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MPLS ED&I Fellows activities and initiatives

Here we have listed a number of activities and initiatives that MPLS ED&I Fellows have either led on and delivered themselves, or worked with the MPLS ED&I Team to progress over the last few years.

Cross-cutting activities

  • Active campaigning and support for students and staff affected by external global events, including how they impact work and mental health and sharing resources.

  • Providing space for researchers engaging in fieldwork to share their experiences, challenges and insights into fieldwork, along with access to resources and help.

  • Advocated with department to improve department policy and support for when supervisors leave the university.
    Conducted door-to-door walkthroughs of student offices to follow up on issues raised in departmental graduate survey.

  • Improving ED&I communication across the department, including an ED&I topic each month, using posters to cascade events and regularly encouraging staff and students to participate in training and awareness activities.

  • Improving the onboarding and induction experience for PDRAs, including partnering them with a buddy, working with Research Group Assistants on a generic induction plan template for all PDRAs, and piloted our first "Academic Welcome Event" which allows new PDRAs to network and learn all of the essential information through micro-talks from various people around the department.

  • General inclusive culture work, including training, departmental events, reviewing departmental documents and webpages, personal advocacy of experiences, creating new inclusive networks.
  • Review and development of induction documents.
  • Inclusive/EDI training and fieldwork, reviewing processes and advising on improvements.
  • Assessment accessibility on webpages.
  • Support for working parents.
  • EDI Reverse Tutorials in Zoology (now Biology).

Disability and neurodivergence activities

  • Organised departmental events for Neurodiversity Celebration Week (tea, informational displays, and seminar screening). 
  • Disability focus group work – both delivery of focus groups and development of questions, scripts etc., in partnership with the MPLS ED&I team.
  • Disability Awareness actions, including reviewing divisional provision, accessibility (both online and in-person), raising awareness with training, talks and events.
  • Accessibility

Gender Equity actions

  • Active engagement with or running of ‘Women in’ Networks.
  • Policy and awareness relating to Menstrual and Reproductive health and the impact it can have on those in academia. This includes the PERIODically podcast (created and delivered alongside undergraduate chemistry students, awareness events, and lobbying departments for changes to policy and the environment to make it a more comfortable place to work for those with menstrual and reproductive issues.
  • Helping to organize department's first "women in machine learning" hackathon.

LGBTQ+ activities

  • Inclusive language and culture – specifically around LGBTQ+, including online communications, departmental forms and emails, inclusive fieldwork practices, advocacy.
  • Events, including Pride, LGBT History Month.

Mental Health activities

  • Coordinating and hosting Mental Health Awareness Week.
  • Involved in preparing a mental health awareness resource for young academics/students to help them engage in and think about ways to mitigate risks related to mental health in the workplace.
  • Trained as Mental Health First Aiders.
  • Mental Health Awareness activities within departments, including developing action plans, a bespoke departmental Mental Health Awareness training course which runs twice per term, being and working with Mental Health First Aiders, postdoc and graduate student support and mentoring, improving awareness among PIs and supervisors, regular mental health awareness events and training etc., and personal advocacy.

Race Equity actions

  • Organising a freshers' orientation for African students joining Oxford, which aims to provide attendees with a deeper understanding of the Oxford culture, including welfare. The goal was to equip students across various departments to better handle cultural shocks and impostor syndrome issues. 
  • Active contribution to central Race Equality Task Force and departmental Race Equality Task Forces, including sitting on the task force or providing feedback and advice.
  • BAME/BIPOC Mentoring Scheme.
  • Mfano-Africa Mentoring Programme.
  • Black History Month events.
  • Outreach as part of Beyond Boundaries.