A new action plan to address the under-representation of ethnic minority background PhD students in geosciences has been created by researchers at Sheffield Hallam

Press contact: Emma Griffiths | e.griffiths@shu.ac.uk

The plan is part of the Equator Project, a widening participation initiative led by Sheffield Hallam University to identify how to remove barriers to doctoral study in geography, earth and environmental sciences.  

Published in Nature Geoscience, the team highlighted strategies to make access to postgraduate research more equitable.  

Their study highlighted three main areas in doctorial recruitment where improvements should be made to tackle underrepresentation:  

• How universities present doctoral study to students 
• How students are evaluated  
• The procedures used in the application process  

The Equator Project’s Principal Investigator, Dr Natasha Dowey from Sheffield Hallam University, said: “While we were focusing on the geosciences because geology, physical geography and environmental science are three of the worst physical science subjects for representation of students from ethnic minority backgrounds, our findings are transferable to other disciplines. There is no excuse for not taking immediate action.” 

The team have recommended that when presenting doctoral study to students, universities should use demographic networks for advertising and provide access to pre-application opportunities such as workshops and mentoring.  

When evaluating applications universities should seek to reduce bias, for example by using anti-discriminatory assessment metrics, declaring conflicts of interest and focusing on holistic assessments of potential.  

Longer term, funding bodies should standardise what demographic information about an applicant is collected, and how any contextual information is used in admissions decisions, with ring-fenced opportunities for under-represented students. 

Lead author, Dr Benjamin Fernando from the University of Oxford, said: “It is often assumed that students from minority backgrounds are under-represented simply because they don’t know about PhD opportunities or aren’t interested. The truth is a range of complex structural, cultural and personal reasons create barriers to access. Our work focusses on the recruitment stage, where key changes can make the application process less discriminatory and more inclusive.”