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Hello! Recently, we ( @OptoLia + @HopeLouiseB--both physics ECRs ) had the opportunity to collaborate with @ProfRachelGaN ( @cu_mat) + @erinmaochu ( @ManMetUni) on an article published in the Science in Parl. Journal, @parlscicom.
We think it is important to share the broader context of this work, to recognise and cite the individuals and groups who shaped our thinking and continue to lead and inspire in the work for equity in science today, and to discuss the outcomes+recommendations of this work.
This article is one of a trio of papers based on presentations by Professor Ijeoma Uchegbu ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ijeoma_Uchegbu @ucl, @UCLEqualities), Professor Rachel Oliver ( @ProfRachelGaN, @Cambridge_Uni, @EqualityCam) and Professor Dawn Edge ( @EdgeDawn, @OfficialUoM, @UoMEandD).
They led a discussion called ‘Racial Inequality in the UK science community’ for the Parliamentary and Scientific community ( @parlscicom), and transformed their presentations into articles, located here:
Racism, equity and inclusion in research funding, by @erinmaochu @ProfRachelGaN @HopeLouiseB @OptoLia speaks from the perspective of STEM researchers stuck in the funding cycle (more on this later in the thread!) ( https://osf.io/pgv3x/download/?format=pdf)
‘Scientific racism’ & structural inequalities: implications for researching Black mental health, by @EdgeDawn, Jamal Alston & @erinmaochu, based on research led by Prof Edge at @OfficialUoM https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/dawn.edge.html
This provides powerful evidence on the impact of false claims on racial differences to mental health services for Black people in edu. & healthcare, read here: https://figshare.com/articles/preprint/_Scientific_Racism_and_structural_inequalities_Implications_for_researching_Black_mental_health/13768288
Ethnic Diversity in Science is written by Prof Ijeoma Uchegbu, a Professor of Pharmaceutical Nanoscience at the @UCL @School_Pharmacy & the Provost’s envoy for racial equality
In the article Prof Uchegbu shows how systemic racism in our educational pathways reduces diversity in leadership. It is a concern for everyone because studies show diverse leadership benefits society, innovation & the economy, read here: https://osf.io/qnzh6/
Our article is a part of @TIGERinSTEMM mission to address structural inequity in research funding for minoritised scientists in the UK. This is part of a broader effort from @TIGERinSTEMM- (check out other works located: https://www.tigerinstemm.org/resources/barriers-to-funding )
We have focused on racial inequity in UK STEMM funding, and found a number of trends in @UKRI_News data (5 years of research council funding allocation data): https://public.tableau.com/profile/uk.research.and.innovation.ukri.#!/vizhome/EDIfundingdata2021/Awardrate
Ethnic minority* applicants experience lower success rates & get less ££ for grants & fellowships than white peers. The award gap gets worse from fellowship to co-I to PI, deepening underrepresentation at senior levels including the grant panels themselves
*We use ‘ethnic minority’ & ‘BAME’ because they are terms @UKRI uses but we advocate against these broad terms as they can do more harm than good. Here’s an article by @ChantayyJayy that explains this: https://gal-dem.com/bookmark-this-are-acronyms-like-bame-a-nonsense/
The data hints at ways that BAME researchers succeed through alternative funding routes. Eg: the success rate of BAME researchers as CoI+fellowships were higher. BAME researchers find innovative ways to stay in research, without following the prescribed career ladder.
For EPSRC funding data, which covers our research-areas, ethnic minorities have a lower success rate than white PIs, meaning that each successful grant would require 2 years of writing/submitting proposals, as compared to 1.5 for a white applicant.
However- per grant, they receive 65k less (equivalent to hiring a postdoc for 1 year), so researchers lose further research time and output in writing grants, and each grant has less impact--creating a cycle that is hard to break out of.
This was shocking to us as ECRs, but for people who have lived this reality, this isn’t surprising, and has vast consequences.
Racialised inequity in funding structures creates global issues such as excluding African institutions in consortium development, preventing truly equitable foreign research & collaborations to happen, see this open letter to @NatureMedicine https://twitter.com/udnore/status/1382757134266421250
We also felt frustrated by the data: the terminology, way it is collected, and lack of intersectionality.
We do note @EPSRC recently released more granular data ( https://epsrc.ukri.org/funding/edi-at-epsrc/ethnicity-and-race-equality/)--but we still find that, while we think data can be used to hold people accountable
We do note @EPSRC recently released more granular data ( https://epsrc.ukri.org/funding/edi-at-epsrc/ethnicity-and-race-equality/)--but we still find that, while we think data can be used to hold people accountable
data is imperfect: data can fail us. By listening to the lived experience of researchers & following their alternative paths we found effective routes towards systemic change that need more visibility & investment
We want to hear about your experiences as a reviewer or an applicant- share your stories with @tigerinstemm
