EDI Caucus
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edicaucus.bsky.social
EDI Caucus
@edicaucus.bsky.social
930 followers 410 following 660 posts
The Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Caucus. Multidisciplinary project, funded by UKRI and British Academy, to create inclusive careers across the research and innovation systems in the UK. edicaucus.ac.uk
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edicaucus.bsky.social
Tomorrow is the big day for us - EDICa's Symposium on 'what "works" in creating equitable and accessible careers in research & innovation'. Not too late to sign up to join on zoom.
zoom.us/webinar/regi...
#BSL is provided, captions provided, slides in advance, breaks throughout.
A classroom with comfy blue chairs in front of wood tables. 8 men and women of various races sit scattered in a rough circle talking. In the background a presentation screen shows Heriot-Watt University's logo. EDICa Symposium. 20 November 2025 09:30-16:30 GMT. FREE. Join us on Zoom. What works in creating equitable and accessible careers in research and innovation. BSL logo, BSL provided. QR. url. Funded by UKRI and British Academy.
November 19, 2025 at 1:43 PM
edicaucus.bsky.social
What was nice to see was credit given to a female archaeologist in the 1930s for discovering the Roman baths on this site. Kathleen Kenyon.
Photo of an ancient Roman brick wall about 8 foot high with big arches. Photo of the information plaque showing artist rendition of the Roman baths. Below is a black and white photo of a woman unearthing the old wall and text about Kathleen Kenyon Photo of large plaque on a street about Kathleen Kenyon. Black and white photos of the woman and a large team of archaeologists and the site in the 1930s.
November 11, 2025 at 8:56 AM
edicaucus.bsky.social
Your correspondent has been let out of the office to attend the Black Heritage Voices conference in Leicester today.
Held at the Jewry Wall Museum, which I thought would have something to do with Jewish history of some kind, but really doesn’t. It’s medieval jury spelling and is all Roman history!
On a table a black tote bag and printed conference materials. The main one has a photo of a black woman in shawl and head covering with title The importance of black archives in preserving historical memory. Photo of the statue of Richard III holding up a crown. Behind is an autumnal beech hedge and brick buildings. A photo of Leicester cathedral and the autumnal square of trees and beech hedges.
November 11, 2025 at 8:56 AM
edicaucus.bsky.social
Today EDICa is holding its first workshop with the #BeingHuman2025 festival. We’ve partnered with the Community Wellbeing Collective in Wester Hailes, a part of Edinburgh with multiple deprivation, just 7 min drive from Heriot-Watt University.
Four women pose beside a long yellow table with creative materials scattered across it. Two white women on the left, and on the right, a black woman with head covering and a Chinese woman with long black hair. A refreshment station, with a small plant, tiny pumpkins, several plates of pastries and cakes, and fruit. Behind which is tea, making facilities. A single Story small building with a car park in front. The building is painted bright yellow and has a ramp to a side door on the right.
November 6, 2025 at 11:29 AM
edicaucus.bsky.social
“We’re always very caught up in academic terminology and lingo. It’s nice to have another means for us to refer back to and to make our research more accessible beyond the bounds of academia. In this case, Clare is asking questions and asking us to say it again in ‘English’, go slower.” -Dr Cocco //
A classroom with tables with cups and pens and post it notes. At the board is a long stretch of white paper with a big arrow with lots of drawings and writing on it. The white woman illustrator stands adding more.
November 5, 2025 at 3:35 PM
edicaucus.bsky.social
Today one of our postdocs is hosting a @britishacademy.bsky.social ECR Network-funded Reproductive Health Network and Research Agenda.
The event brings people together to spark ideas and collaborate. But there’s also @listenthinkdraw.bsky.social illustrating what they’re saying. 1/2
A white woman with long fair hair stands at a long stretch of white paper taped to a couple of classroom whiteboards. She stretches up to write at the top. Writing and small illustrations are on the left and right with white space in the middle for future drawings.
November 5, 2025 at 3:35 PM
edicaucus.bsky.social
For #AdaLovelaceDay your correspondent can personally recommend Sydney Padua's steampunk graphic novel of The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage.

Makes a great gift for a friend, too.
(And yes, you can admire the ALT text)
Comic showing four levels of panels. In first, Babbage is bored beside his machine. Narrative - Then, at a party on June 5th 1833... . Babbage sighs Nobody understands me. Lovelace can be seen studying the machine intently. She explodes, "Astounding!! In enabling mechanism to combine together general symbols in successions of unlimited variety and extent, a uniting link is established between the operations of matter--". Babbage looks surprised. Eh? Ada continues, "and the abstract mental processes of the most abstract branch of mathematical science!!!!". Babbage exclaims in delight, Yes, yes exactly. Ada, still excited says, A new, vast, and powerful language is developed for the future use of analysis so it may become of more speedy and accurate practical application for the purposes of mankind than the means hitherto in our possession have rendered possible!". A couple of party goers in the background mutter to each other "Hey look... we're present for the invention of the geek!". Lovelace looks at her fan saying This must be twittered! She looks confused, wait, this is a fan. Then sad. Suddenly there is a gaping hole in my life of which i was hitherto unaware. A maroon front cover showing a carton of Babbage in his steam pipe hat, and Lovelace in dress but smoking pipe in her mouth, both determinedly marching towards the view. In Victorian style writing, The Thrilling adventures of Lovelace and Babbage. The (mostly) true story of the first computer. Celebrated and distinguished characters instructive and amusing scenes; as performed within and without the remarkable difference engine embellished with portraits and scientifick diagrams the performance to conclude with the lively face.
October 14, 2025 at 4:22 PM
edicaucus.bsky.social
EDICa's latest blog is from postdoc Dr Dong Lin on the Ups and Downs of Recruiting Participants for Research Studies.

We're conscious of busy people's time, and those from minoritised groups often get tapped on the shoulder.
Read about Dr Lin's lessons learned.

edicaucus.ac.uk/the-ups-and-...
An image of a road across a white background rumpled up into ups and downs.
October 1, 2025 at 2:03 PM
edicaucus.bsky.social
This coming Thursday, 2 October @ 13:00, join us online for a seminar on "Co-production in the Context of Neurodiversity".
Prof McDowall will speak on the joys & challenges of engaging in co-production with neurodivergent workers during all stages of the research cycle.

go.hw.ac.uk/EDICa/Semina...
EDICa logo. Innovative approaches to EDI research. Co-production in the Context of Neurodiversity. Prof Almuth McDowall. Thursday 2 October 2025; 13:00-14:00 BST on Zoom. URL and QR code.
September 26, 2025 at 10:48 AM
edicaucus.bsky.social
EDICa is teaming up with the Community Wellbeing Collective in #WesterHailes Edinburgh for #BeingHuman2025. Participants can craft personal pages for a zine inspired by experiences of periods/(peri)menopause, thinking about gaps in support in the workplace & healthcare.
go.hw.ac.uk/PeriodTalk
EDICa logo. Being Human Festival 2025 logo, showing a dandelion-looking starburst. Period talk: periods, power & work. 6 Nov 10:30-12:30 and 14 Nov 17:00-19:00. At Community Wellbeing Collective, Wester Hailes, Edinburgh. Booking advised. link. In the corner is a brightly coloured image of a table covered in paper, books, magazines, pens, a muffin and couple of mugs, and two people's hands can be seem holding pens and turning pages.
September 24, 2025 at 3:49 PM
edicaucus.bsky.social
Your EDICa correspondent moonlights on an Athena SWAN committee, and has arranged Dr Simon Buck to give a talk 22 Oct 15:00-16:00 hybrid, on Scottish universities' links to enslavement & colonialism. This, in honour of Heriot-Watt's late chancellor, Prof Sir Geoff Palmer.
go.hw.ac.uk/SoSS/BlackHi...
Black square with Black History Month and the outline of Africa each featuring the red, mustard and green colours of Black History month. October 2025
September 15, 2025 at 3:32 PM
edicaucus.bsky.social
EDICa's latest newsletter is out! Packed full of calls for participants, seminars, some news from the field of EDI, but featuring the results of projects on narrative CVs and on casualised academics.

Sway version: go.hw.ac.uk/EDICa/Newsle...
PDF version: go.hw.ac.uk/EDICa/Newsle...
To be shared!
September 2, 2025 at 4:00 PM
edicaucus.bsky.social
To view the variety of outputs, including two reports and an infographic, go to EDICa's resource library entry:
edicaucus.ac.uk/writing-and-...
Alt: image shows screenshot of some of the infographic

#AcademicSky #Funding #NarrativeCV #EDI #DEI #PeerReview #ResearchFunding
Screenshot showing infographic. Part of headline is Solutions. A box shows a graphic of people working on a flowchart with the heading Barriers and Enables in Grant Application Writing Uncovered. The top of the next box is just visible with heading Narrative CV: Barriers and Facilitators.
August 29, 2025 at 8:11 AM
edicaucus.bsky.social
"In Their Own Time" - a project funded by EDICa, features comics from Maria Stoian based on research by Drs Wanggren & Menard.
Susie's a neuroscientist working on and off on casualised contracts for 12 years, balancing family life.
in-their-own-time.ed.ac.uk
You can read more "in your own time"
Screenshot of cartoon strip in green tones. Four panels from left to right. First shows a plugged in smartphone buzzing alarm at 6am. Dialogue tells the reader "My own time is mostly in the morning. It's the time of day that is just for me. Second shows woman with fair shoulder length hair sitting cross legged in a living room, dog snoozing to one side, and says I meditate before anyone else is up. Third shows her walking a dog along a path with a wall, says Sometimes i go to yoga classes, walk the dog. Fourth has her looking at you and wearing glasses as she touches one of a set of family photos on the wall and says "You need to learn how to prioritise yourself when you have children."
August 27, 2025 at 8:32 AM
edicaucus.bsky.social
Help us gauge the state of the UK's research & innovation sector in terms of preventing and handling bullying & harassment. Please share our survey of anyone who has witnessed or experienced it at work.

go.hw.ac.uk/EDICa/Bullyi...
EDICa logo, funded by UKRI and British Academy. SURVEY. Bullying & sexual harassment in the UK's research & innovation sector. Have you witnessed bullying or sexual harassment? Have you experienced bullying or sexual harassment? Anyone employed in UK's R&I sector (including postgrad research students). All job types - techs, innovators, researchers, research leaders, R&I managers, administrators, PhD students. All sectors - industry, academia, charity, government. 10-20 minutes to complete. URL and QR code.
August 25, 2025 at 11:55 AM
edicaucus.bsky.social
Join us online on 4 September 13:00-14:00 to learn about Black women academics' experience in the UK from Dr Yaz Osho.
go.hw.ac.uk/EDICa/Semina...

Osho, Y.I., Alormele, N. Negotiated spaces: black women academics’ experiences in UK universities. doi.org/10.1007/s107...
Examining the disparities in employment contracts by race from an intersectional lens (Crenshaw, 1989), Black women are disproportionately employed on precarious hourly paid contracts compared to other groups (UCU, 2021). A sizable proportion of Black academic staff (37%) are employed on a part time basis. Under the casualisation of academic labour, Black women academics experience increasing workloads, marginality, feelings of exploitation, gendered and structural racism (Arday, 2022; Pennant, 2022; Sang, 2016; Wright et al., 2007).
August 22, 2025 at 10:18 AM
edicaucus.bsky.social
Take some of your own time, and read 8 stories of casualised and precariously employed academics.
in-their-own-time.ed.ac.uk

Dr Cécile Ménard and Dr Lena Wånggren with artist Maria Stoian received EDICa Flexible Funding to produce this research and artwork highlighting the challenges faced.
8 cartoon-drawn headshots, each with a different colour of shading. Steph - sepia shading, with flowing brown hair and glasses. Robbie - purple shading, with glasses and fair hair in a low ponytail falling over one shoulder. Susan - green shading, with wavy fair hair and glasses. Alex, orange shading, with short brown hair. Olivia, blue-grey shading, with black braids pulled into a bun at the nape of the neck. Eimhir, pink shading, with short hair. Gwen, turquoise shading, with pixie cut dark hair and earrings. Chris, blue shading, with short dark hair and glasses.
August 21, 2025 at 11:02 AM
edicaucus.bsky.social
Coming up on 4 September 13:00-14:00, we'll hear about the method of literature reviews using the case study of one conducted on black women academics' experience in the UK.
Ideal for EDI practitioners as well as students of social sciences.
go.hw.ac.uk/EDICa/Semina...

#EDI #DEI #AcademicSky
EDICa logo. Innovative approaches to EDI research. Literature review & black women academics' experience. By Dr Yaz Osho. Thursday 4 September 13:00-14:00 BST on Zoom. QR code and URL. Books icon.
August 19, 2025 at 1:05 PM
edicaucus.bsky.social
EDICa is announcing it's end-of-project symposium!!
Join us on zoom on 20 November to hear about our research looking at the evidence bases of what "works" in creating equitable, inclusive, accessible careers in research & innovation.
Learn more and register here: go.hw.ac.uk/EDICa/Sympos...
EDICa logo - EDI Caucus Symposium. 20 November 2025 09:30-16:30 GMT. Free. Join us on Zoom. QR code and url - learn more here. What "works" in creating equitable and accessible careers in research & innovation. BSL provided. Funded by UKRI and The British Academy.
August 14, 2025 at 1:11 PM
edicaucus.bsky.social
The project has published 8 academic's stories in comic form. This is Steph's story.
"Steph is a migrant academic, researcher, teacher and single mum. She highlights the difficulty of juggling an academic career and childcare."
Read more at the site, but... it'll have to be in your own time...
A screenshot of comics in a sepia brown tone. Shwiya, shwiya is the title. Frame one is a woman with tan skin and black hair and glasses sitting a table with laptop and steaming cup. Houseplants can be seen on the window sill behind her. Text: Steph is a Single Mum. Today is her daughter's first day back at school after the holidays. speech bubble: I have 2 uni jobs. Both hourly, one is 0 hours. I usually work in my own time from my kitchen table, in the evenings after my daughter has gone to bed. Next frame she looks aside saying I make mistakes if I'm distracted. Even when she's not here, I have things to do. Clean, cook, work.
August 13, 2025 at 4:23 PM
edicaucus.bsky.social
We can report a lovely 25C in the Lothians. Nice enough to sit outside in the shade, but a bit warm for hiking at sea level or gardening. Or jamming into Festival crowds.
Pictured is the Edinburgh Book Festival.
A set of modern and Victorian office buildings beside a square. Tents and banners and lots of people show it’s the Edinburgh Book Festival
August 12, 2025 at 2:53 PM
edicaucus.bsky.social
Now included in our library of useful resources. The article has a useful graphic you can download, as well as the matrix of what actions are recommended to improve things.
edicaucus.ac.uk/the-manifold...
a screenshot of the graphic, with the text illegible. It shows an athletic track with two people set to race, the yellow figure is the non-native speaker and has extra pitfalls and hurdles than the blue native speaker.
July 16, 2025 at 2:54 PM
edicaucus.bsky.social
Dr @yetunde-ataiyero.bsky.social is looking for Black nursing academics in non-Russell group universities to participate in a study looking at ways to eliminate barriers.

forms.office.com/e/G87DCb0mgT
FAIR nursing study. U of Staffordshire and EDICa logos. Are you a black nursing academic? We want to hear from you! About the study - we are seeking to understand the barriers to conducting research among Black nursing academics in non-Russell group universities. Your insights will help shape recommendations that aim to foster a more inclusive research environment. How to participate - if you are interested in taking part, please complete our electronic expression of interest form and review the participant information sheet. QR codes.
July 1, 2025 at 4:24 PM
edicaucus.bsky.social
Up first is our survey of everyone in the UK's research & innovation sector - regardless of sector, gender and job role (PhD students included) - on experience and/or witnessing of bullying and/or sexual harassment.
go.hw.ac.uk/EDICa/Bullyi...
EDICa logo, funded by UKRI and British Academy. SURVEY. Bullying & sexual harassment in the UK's research & innovation sector. Have you witnessed bullying or sexual harassment? Have you experienced bullying or sexual harassment? Anyone employed in UK's R&I sector (including postgrad research students). All job types - techs, innovators, researchers, research leaders, R&I managers, administrators, PhD students. All sectors - industry, academia, charity, government. 10-20 minutes to complete. URL and QR code. Closing 15 August.
July 1, 2025 at 4:24 PM
edicaucus.bsky.social
EDICa's latest newsletter is out!
go.hw.ac.uk/EDICa/Newsle...
It's packed with calls for participants, which you can also find in a thread here: 🧵
Some of these studies are targeting niche groups, like Black nursing academics in the UK. Some are broader. Please help us out by sharing these calls.
Latest Newsletter - Read more. URL. EDICa logo.
July 1, 2025 at 4:24 PM