About the Inquiry

Find out about the Inquiry's purpose and objectives, its terms of reference, chair and members.

The Inquiry looked at UCL’s historical role in, and the current status of, the teaching and study of the history of eugenics. It also looked at the current status of UCL’s benefit from any financial instruments linked to the study of eugenics.

UCL's then President & Provost Professor Michael Arthur established the Inquiry in 2018.

The Inquiry held its first meeting on 23 November 2018 and met 12 times, in addition to a series of expert witness sessions through the summer of 2019. The Inquiry's report and recommendations were issued on 28 February 2020. 

Terms of Reference

  1.  To examine the historical role of UCL in the study and teaching of eugenics using oral, archived and other necessary pieces of evidence, including, but not limited to collections of cultural artefacts and human remains and a tour of the UCL Estate
  2. To examine the current status of the teaching and study of eugenics at UCL
  3. To examine the current status of UCL’s benefit from any financial instruments linked to the study and teaching of eugenics
  4. To provide a recommendation as to what UCL’s current position should be on the teaching, dissemination and study of eugenics and its inherent link to modern day racism
  5. To provide an intellectual, moral and business based recommendation to UCL on how to manage its current naming of spaces and buildings after prominent eugenicists, including the option of renaming such spaces. This recommendation will be considered through the criteria and process established following the report of the Task and Finish Group on Naming of Spaces at UCL
  6. To provide an agreed written report for the President and Provost of UCL, containing findings, recommendations and advice on any issues pertaining to the core subject matter by the end of December 2019

Chair of the Inquiry: Professor Iyiola Solanke

Professor Iyiola Solanke is a Professor in the School of Law at the University of Leeds where she holds the Chair in EU Law and Social Justice. Her research focuses on discrimination law and EU Law. Her most recent book, Discrimination as Stigma, was published by Hart in 2017. At Leeds, she teaches EU Law, Discrimination Law and Alternative Dispute Resolution.

She is an Academic Bencher of the Inner Temple, and was recently a Fernand Braudel Research Fellow at the European University Institute in Florence. In 2017, she set up the Black Female Professors Forum to promote the presence and visibility of Black women in the Academy. In 2017, Professor Solanke was also appointed a member of the Valuation Tribunal for England.

Members of the Inquiry

  • Professor Tom Fearn (former head of Statistical Science)
  • Professor Mark Thomas (Professor of Evolutionary Genetics at UCL)
  • Fiona McClement (Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion)
  • Professor Tamar Garb (Institute of Advanced Studies)
  • Professor Ann Phoenix (Institute of Education)
  • Marcia Jacks (Co-chair Race Equality Steering Group)
  • Professor Ijeoma Uchegbu (Provost’s Race Envoy)
  • Subhadra Das (UCL Culture)
  • Dr Caroline Bressey (Department of Geography)
  • Ash Talwar (Equality, Diversity and Inclusion)
  • Professor Peter Fonagy (Head of the Division of Psychology and Language Sciences)
  • Professor Joe Cain (Professor of History and Philosophy of Biology at UCL)
  • Black & Minority Ethnic Students’ Officer, UCL: Sandra Ogundele (2019 - 20), Samira Abdalla (2018-2019)
  • Women’s Officer, UCL: Nilisha Vashist (2019-20; Abeni Adeyemi (2018-19)
  • Disabled Students' Officer: Zohar Mendzelevski-Steinberg (2019-20)
  • Ben Meunier (Secretary)