Queen Mary’s community is made up of people with diverse identities and experiences. We are proud of our diverse community and recognise the importance of visibility. We are particularly interested in creating Spotlight Profiles of colleagues from underrepresented communities and to look at identities at an intersection, to celebrate what makes our community.
Spotlight Profiles will be published throughout Women's History Month and International Women's Day, so check back regularly to meet more women across Queen Mary.
Thank you to colleagues who have provided their Spotlight Profiles. We hope you enjoy reading them.
Pronouns: she/her
Role/position: Sexual Assault and Harassment Adviser
School/Directorate: Student Experience
I started my career in the charity sector supporting women and girls experiencing gender-based violence. I provided direct support to survivors of domestic and sexual abuse for about 8 years, and also had the opportunity to manage a passionate and highly skilled team of women running Solace’s Advice line during the COVID-19 pandemic.
I made the decision to join Queen Mary because I was deeply passionate about leveraging my expertise in the field of violence against women and girls to address the critical need for specialist support services for students experiencing sexual assault and/or harassment. Recognising the alarming prevalence of sexual violence in higher education and the profound impact it has on survivors, I saw an opportunity to contribute meaningfully by setting up a student-led, trauma-informed support service tailored to the unique needs of students. My vision was to create a service that not only provides immediate support to students, but that also prioritises healing, empowerment and long-term recovery. I believe in taking a holistic approach that encompasses advocacy and emotional support, with an emphasis on intersectionality and inclusivity. At the same time, I work with other parts of the university to foster a campus culture that values safety for all.
As a white woman, my personal identity intersects with my work and role at Queen Mary in several ways. As we know, sexual violence is sadly incredibly prevalent in our society, with women and girls being the disproportionate victims of these crimes. As a woman myself, I am deeply invested in supporting other women experiencing violence and/or abuse. In my current role, I am able to support students of all genders. I feel as a woman I have a sound understanding of how the patriarchy is also harmful to men and boys, which I believe enables me to provide a safe space for survivors, whatever their gender.
I am also extremely passionate about issues of gender (in)equality in higher education, which motivated me to apply to be one of the Co-Chairs of the Staff Gender Equality Network.
At the same time, it’s important for me to be aware of my privilege as a white person. I try to actively engage in ongoing self-reflection and learning about issues of equality, diversity and inclusion. I recognise that my experiences and perspectives may differ from those of colleagues or students from diverse backgrounds, and I strive to create an inclusive and supportive environment where all voices are heard and valued.
To me, EDI means recognising and celebrating the uniqueness of each individual, regardless of their background, identity or lived experience. It means creating a culture where everyone feels valued, respected, included and safe, and where systemic barriers to equality are acknowledged, addressed and dismantled.
As a staff member at Queen Mary, I believe EDI also plays a vital role in fostering a sense of belonging and community within the university. By creating an inclusive environment we’re allowing staff and students from different backgrounds to succeed. This not only enriches someone’s education journey or work experience, but also contributes to overall wellbeing and sense of belonging.
Events such as LGBTQIA+ History Month are so important because they’re about acknowledging structural inequality but also celebrating the achievements of people from marginalised backgrounds. They can be a helpful platform to get conversation going on what we as an institution can do to tackle existing barriers.
If I were to offer one piece of advice to others in the Queen Mary community to help them foster an inclusive environment and / or be an effective ally it would be to prioritise active listening and to create space for ongoing self-reflection and learning around things such as unconscious bias.
Taking the time to actively listen and engage with others and seek to understand their unique experiences, and validating their voices is extremely important in my view. I definitely think practising humility and empathy is key. Additionally, I’d say educating oneself about different identities and experiences and being courageous enough to challenge one’s biases is a step we can all take to become better allies.
Role/position: Policy & Campaigns Manager (Tackling Sexual Violence, Harassment and Hate Crime)
I started my career in the charity sector supporting people experiencing gender-based violence before moving into policy roles aiming to make changes to better support victim-survivors. In my current role I focus on how we can prevent and make things better for anyone who experiences sexual violence, bullying, harassment or hate crime. This covers reporting processes, raising awareness of the issues, and offering courses and workshops on topics like Consent and Bystander intervention. My favourite thing about working in the Queen Mary community is that people are always willing to help to achieve change, whether that be participating in the Gender Equality Network or helping promote workshops to students.
Working at an organisation that actively promotes and champions inclusivity is very important to me. It is great to have an opportunity to participate in and co-chair the Gender Equality Network and the space it provides to discuss the issues that are barriers to Gender Equality and what change we would like to see. I am keen to work with and learn from the LGBT+, Race Equality, Parents and Carers, and Disability networks to explore where there are intersections and where change is needed.
I enjoy being able to attend the events that are available marking these key events throughout the year, it is great to learn about different perspectives and to hear from people across the organisation. Queen Mary is so big, but these events provide an opportunity to hear from staff with experiences to share or present research they have done. One aspect of what Equality, Diversity and Inclusion means to me is an opportunity for marginalised voices to be given space at the decision-making table and for action to be taken in response. I think the University Networks are a good way of ensuring that more people’s voices can be heard at a senior level. There is some excellent work happening in Faculty and Directorate EDI committees and I would like to see opportunities for these groups to share challenges and good practice.
I would encourage people to take part in the University networks to share personal insight into your own experiences or experiences of those in your department or directorate. I would also recommend the Bystander Intervention training, it really helps you to think about how you will respond if you witness inappropriate behaviour. It can be daunting to call out someone directly but the workshop discusses other effective strategies you can use in these situations.