FBS EDI Awards & Celebration 2025

Continuing the legacy of celebrating EDI projects, research, and initiatives in Brain Sciences.

The Faculty of Brain Sciences EDI Awards & Celebration celebrate individuals and teams who are making a meaningful difference in advancing equality, diversity, and inclusion across our community. Please complete the form below to tell us about your nominee and their work. The information you provide will help us celebrate and share their contribution across the Faculty.

The awards segment will cover excellence in all areas of Faculty and wider UCL life through the following categories:

Award Categories

Dean’s Excellence in EDI Innovation Award

This award recognises an individual or group that has generated or implemented innovative approaches to/for EDI challenges. Efforts may include innovative approaches to major challenges such as global engagement, or to business and enterprise or the application of novel technologies or methodologies, approaches and discoveries to EDI efforts

Eligibility: Staff or student

Contribution to EDI in Practice

This award recognises an individual or group that has been a catalyst for change and has generated intentional, sustained, and meaningful EDI impact. Efforts can be related to leading, mentoring, advising, community building, outreach, engagement, inclusion, hiring/recruitment, department climate, retention, reducing systemic barriers, developing equitable policies — anything that promotes excellence in EDI practice.

Eligibility: Staff

Contribution to EDI in Education and Student Experience

This award recognises an individual or group that has developed innovative teaching, learning and/or assessment practices, or other initiatives that advance inclusive education for a diverse range of students and contributes positively to the student experience

Eligibility: Staff or student

Contribution to EDI in Research

This award recognises an individual or group whose research activity has led to enhanced and improved understanding, knowledge, policies, practices, or procedures at FBS or broader, that address inequality and lead to change around inclusion.

Eligibility: Staff

Nominations Procedure

Please complete the Nominations Form. The deadline to submit a nomination is Friday, 9 May 2025. If for any reason you are unable to use the form or need support to complete it, please contact us directly on fbs.edi@ucl.ac.uk where we will be able to help.

Shortlisted nominees will be chosen by our judging panel and announced for each award category before the ceremony.

Any member of staff or student can be nominated to receive an award in accordance with criteria in the award categories. Self-nomination is also accepted.

FAQ

Who is eligible for the awards?: Any UCL/UKRDI member of staff or team in the Faculty of Brain Sciences can be nominated to receive an award. We also have additional categories where students can be nominated. Please refer to the award categories for further details.

There are no restrictions on who can nominate within the UCL community, but they should be able to explain why the individual or team deserves the recognition.

NB. Those who occupy full-time paid EDI job roles should not be nominated for an inclusion award. The awards are to acknowledge EDI institutional citizenship within the Faculty.
How are the winners chosen?: Nominations will be considered by the judging panel, members of which are the UCL EDI Team, Vice Deans, and the Dean at FBS. When writing a nomination, please remember that the panel can only judge based on the contents of the nomination form, so please do include as much detail as possible on how the nominee (s) meet the criteria for the award.
Are PhD students eligible for awards?: PhD students can be nominated for a staff award category if they also hold a teaching contract.
When will the awards ceremony take place?: The award winners will be announced at an in-person ceremony after the UCL Centre for Equality Research in Brain Sciences Annual Seminar on 4 June, from 16:00 onwards. You can register your attendance on Eventbrite.
What are the scoring criteria?: The panel will choose winners based on some or all of the following criteria:
•   is the nominee being recognised for voluntary work undertaken on top of their current role
•   has the individual's contribution led to meaningful change
•   to what extent is the individual a visible role model/ally
•   how inspired will staff and students be by the individual's contributions
•   do the individual's / group’s contributions stand out from others
Can a Division/Institute be nominated?: Yes, if they fulfill the category criteria- they sure can!

The EDI Celebration is an important way to recognise the incredible work that Brain Sciences colleagues and students undertake, which may otherwise go unnoticed. At the same time, the awards aim to foster and raise awareness of impactful and innovative activities in all areas of equality, diversity, and inclusion (including disability, LGBTQ+, race/ethnicity, gender, mental health, and wellbeing, and more!).