Actions on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

We endeavour to be an equal opportunities environment in which each and every student and staff member should be able to study and work without discrimination.

Our EDI Contacts

UCL's equal opportunities policy means that all students and staff have the right to work in an environment free from discrimination, prejudice, and all forms of harassment and bullying. However, occasionally, some people are unfairly treated. In PALS, the following people have been appointed as Inclusion Leads:

Staff and students can come to us for formal or informal advice about equal opportunities issues such as discrimination, harassment, or disability access. Every enquiry is treated in confidence and if we can't resolve your queries, we will find someone who can.

Professor Sophie Scott (Director of the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience) was appointed as the Divisional Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Director. Sophie has deep commitment to this issue and has a brilliant track record of achievement in this domain, including being a founding member of Women’s Liberation at UCL, and serving as a member of the Career Development, Equality and Diversity Committee (CDED) for several years. Here are the key responsibilities of the role: 

  • Creating a Division-wide culture of equality, diversity and inclusion
  • Working alongside and in consultation with Heads of Research Departments to implement good practice in EDI
  • In collaboration with the DMG, devising the Division’s action plan for EDI
  • Leading the implementation of UCL’s EDI strategy within PALS, including Athena Swan, Faculty action plans and Divisional Athena Swan action plans
  • Leading a team of Divisional inclusion leads and coordinating their contribution to Athena Swan
  • Working with the Division’s leads on recruitment, promotion, teaching and widening participation
  • Consulting with the Faculty structure supporting EDI and Athena Swan in relation to the Division’s local initiatives

The mission of our CDED Committee is to provide ample and equal opportunities for career development to all staff and students in PALS. The Committee provides an overarching structure to support the equality agenda within the Division and is co-chaired by:

Our EDI Groups and Gatherings

Our EDI Hangouts are open to anyone in PALS who is interested in EDI or who would like to learn more about it. The drop-in sessions are run online and normally based around a particular theme, for example: religion and belief, issues affecting part-time staff, how to make PhD application processes more inclusive, etc. Please contact Professor Sophie Scott for more information.

Upcoming EDI Hangout dates are announced via the PALS all-staff mailing list.

Our Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology (CEHP) research department formed a UCL Educational Psychology Group whose mission is to embrace diversity, equity and inclusive practice across all aspects of professional training. Find out more about its Equality Diversity and Inclusion Strategy Group.

Our Deafness Cognition and Language (DCAL) research centre hosts bimonthly EDI discussion forums. This was borne out of an EDI reading list repository set up in 2020, to give people the opportunity to discuss different texts. We actively seek out texts that we are not familiar with and give others an opportunity to share articles. Some examples of topics discussed: the legacy of the National Trust, language policy in Canada and eugenics.

All staff are invited to participate. The onus for the EDI discussion forum is a shared responsibility with volunteers coming forward to lead the sessions and choose the texts. Please contact Dr Velia Cardin for more information.

Our EDI Actions

Gender

We hold an Athena SWAN silver award for our work on advancing the careers of women scientists. 

Disability

Our Deafness Cognition and Language (DCAL) research centre initiatives:

We have pledged to train all our PALS Professional Services staff in Deaf Awareness and we encourage all other members of staff in the Division to complete this course too.

Any meeting you attend may have neurodivergent participants. Please be mindful of neurodivergent needs by adopting our Neurodivergent Staff Network's recommendations.

In 2019, the UCL Neurodivergent Staff Network was created at PALS. Originally founded by Dr Dafne Zuleima Morgado Ramirez, the network is currently managed by Dr Joerg Magerkurth.

This network has been created by and for neurodivergent UCL staff to:

  • Offer each other day-to-day support based on our shared experiences
  • Collaborate to change environments and challenge attitudes that undermine our ability to work effectively and compromise our mental health and wellbeing
  • Create a sense of belonging, celebrating the joys and successes that our neurodiversity can bring

This network is only for Neurodivergent staff. If you are uncertain what constitutes Neurodiversity, this is a good guide. You might also see the relevant definitions here.

Race

We stand in solidarity with our students, staff, alumni and partners to address racialised injustice and disadvantage. We pledge our support for the goal and principles of anti-racism and will work towards eliminating racism from our Division and society as a whole.

Divisional Undertaking in Response to Black Lives Matter

"We recognise the pain, disappointment and frustration associated with repeated broken promises that have been made to disadvantaged black and other ethnic minority groups. We recognise the legitimacy of the grievance they feel in relation to our many failures to actively call out injustices we observe.  We recognise that as a Division we have a great deal to learn about how we can improve the way we organise and conduct ourselves to address issues of prejudice and societal injustice. We are committed to this process and hope that black students and colleagues, amongst others, will be willing to teach us.  

Silence on this issue is unacceptable but words are always easier than action. We have taken some initial steps, which we include on this webpage, Actions on Diversity and Inclusion, We will accumulate initiatives that we have undertaken and document their success and failure through which we can hold ourselves accountable. In one year’s time we will publish a comprehensive report-card on the progress we have made.

We recognise that we have a long way to go in effectively addressing white privilege within our organisation. It is clearly reflected now in the ethnic profile of senior staff in the Division. We will focus our efforts on changing this, in the same way that we are working to address issues of gender in academic life. However, we recognise that intersectionality is particularly important. Black women may be at a specific disadvantage which must be a concern to us all.

We recognise the vital importance of the issues that the Black Lives Matter movement has raised because they profoundly impact on the lives of students and staff of this Division, and the entire University community. We hope that the level of concern PALS has shown about the sustainability of our physical habitat can also now be directed to improving our social environment.

We further recognise that this Division has a special responsibility because of historic links between the founders of the discipline of Psychology at UCL and the Eugenics movement and research they were engaged in. We have been actively involved in the University wide enquiry (Report and recommendations, President and Provost) into the Eugenics movement and wish to ensure that we continue to contribute to ongoing scientific education and research which debunks the pseudo-scientific foundations of racism.

Finally we are very aware of the individual stress that those in the black community have experienced in relation to the brutal murder in of George Floyd in 2020. As a Division our work is committed to wellbeing and mental health. We wish to assure you that we are here to support you in what are extremely challenging times. Beyond the help already offered by the University, the Division is pleased to make its expertise available to our students and the staff of the Division who feel they might benefit from support in relation to any of these matters."

Signed by the Divisional Management Group on behalf of the Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, June 2020

All PALS recruitment panels include a Fair Recruitment Specialist

At the Divisional Management Committee meeting on 5th June 2020, it was agreed that with immediate effect all PALS staff recruitment should include a Fair Recruitment Specialist. 

Further information about the scheme, which includes how to request a Fair Recruitment Specialist (FRS) or how to volunteer to become a FRS, can be found by clicking here.

Statement from Directors of our MSc Speech and Language Sciences Programme

We recognise the lack of role models representing the diversity of backgrounds of students and the diversity of the London community in the Speech and Language Sciences (Speech & Language Therapy - SLT) course, and also in the Department more generally. As a result we have developed a set of actions to address issues of equality, diversity and inclusion. Our plans are informed by the views of students from diverse backgrounds and we aim to continue to work in partnership to achieve change. Here is a summary of our current actions:

  • We are hosting a ‘meet the SLT experts’ webinar event  - featuring a range of SLTs who will talk about their experiences of diversity (challenges as well as opportunities).
  • From September 2020, we will be inviting SLTs from diverse backgrounds, as well as students in each year group, to join an equality, diversity and inclusion advisory group. This group will provide expert input to the programme delivery and content.
  • We are establishing an anonymous online forum for students who want to share their experiences in a safe space.
  • Issues of equality, diversity and inclusion are now a standing item on our teaching committee and senior management team agenda.

Open letter from a PALS PhD student Jem Bhatt, signed by a number of staff and students

"Recent events have led to prevailing streams of social media posts and a flurry of news articles all talking about racism. Suddenly racism is something everyone wants to talk about and raise awareness of, on the back of the sickening events taking place in the United States. Whilst I have no issue with individuals from all races joining the fight to end racism, I do have an issue with the opinion that we still need to raise awareness. We are beyond awareness, we are at the point of action and this is what we can do. Firstly..." view the full letter on Twitter by clicking here.

Jem Bhatt, UCL PALS PhD Candidate in Clinical Psychology

Case study: Action taken by the UCL Psychology BSc Programme to address racism and diversity

We acknowledge that there is still a long way to go, but the UCL Psychology BSc programme has made progress in addressing the issue of racism and diversity over the past few years.

In July 2018, UCL appointed 8 BME Attainment Faculty Leads to take on the role of supporting staff in achieving the creation of an inclusive environment at UCL, both academically and socially. This role for our Faculty was taken on by Dr Lasana Harris whose research uses a social neuroscience approach to explore the neural correlates of person perception, prejudice, dehumanization, anthropomorphism, social learning, social emotions, empathy and punishment.

In Autumn 2018, as part of our Annual Student Experience Review, all programmes were asked to complete an “Inclusive Curriculum Health Check” (ICHC). This was for us to review the inclusivity of our curriculum from various perspectives and help us to plan improvements. Dr Lasana Harris, Professor Alastair McClelland and Jo Strange completed this review for the undergraduate Psychology programme. UCL established a wider UCL BME Attainment Project and we received feedback from them on our ICHC. One of the developments out of this exercise was some guidance for module convenors for increasing the inclusivity of our curriculum, increasing attainment and improving the student experience. We now also have a standing item on our teaching committee agenda to address Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic matters.

Students have been involved in our efforts to review our programme, both through focus groups and The Faculty Curriculum Partners programme, which took place as a pilot for three modules on our Psychology BSc, where we had students looking in detail at our curriculum to make recommendations of how we could develop it. The Curriculum Partners programme is planned to be rolled out across UCL next year, in consultation with the Student Union.

Dr Lasana Harris is also in the process of developing a Science of Bias module that will initially be offered as an elective in the third year in 2021-22. The aim is to facilitate bias training for the students without making them take a compulsory online course which may not be effective. Once the module is established, there will be consideration of how the BSc can accommodate it as a compulsory module without risking losing BPS accreditation. The new module will cover social psychology, individual differences, cognitive neuroscience, genetics, and evolutionary psychology, pulling topics from some of the existing modules.

We are keen to be proactive in this area and are constantly exploring options to offer our students a more balanced experience.

A message from the Dean of the Faculty of Brain Sciences

Black Lives Matter - A message from Professor Alan Thompson the Dean of the Faculty of Brain Sciences.

The killing of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis on May 25 has caused global grief and outrage, fuelling the Black Lives Matter movement to galvanise action against racism. As communities across the world join together to mourn this latest death in the long line of unjust killings at the hands of the police, I offer my sincerest condolences to everyone for the anxiety and upset this has caused.

UCL is proud to be ‘London’s Global University’. The global issue of intolerance and ignorance is something we need to take responsibility for within our own communities. The Faculty of Brain Sciences is not innocent. Our historical involvement with eugenics is a reminder of the institutionalised racism upon which disciplines within the Faculty built their foundations.

As Dean of the Faculty of Brain Sciences, I am responsible for dismantling these foundations and leading the way towards a tolerant and educated community, who feel empowered to speak out against intolerance, ignorance and hatred.

Read more by clicking here.

UCL PALS PhD applicant awarded a ‘UCL Research Opportunity Scholarship’

We are pleased to announce that a UCL PALS PhD applicant in UCLIC has been awarded a ‘UCL Research Opportunity Scholarship’ this year. UCL's Research Opportunity Scholarships support BME postgraduate research degree students. Find out more about UCL's Research Opportunity Scholarships by clicking here.

BPS report on “Racism, Power and Privilege in psychology” with UCL PALS trainees

A British Psychological Society (BPS) report on a meeting held with UCL PALS trainees titled “Racism, Power and Privilege in psychology”

Dr Kat Alcock, Clinical Psychologist from UCL PALS writes....

"This is a fantastic piece of work by UCL trainees, and raises many issues relating to racism, power, trust and safety that need to be addressed, internally and in the wider profession. 

We continue to attempt to improve the curriculum, ensuring that it is fit for purpose.

We are also trying to significantly change the format and delivery of social graces groups, following the 1st year of a 2 year pilot, and developing similar spaces for the staff team. We continue to strive to widen access to the profession.

We’ve created a new EDI committee to formalize the work across all aspects of training. There are additional proposals relating to research and leadership work on selection, access and inclusion - bringing these formally into the course, rather than as “add-ons.”

We are also offering individual and group spaces for Black trainees affected not just by the events at the GTiCP conference and its subsequent aftermath, but also by previous and ongoing experiences of racism on training.

Course tutors and MPR visitors have addressed a number of significant concerns relating to racism on placement. However, the course must improve its response to reports of racism on training more generally.

Existing supervisor training workshops have been further developed to focus on racism and cultural competence. We continue to push for change and accountability, both at UCL and profession-wide.

This is not an exhaustive list, nor will the above resolve all of the issues that have been raised. However, it feels crucial to swiftly provide information about at least some of what is being done and what is planned. I hope that others will do the same."

PALS Research Opportunity Scholarship

PALS is creating a Research Opportunity Scholarship for a black student - paid for by PALS staff salaries. The recipient of the PALS Research Opportunity Scholarship will pursue their research interests in the Division and contribute to improving our understanding of bias in all of our teaching.  

The Division will show its commitment by matching the amount raised from the staff to fund a second Scholarship for an individual who is the first person in their family to attend a university.

Read more about our Research Opportunity Scholarship here: 
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/pals/pals-research-opportunity-scholarship

Celebrating our Black colleagues

We have asked our community to nominate Black colleagues - past, present and future - who have achieved in our disciplines through inspiring writings and presentations. Click here to see the nominations and for details about how to make a nomination.

In conversation about BLM: Peter Fonagy and Lasana Harris

 

Watch In conversation about BLM - Peter Fonagy and Lasana Harris on YouTube.

Brain Sciences and UCL

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