This document discusses equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in engineering and physical sciences. It defines EDI and explains why they are important. It highlights barriers faced by minority groups in academia, such as lower success rates in funding applications and fewer role models. Data on the UK Research Council EPSRC shows disparities in application and funding success rates between genders and ethnicities. The document urges actions like raising awareness, providing mentoring, and addressing discrimination to improve EDI in research.

1. Equality, Diversity & Inclusion in
Engineering & Physical Sciences
Dr Tanvir Hussain
CEng, FIMMM, FHEA
Associate Professor in Materials Eng
Deputy Director of EDI Faculty of Engineering

2. Coatings & Surface Engineering (CSE)
High Velocity Oxy-Fuel
(HVOF)
Suspension & Solution precursor
(SSP) thermal spray
Atmospheric Plasma
Spray Cold Spray
2kW Fibre Laser Cladding
(powder + wire)
CFD process modelling
• Tribology (pin-on-disc)
• Hot Corrosion, steam
oxidation
• Small punch creep
Low pressure Cold
Spray
(Dymet 423)

3. Outline
• What is Equality/Equity, Diversity & Inclusion?
• Why should we care?
• Barriers faced by minority groups in research & research
funding
• What can you do?

4. What is Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
Equality is about ensuring everybody has an equal opportunity,
and is not treated differently or discriminated against because of their
characteristics.
Diversity is about taking account of the differences between people and
groups of people, and placing a positive value on those differences.
Inclusion is to embrace all people irrespective of race, gender, disability,
medical or other need. It is about giving equal access and opportunities and
getting rid of discrimination and intolerance (removal of barriers). It affects all
aspects of public life.

5. What is EDI?
Source: Verna Myers
Diversity is being INVITED to the Party
Inclusion is being ASKED to dance
Equality is being on the Party Planning Committee

6. The Equality Act 2010
The Equality Act 2010 outlaws discrimination on grounds of the following
protected characteristics:
• Age
• Disability
• Gender reassignment
• Marriage and Civil Partnership
• Pregnancy and Maternity
• Race
• Religion or Belief
• Sex
• Sexual orientation
Positive Action (not the same as Positive Discrimination) is allowed
(Equality act section 158-159, Public sector equality duty 149)

7. Surely Academia is a Meritocracy?
The Myth of meritocracy: who really gets what they deserve?
https://www.theguardian.com/news/2018/oct/19/the-myth-of-meritocracy-who-
really-gets-what-they-deserve

8. Equity vs Equality
Medium blogs
djlwsu & Richard Leong

9. Why should we care?
Why diversity Matters? https://www.mckinsey.com/business-
functions/organization/our-insights/why-diversity-matters#
McKinsey examined proprietary data sets for 366 public companies across a range
of industries in Canada, Latin America, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

10. Guardian article
• Only 140 academic staff at professorial level identified as Black (out of
21,000 professors)
• 25 Black women professors
• However, 7% of our Undergraduate populations are Black

11. Engineering & Physical Sciences Research
Council (EPSRC)
14
15
15
14
85
82
83
83
0 20 40 60 80 100
2015-16
2016-17
2017-18
2018-19
Application No %
EPSRC Applications No. Gender (%)
Male Female
31
36
32
25
31
34
32
26
0 10 20 30 40
2015-16
2016-17
2017-18
2018-19
Success rate %
EPSRC Success Rate Gender (%)
Male Female
All seven Research Council Data available here
https://www.ukri.org/our-work/supporting-healthy-research-and-innovation-
culture/equality-diversity-and-inclusion/diversity-data/

12. EPSRC large grant report
https://epsrc.ukri.org/files/aboutus/epsrcunderstandingourportfolio-
agenderperspectivereport/

13. EPSRC Ethnic Minority Award
26
26
24
20
32
37
33
28
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
2015-16
2016-17
2017-18
2018-19
Success rate %
EPSRC PI Success Rate Ethnicity(%)
White Ethnic Minority

14. EPSRC Fellowships
19
11
15
39
29
19
23
24
29
0 20 40 60
2014-15
2015-16
2016-17
2017-18
2018-19
Award Rate %
EPSRC Fellowship Award Rate %
White Ethnic Minority
675000
751000
596000
609000
796000
751000
685000
830000
732000
0 200000 400000 600000 800000 1000000
2014-15
2015-16
2016-17
2017-18
2018-19
Award Mean (£)
EPSRC Fellowship Award Mean value £
White Ethnic Minority

15. Diversity-Innovation Paradox Paper
https://www.pnas.org/content/117/17/9284
• ∼1.2 million US doctoral recipients (1977-2015) and following their careers into faculty
positions
• Underrepresented groups produce higher rates of scientific novelty. However, their novel
contributions are devalued and discounted.
• Novel contributions by gender and racial minorities are taken up by other scholars at
lower rates.

16. A vicious cycle
Low success
rate in
winning
funding
Bias & barriers
in peer review
and panels
Poor University
support
Other systemic
factors
Lack of
money to
support
research
Time not
bought out
for research
Less
opportunity
to pursue
new ideas
Less high
impact
publications
Less
attractive
recent track
record
Allocation of
greater
administrativ
e load
Allocation of
greater
teaching load
Less time to
develop new
research
ideas
Reduced
opportunity to
develop exciting
research
proposals
Lack of access
to research
networks
Institutional
gate keeping
Lack of Role
Models &
senior Profs
Less highly
skilled PGRs
& PDRAs
Co-created with Prof. R. Oliver

17. What can I do?
• Raise awareness
• Don’t expect the minorities to take the burden
• Be an Active Bystander
• Anonymised PDRA/ Academic recruitment
• Role Models and mentoring
• Support network for underreprested minorities
• Watch out for discriminations in research including
microagressions
• Finally, “a diverse team will do the best science”

18. Thank You
@tanvir_h
tanvir.hussain@nottingham.ac.uk
www.nottingham.ac.uk/CSE