We are also committed to increasing diversity within our Department where already we are highly international, with our students and staff coming from many different countries, cultures and backgrounds.
First Point of Contact:
Celebrating Diversity at the Department Culture Day 2025
Each spring, the Department of Earth Sciences comes together to celebrate the cultural richness of its community through the Culture Day—a now-annual event dedicated to recognising and embracing the d
Decolonisation of the curriculum
A zine exploring the role of colonial and imperial legacy upon our curriculum. Authors: Shannon James & Rose Meadows. It was made possible by the ‘Decolonisation of the Curriculum: Digging into its
The 2023 recipient of the Marguerite T Williams Award for Student is Nahum Fekadu
The recipient of this year's Marguerite T Williams Award for Student Initiative is Nahum Fekadu, for his work on forming "YoungGeoscientistsSociety.Africa" to bring geology education to children & tee
Black History Month 2023 event.
In collaboration with AstroNoir we will host this event on the 12th October 2023, 1-2pm, UCL Kathleen Lonsdale Building room 126/online
Someone like me
Reflections by UCL Earth Sciences Network for Ethnic Diversity on two Black History Month 2022 events.
Spotlights on Ben Otoo
We delve into the research of Ben Otoo, PhD student at the University of Chicago who participated in our Black History Month event. We’ve followed up with him to learn a bit more about his research.
Events: Black Earth Scientist; Careers, Barriers and Expectations
On October 19th, UCL Earth Sciences PhD student Cassius Morrison hosted a discussion for Black History Month.
Marguerite T Williams Award for Student Initiative on Race/Ethnicity
The prize will be awarded to a student who has gone beyond their usual studies, working on activities such as (but not limited to) lack of role models, discrimination, barriers or unconscious bias.
UCL was one of only eight institutions to receive a Race Equality Charter Mark Bronze Award for its work in Higher Education. Yet UCL has identified a significant attainment gap between home BME students obtaining a “good” final degree result when compared to home white students. Information on the UCL Earth Sciences attainment gap is being sought, and an action plan to eliminate the gap will be applied. BME representatives for students and staff sit on our EDI committee.
Key UCL Contacts & Information
Race Equality
- UCL and Earth Sciences have a zero-tolerance policy on racial and xenophobic harassment.
- See the Race Equality & Race Equality Steering Group for key contacts.
- If you witness harassment, act as an Active Bystander - don’t ignore it.
Networks & Communities
- RaceMatters@UCL
- Networking, peer support, and idea sharing
- Research collaboration and events
- Influencing policy and practice on race equality
- UCLU BME Network
- Join via Facebook
- Connect with other students and access support
Student Representation (UCLU)
- Black and Minority Ethnic Students’ Officer
- Email: bmes.officer@ucl.ac.uk
- Phone: 020 7679 7392
Key Resources (Under-representation in Earth Sciences)
- Dowey et al. (2021) – Tackling the geoscience racial diversity crisis (Nat. Geosci.)
- Dutt (2020) – Race and racism in the geosciences (Nat. Geosci.)
Need Support?
- Contact Dr Maxim Ballmer or Dr Deborah Tangunan to discuss any questions or concerns