Feature

Tue, December 08, 2020

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Racial Inequality in the UK Science Community

The Parliamentary and Scientific Committee meeting featured three speakers, each focussing on a different issue.

Professor Ijeoma F. Uchegbu explored the low representation of Black, Asian and minority ethnic experts at all levels of university research decision making. Furthermore, the UK research community does not represent the UK population, who fund research via taxpayer money.

Professor Rachel Oliver talked about the funding gap that exists between races. Black and ethnic minority researchers are underfunded compared to their white peers despite typically publishing more papers.

Professor Dawn Edge closed the meeting by discussing the institutional racism in Psychiatry. In the UK minorities are disproportionately diagnosed with psychosis or schizophrenia. Little is being done to address this long-standing, widely acknowledged problem. It is often exacerbated by the lack of diversity on research funding panels, who influence which research projects receive funding.

The OR Society is looking to understand where we fit into this landscape and what we can do to address inequality we may identify. We welcome feedback from our members and encourage personal reflection on how individuals may help to address the challenges.

View the Professors’ slides here