Community projects will strengthen equality, diversity and inclusion at Imperial

Sixteen projects have been awarded funding to advance equality, diversity and inclusion at the College.

In the third year of the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Seed Fund, 12 new exciting projects focussing on a range of initiatives to support underrepresented groups have received funding. An additional four projects have been funded through the Policy Support Fund.

Professor Stephen Curry, Assistant Provost (EDI), said, “We had over 30 submissions and the judging panel had an especially difficult job awarding funds with so many strong cases this year. It is fantastic to see the energy and commitment that the EDI Seed Fund helps to deliver, and I am grateful to everyone who took the time to apply.” 

The funded projects come from across the College and cover different aspects of the staff and student experience. We highlight a few below.  

Disability support 

Submissions relating to disability were particularly welcomed during this application round, and several disability-focused projects were awarded funding.  

Marie Miller, Meena Reddi and Lee Webber from the Imperial Clinical Trials Unit will review the inclusion and exclusion criteria for clinical trials. They will conduct interviews with members of the public with a wide range of disabilities and with those who organise trials, with the aim of creating a framework to increase inclusion of disabled people and make trials more robust.  

Dr Felicitas Starr-Egger will work with colleagues in the Centre for Languages, Culture and Communication to facilitate a programme of activities to raise awareness of hearing impairments and the D/deaf Community across the College. This will include information videos for entrance hall screens, taster sessions and a guest lecture. 

Race equality 

Some projects are taking an intersectional approach, for example covering race as well as disability. Dr Christina Crossette-Thambiah and Dr Linda van Keimpema from the Department of Immunology and Inflammation will be leading workshops to increase awareness of the complexities of race-specific diseases and shine a light on the invisible disabilities many people face. 

Dr Stefano Sandrone from the Department of Brain Sciences will be launching a new website featuring interviews with 10 female scientists from Black and minority ethnic backgrounds. The scientists will tell their own stories and will provide a personal account alongside tips on careers, mentoring and role modelling.  

LGBTQ+ inspiration 

A number of projects received funding in order to support and inspire the LGBTQ+ community. 

Maeve O’Sullivan, co-Chair of Imperial 600, and Corrine Tomsett, Human Resources division, will be running OutLoud: Voices of Imperial’s LGBTQ+ Community. This project will be an opportunity to spotlight ten staff and postgraduate students at Imperial who are part of the LGBTQ+ community.  

Dr Julia Stawarz and Dr William Proud will be working with colleagues from the Department of Physics to run a new summer school for LGBTQ+ sixth-form students who are interested in physics and related fields.