College of Science & Engineering

I currently co-chair the EDI committee in the School of Engineering alongside Prof. Cindy Smith. We have 5 fantastic sub-committees, working very committedly to improve the school as a whole (from internal aspects such as culture and professional development to externally facing aspects including outreach and communications—all underpinned by data). We currently hold the Athena Swan Silver Award, and the committee is working tirelessly to implement our action plan.

Throughout my career, I have always had an interest in encouraging minoritised groups to pursue science owing to my journey in STEM which has shaped my understanding of the pervasive sense of not belonging in academia—and STEM more broadly—particularly among students from minoritised ethnic groups and underprivileged backgrounds.

For example, growing up in a very small and remote village, I did not have much incentive from my family to pursue education, let alone a career in science. My parents never went to university, in fact, my father never had any formal education at all, and my mother never got the opportunity to obtain more than a primary school education as both had to work from a young age to help their families. This meant that when I got a place in a university, most of my family discouraged me from going, out of fear that it would not work out financially. After talking with some of my teachers, my parents realised that I could benefit from loans and grants and decided to let me go, albeit still wary, especially as I was only 15. During my time at university, I benefited from university housing because I was from a very low-income family, but I did get into research during my first semester. While I quickly came to enjoy research, my main reasoning at the time was to have access to my PI’s library (available to the students in his lab) as I had no way to buy books or pay for copies of lecture materials and sometimes you could get small stipends as a research intern.

Acknowledging the broader implications of these barriers, I took proactive steps to bridge the gap between science and disadvantaged communities through outreach (reaching over 150 children in rural South America before the pandemic, and in 2023 alone, nearly 100 primary and secondary school children from the greater Glasgow area were hosted by School of Engineering).

Recognising other aspects of my own identity whilst also recognising the positive impact that a diverse and inclusive environment can have on both academic excellence and the personal development of our students and staff, since taking up an academic post in the School of Engineering I have sought to expand the scope of my EDI activities well beyond outreach. These currently include:

• I am a member of the Opening Up Photonics (OuP) Steering Board since its inception in 2022—OuP is a platform supporting the Scottish photonics industry to discuss, challenge and address as a community, barriers faced by minority groups, to increase accessibility, championing diversity, and ensuring a welcoming and supportive environment for all.

• Since 2020 I have served as EDI champion for the EPSRC and SFI CDT in Photonic Integration & Advanced Data Storage. In this, my role is to monitor and challenge the current PIADS EDI agenda, and where necessary, implement and review new processes, events, and/or strategies to ensure that the PIADS CDT culture is one of global and inclusive outlook that offers all people a way to flourish as well as ensuring that our cohort acts as a beacon for EDI within the wider research & training community.

• Prior to taking up the Co-Chair position for the James Watt School of Engineering EDI group I was the Culture Lead for the Committee since 2022 where I led the delivery of the several items on the School’s Athena Swan Silver award action plan. For instance, we introduced the Going for Gold event, where we invite current Athena Swan Gold awardees to learn about their experiences and challenges and reflect on how we can translate some of their successes to our school. I was also a member of the Data sub-committee since 2020.

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First published: 30 July 2024