEEUPS: Dr Camilla De Camargo is a Lecturer in Criminology at Lancaster University and on the Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship for the Open University. She is a qualitative researcher focused on police wellbeing, identity and embodiment, and her work explores the intersections of uniform, organisational culture and health within policing. Camilla has led and contributed to projects including the National Uniform and Equipment Survey examining wellbeing and occupational stressors, with particular attention to how uniforms shape officers’ experiences of authority, identity and vulnerability. Drawing on qualitative methods, her research provides in-depth insights into the lived experience of frontline officers.

On the second day, the keynote speaker is Dany Cotton, the former London Fire Commissioner: Dany joined London Fire Brigade in 1988 aged 18, one of 30 women firefighters out of a workforce of 9000. She became the first female London Fire Commissioner in 2017, leading the Brigade during major incidents including the unprecedented fire at Grenfell Tower and the terrorist incidents at London Bridge and Finsbury Park during her first six months in the role. She retired from LFB at the end of 2019.

The five panel discussions on the second day cover all uniformed public services with the following themes: sexual harm, mobilising research, women’s health and wellbeing, pregnancy, and organisational change.

Conference information

Location and directions

The conference is taking place at ARU Cambridge, East Road, Cambridge CB1 1PT.

Timings

Registration will open at 9am on Tuesday 31 March, with the conference starting promptly at 9.30am.  The day will draw to a close at 5pm, concluding with a late afternoon drinks reception and the opportunity to network with fellow delegates. On Wednesday 1 April the programme will begin at 9.30am. There is a choice of five panel discussions on this day, and you will be asked to choose your first, second and third preferences when you book your ticket; we will try to ensure that everyone gets their highest preference where possible. The conference will conclude at 4pm.

Programme for Tuesday 31 March: Centre for Military Women’s Research stream

If you have any questions about the conference, please contact Caroline Tapper (caroline.tapper@aru.ac.uk).