COLLEGE EDI OFFICER: LYDIA BACH

I did my undergraduate degree at the University of Glasgow in Marine and Freshwater Biology, which I loved. I think it was my peers, the engaged staff and the many experiences in the field (visiting Millport and the SCENE research centre) that made my undergraduate degree so memorable and meaningful.

I then moved to Queen’s University Belfast, where I did a PhD in marine ecology and where was able to join the Athena SWAN self-assessment team of the School of Biological Sciences. This was an amazing opportunity to work on my two passions: understanding the human impacts on the environment and promoting equality, diversity and inclusion. Working at an Athena SWAN Gold department gave me a lot of insights into what good practice is and how to continuously improve and move ahead. I moved back to Glasgow in 2018, working at the University as a postdoctoral researcher after a brief lecturing position covering a colleague’s maternity leave. 

I feel that these experiences gave me insight into what it is like to be a student, teaching staff and researcher at the University, and what some barriers, challenges and issues can be. I am hoping to have more conversations across the spectrum of people/roles/paths to learn about people’s experiences and how we can support them better.

In 2020, I worked on a work-life balance project at Molecular, Cells and Systems Biology, which was funded by The Wellcome Trust Institutional Strategic Support Fund.  This year, I joined the College of Science and Engineering as their Equality, Diversity and Inclusion officer. In my role I am supporting the work of the Equality and Diversity Unit at the College and University, working towards our shared vision, supporting the EDI at our Schools and facilitating projects and workshops. 

You can email me at lydia.bach@glasgow.ac.uk for:

  • Support and informal advice around equality, diversity and inclusion
  • Support linking equality, diversity and inclusion projects at CoSE
  • Support with equality, diversity and inclusion projects and events at the College of Science and Engineering, including developing an effective evaluation plan to capture impact
  • Training and or engagement opportunities

Lydia Bach