Creating a supportive culture for students and staff.
Building a place where everyone belongs!
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) is our shared commitment to creating an environment where everyone can participate, contribute, and thrive—regardless of background, identity, or lived experience. At Queen’s University Belfast (QUB), EDI is not an “add-on”; it is integral to excellent research, teaching, leadership, and community impact.
Our group actively contributes to EDI across QUB through practical initiatives, supportive culture-building, and collaboration with colleagues and partners across the University and beyond. Lucia serves as the Academic Lead for EDI, helping to shape priorities and support meaningful, evidence-informed action.
We define EDI as a continuous practice of:
- Equality: fair access to opportunity and resources
- Diversity: recognising, valuing, and learning from difference
- Inclusion: ensuring people feel welcomed, respected, and able to fully participate
We aim to create spaces where people can learn, work, and collaborate free from discrimination and judgement, and where individuals feel empowered to share their ideas and perspectives.
Our approach is shaped by the following values:
- Authenticity — being yourself without fear
- Voice — sharing ideas freely
- Pride — celebrating background and identity
- Support — feeling seen, valued, and encourage
- Growth — becoming your best self
- Belonging — connecting with a welcoming community
- Joy and positivity — feeling happy, confident, and motivated
- Respect — honouring different perspectives and experiences
- Collaboration — working together across differences
- Inspiration — learning from others and being inspired to grow
- Safety — feeling free from discrimination and judgment
These principles guide how we work together internally and how we engage with students, colleagues, and external collaborators.
Our EDI contribution includes:
- Supporting inclusive research and teaching practices
- Promoting respectful, constructive team culture and collaboration
- Improving visibility and access to opportunities (especially for underrepresented groups)
- Contributing to EDI-focused initiatives across QUB
- Sharing resources, approaches, and learning with the wider community
We also welcome opportunities to co-design activities that respond to specific needs—whether within a department, a research network, or a wider partnership.
We are keen to connect with:
- Researchers, educators, and professional services colleagues
- Student groups and representatives
- External partners, community organisations, and networks
- Anyone seeking to build more inclusive practices through thoughtful, practical action
If you are planning an initiative, looking for a collaborator, or would like to share resources and ideas, we would be pleased to hear from you.
- LinkedIn: LINK
- Email: biosciences.EDIcommittee@qub.ac.uk