Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI)

Our EDI committee and student-staff networks work to ensure that UCL Political Science and School of Public Policy is an inclusive and welcoming place for everyone. On this page you can find information on our EDI Committee, our networks and EDI related initiatives, as well as further information and support for students and staff at UCL.

Political Science Departmental Networks

We currently have three active network groups, the Ethnic and Racial Diversity (ERD) Network, the Gender and Sexuality Diversity Network (GSDN) and the Disability Neurodiversity and Wellbeing Network. These provide support to our students and staff, as well as leading on initiatives to improve equality, diversity and inclusion within our department. All students and staff are welcome to join any and all of these.

We are happy to support other networks. If you would like to set up a new network then let us know by emailing alexandra.hartman@ucl.ac.uk or p.ayoub@ucl.ac.uk, our EDI Committee co-Chairs.

You can find out more about our committee, initiatives and resources below.

If you are interested in the wider EDI work and support available at UCL, please visit the UCL EDI webpages.

Our work

Our staff and students conduct a wide range of research, acitvities and initiatives to support equality, diversity and inclusion with our department, UCL and across the world. Here are some recent examples:

• Lessons From the COVID-19 Pandemic to Improve the Health, Social Care, and Well-being of Minoritized Ethnic Groups With Chronic Conditions or Impairments: Protocol for a Mixed Methods Study.
• Inclusive Tech: Co-creating Robotics & AI with Disabled Communities.
• Module: LGBTIQ Movements and Rights.
• Empathy-based counterspeech can reduce racist hate speech in a social media field experiment.
• Poverty at the UCL Art Museum: Situated Learning in a World of Images.
• Not that niche: making room for the study of LGBTIQ people in political science.
• Migration and queer mobilisations: how migration facilitates cross-border LGBTQ activism.
• A Student Success Fund project to develop materials that support inclusive writing modules across UCL.

UCL Uncovering Politics

In this weekly podcast we explore key themes in contemporary politics.  Past episodes that have showcased our department's EDI related research include:

LGBT+ Politics
In this episode we ask Prof Phillip Ayoub: What explains successes and setbacks in the promotion of LGBT+ rights? And is political science as welcoming as it should be towards LGBT+ research? 

Disabilities in the Workplace
In this episode we are exploring the experience of disabled people in work, and asking the question, ‘How can we make our workplaces more inclusive?’. With Dr Sarabajaya Kumar and Dr Colin Provost.

Voting Systems and the Representation of Women
In this episode we ask Dr Eleanor Woodhouse: Which electoral system leads to the fairest representation for women in parliaments? 

Trailblazing Voices

This short podcast series from 2021 introduced listeners to diverse perspectives outside of the Global North by featuring academics and practitioners in political science and public policy from traditionally underrepresented countries and backgrounds. This podcast supplemented the Inclusive Curriculum project.

UCL wide resources 

UCL Equality, Diversity & Inclusion: Think differently, do differently
Here you will be able to find information on issues relating to race, gender, religion and belief, sexual orientation, and disability, amongst other equalities initiatives at UCL.

Student Support and Wellbeing
UCL is committed to providing the support you need to make the most of your studies. Whatever your circumstances, there are a wide range of people across UCL who can help you to stay on track.

UCL Workplace Health
UCL’s occupational health and staff wellbeing team. We are working to make UCL a happy and healthy place to be for the whole UCL community. We offer a range of resources to support your mental and physical wellbeing.

UCL Student Union Societies
There's a society for everyone. Find your people.

UCL Student Support for Specific Groups
There is a range of support at UCL for students from particular groups. Find out more about this here.