UCL is the first university in the UK to join more than 100 major international scientific institutions endorsing the ALBA Declaration. Spearheaded by the ALBA Network – a network of brain scientists committed to fostering fair and diverse scientific communities – the Declaration aims to raise awareness of challenges faced by underrepresented groups and provide a concrete set of actions to make organisations more equitable and inclusive.
Including collective feedback from dozens of organisations, the Declaration focuses specifically on overcoming two specific barriers to equity: implicit biases and workplace cultures.
The ALBA Network launched the Declaration during a virtual event on January 12th 2021.
Professor Michael Hanna, Director, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, said: “ At the Institute of Neurology we are committed to EDI and to fully harnessing the power of diversity and we are delighted to sign and commit to this declaration.”
Professor Helene Plun-Favreau, Deputy Director for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, said : “UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology is very proud to add its signature to this very important international declaration, confirming its commitment to further nurture equality, diversity and inclusion within the Institution”
Professor Alan Thompson, Dean of the Faculty of Brain Sciences, said: “We are very proud to add our signature to this important declaration. Signing this declaration signals our commitment to staff, students and to the wider community that our processes reflect equal and fair opportunities for everyone – particularly underrepresented groups within the brain sciences community and beyond.”
Professor Geraint Rees, Dean of the Faculty of Life Sciences, said: “The signing of this declaration embodies our conscious effort in ensuring an inclusive and diverse cohort of brain science academics within our institution.”
Dr Megan Carey, Chair of the ALBA Declaration Working Group, said: “The Declaration outlines concrete, evidence based actions that individuals and organisations at any level can take in order to make their environments more equitable and inclusive. It was drafted to be both impactful and broad enough to be widely adopted. We believe that adopting these principles will benefit all members of the research community.”
Other major scientific organisations from across the globe who have shown their support include: The Federation of European Neuroscience Societies, the International Brain Research Organisation, the European Brain Council, the FENS-Kavli Network of Excellence, Black in Neuro, several Max Planck Institutes, the EPFL Brain Mind Institute, Carney Institute for Brain Science at Brown University and the Champalimaud Foundation.
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Graphic based on open text answers from the IoN Athena SWAN committee members on "the values that made you gravitate towards the work of this committee."