Equality, diversity & inclusion

We are committed to embedding equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) within the culture of the Department, so that everyone - staff and students - receives the support and opportunities they need to achieve their full potential.

What we are doing

Diversity is crucial for enabling world leading research, impact and teaching. Working alongside people with different experiences and perspectives encourages innovation and creativity. It brings exposure to a breadth of knowledge, working styles and techniques, and it prompts us to develop ideas and consider decisions from multiple points of view.

Ensuring an inclusive and supportive working and learning environment to enable everyone to achieve their full potential is a key part of our departmental strategy. 

Chemistry’s EDI Committee, which has representation from all job roles and career levels, works with the department’s Leadership Team to maintain an inclusive and supportive environment.

We continually monitor our progress within the department through surveys and respond with decisive action plans as and when necessary.

We are proud of the achievements we’ve made and will continue to strive to be better.

• Biannual staff/student surveys: as well as qualitative data we ask for feedback on a number of topics including culture, workload, career mentoring and awareness of and support for disabilities.
• Inclusive recruitment: we make sure our job adverts are gender neutral in language, we provide interview questions in advance and, where applicable, release job-specific tests in advance of interviews.
• Promoting career progression: we have established support and mentoring structures for postgraduates, postdoctoral and early career researchers. Professional Services staff are personally coached for job roles either sideways to gain role specific experience or to be interview-ready for the next step up the career ladder.
• Nurturing collegial communities: we encourage and promote the creation of networks to foster cohesive communities, including our own ChemSoc communities for postdocs, postgraduate researchers and undergraduate students. We are particularly proud of the ChemSoc PGR Annual Symposium.
• Inclusive working environment: we promote a healthy work-life balance in our department with flexible working options, core hours of 10.00 – 16.00 for meetings/seminars and encourage and - crucially - respect, protected lunch breaks and meeting-free Fridays. 
• Accessible infrastructure: Chemistry has accessible fumehoods and benches in both teaching and research labs. We secured a high level of investment in 2024 making Britannia House (our research and postgraduate space) accessible with upgrades to evacuation provision for people with mobility disabilities and creating a Changing Places space.
• Gender neutral facilities: we installed two fully private shower and toilet rooms for all to use.
• 2026 will see our 3rd Women in Industry Symposium. This event sees invited speakers from a range of industries talking to staff and students about their careers.