Our vision is for everyone to feel they belong. We believe the work we do and the environments we co-create are enriched by a breadth and variety of people and perspectives. Improving representation and creating an inclusive culture is integral to our broader vision of developing education and research that positively impacts the world.

We are aware that, for some more than others, systemic barriers have stood in the way of personal and professional development. While we have made some progress in rectifying many of these imbalances, we realise we need to go further.

Our aims and intentions

We plan to create the conditions for everyone to feel welcomed, respected, and valued, and to enable equitable access to the resources and support that people need to do their best. This includes the recognition of how intersectionality shapes the needs and experiences of people with multiple markers of disadvantage*.

We now have more women studying with us and more women in academic and research roles, the number of disabled staff has increased, we have welcomed more students from Black and minoritised ethnicities, and our widening participation agenda has improved access and opportunities for people from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds.

We are committed to improving the cultural diversity of our faculty. This includes but is not limited to increasing the number of Black and Black heritage staff in our community, encouraging more diversity in applications to work with us, for example from men into professional services roles, women into technical roles, and welcoming more people identifying as LGBTQ+ into study and work.

Our EDI action plan describes how we will turn that commitment into a reality, by building on what we have already achieved in our recruitment processes and training opportunities, to our educational curriculum, outreach, and engagement activities.

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Shared responsibility

Everyone in the Faculty has a role and responsibility in realising our vision. We expect you to: 

• Demonstrate inclusive behaviours and actions in all aspects of your work
• Work together to proactively remove barriers that exclude people and prevent integration and success
• Identify and address EDI challenges and issues
• Advocate for the rights of people who are underrepresented and minoritised
• Consider the impact of your words and behaviour.

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What we mean by equity, diversity and inclusion

Equity is a process of ensuring the fair and respectful treatment of all people, regardless of but with consideration for difference*. We focus on equity rather than equality because equity acknowledges that people have different lived experiences and recognises that some people face more severe and/or multiple barriers and therefore require more support to realise their individual ambitions.

Diversity is evidenced by the breadth of identities in our community. Engineering is a discipline where discovery and innovation is the result of collaboration and creativity. Welcoming a broader range of contributions is pivotal to our collective ambition to have a positive impact.

Inclusivity relates to the culture and environment that we create, and the degree to which people feel welcomed, heard, valued, and understood. Everyone in the Faculty has a part to play in dismantling barriers and creating a welcoming environment where everyone feels like their contribution matters.

*We define markers of disadvantage as aspects of an individual’s identity and/or background that could result in barriers in their experience, including protected characteristics ^ and widening participation^# characteristics such as low socio-economic status and aspiring state-school background. We know that people can feel disregarded for many reasons, hence we believe that the experiences of individuals should be considered on a case-by-case basis.

^ For further guidance on protected characteristics, please refer to the Equality Act 2010.
^# Full details of the UK government’s widening participation strategy.

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Accountability and progress

We are actively working on qualitative and quantitative ways to measure progress on meeting strategic goals. Our overall objective is to ensure that everyone:

• Feels comfortable, confident, safe, and encouraged to be their authentic selves
• Has a positive and enjoyable experience of work/study
• Has access to resources and the means to contribute their views safely and confidently
• Is encouraged and supported to challenge inappropriate behaviour, raise concerns and highlight challenges, in a way that they feel heard and assured that appropriate action will be taken
• Has their skills and expertise recognised equitably in all work and study scenarios
• Has the opportunity, support, and choice to realise their aspirations in a way that is sensitive to differing personal and professional responsibilities
• Feels represented at all levels of the academic and professional pathway
• Is given the opportunity and support to mentor and coach colleagues
• Can discuss and engage with EDI, even if they have not been personally affected or have little direct experience or knowledge of the issues embodied by EDI.

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Our EDI committee