Andra le Roux-Kemp, Chair of the Queen Mary Ethics of Research Committee

27 February 2025

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how long you’ve worked at Queen Mary?

It is only very recently, in January 2025, that I joined Queen Mary in an external advisor capacity as the Chair of the Queen Mary Ethics of Research Committee. I am also an Associate Professor in Law at the University of Lincoln, and prior to joining Lincoln Law School in 2019, I held positions at the City University of Hong Kong (HKSAR), the University of the Western Cape (South Africa), and Stellenbosch University (South Africa). I also lived in Germany for a few years, where I held a research scholarship at the Free University of Berlin. My educational background and training are as varied (and exciting) as my career trajectory to date: I have degrees in law and musicology, am currently completing my DBA in higher education management, and have also pursued training in applied ethics, medical anthropology and research methodologies, to name a few. As is evident, I am very passionate and committed to lifelong learning and exploring and experiencing as much as one possibly can of our world.    

Describe your average day/week

There is no typical day or week in my work diary: Some days you will find me on a train criss-crossing the breadth and width of this island for meetings or events. Other days I will be lecturing, mostly Medical Law and Ethics for undergraduate students, but also Criminal Justice at the post-graduate level. Some days or weeks I am also able to devote to research, including staying abreast of developments in all my areas of scholarly interest. What is a constant in every week, is ethics: On Monday mornings I enjoy catching up and working with the Queen Mary research ethics team. Most weeks also involve the review of ethics applications, whether for Queen Mary, the University of Lincoln, or the NHS REC on which I serve. Given the diverse range of research ethics issues and enquiries we deal with, and also the interconnectedness of research ethics with so many other aspects of university and scholarly life, most weeks also involve further reading and research, as well as consultations about all the various ethics matters that may cross my desk.   

What inspired you to take on the role of Queen Mary Ethics of Research Committee (QMERC) Chair?

Much of my professional and personal life are informed by a strong sense of justice: Justice is both a legal and an ethical concept and it can arguably best be perceived in terms of processes and procedures that are based on normative standards such as fairness, transparency, consistency, etc. It is this sense of justice that really inspired me to study law, and that also led me to become involved in ethics. I became – and still am – fascinated by the complexity of justice and ethics on a theoretical level, but also practically, in terms of how we can resolve ethical dilemmas and ensure ethical decision-making through just processes and procedures. While I explore some of this complexity in my research, I also thoroughly enjoy my work in and contribution to research ethics specifically: I have served on hospital ethics committees in South Africa and Hong Kong, have served as Chairperson of university research ethics committees in Hong Kong and at the University of Lincoln, and continue to serve as ethics reviewer and advisor in various capacities, such as with the NHS REC, ERC ethics panels, and also UKRIO.

I was inspired by the role of Queen Mary Ethics of Research Committee (QMERC) Chair, for the new challenges and opportunities it provides in terms of both my scholarly work as well as my practical contribution to the field of research ethics. Although it has only been a few weeks, working with, learning from, and also contributing to research ethics at Queen Mary have already been a very fulfilling experience.

Are there any key projects you are currently working on that you’d like to highlight?

As is the plight of all researchers, my available research time and the number of ongoing research projects, (overdue) publication deadlines, and also new research ideas that I have, just do not seem to add up! At present, my primary focus is on two projects: Both are large scale empirical projects with the first focussing on law academic identity formation in the English higher education sector and the second focussing on the history, development, and current status of university research ethics review in the UK. Both these two projects are actually related in the sense that they critically explore the spaces within which knowledge are produced, the various actors involved, and also how these spaces (and actors) often shape what can be known. I have also started work on another project in which I will explore the relationship between research culture and research ethics more specifically, and this year I also look forward to exploring more about data ethics (also in the context of AI) and trusted research.   

What do you think are the biggest challenges for research ethics and where do you see it going over the next few years?

We seem to be living in unsettling, maybe even unprecedented times. Everything in our world – the environment, politics, economies, even higher education sectors – seem to be in flux. Emergent technologies also present us with exciting new opportunities as well as daunting challenges. Given that ethics generally is contingent on all these world experiences and relations, and research ethics specifically is about those ethical standards we apply and adhere to when we engage with this world in our capacity as researchers, it goes without saying that research ethics is itself a rapidly evolving field. In my opinion, the biggest challenges for research ethics (and researchers) will be to remain responsive and informed in the face of unremitting and fast-paced change, and to also reflect more critically and carefully on research ethics in terms of broader research considerations, such as research culture, research productivity, research security, and research impact (to name just a few). How knowledge is produced, the contexts within which knowledge is produced, how knowledge is exchanged, and also the impact generated knowledge may have, are raising interesting questions upon which careful and critical reflection will be required going forward, also from a research ethics perspective.  

What do you see as your role in helping the University achieve its Strategy 2030?

One of Queen Mary’s core values is to “act with the highest ethical standards, and with integrity, in all that we do.” This core value closely aligns with my own personal and professional ethos (as I described above with regard to ethics and justice). In my role as Queen Mary Ethics of Research Committee Chair, I would like to build on the very strong and excellent foundation there already is for research ethics and integrity at Queen Mary. With reference to the Strategy 2030 specifically, my focus will be on how we can continue to and better support Queen Mary students and staff in expanding the boundaries of knowledge within a culture of creativity and innovation and to ultimately achieve the bold ambitions of Strategy 2030. To achieve these objectives, we must ensure that research ethics processes and procedures at Queen Mary are logically aligned with Queen Mary’s core values, we must specifically and in a concerted manner nurture collegiality and inclusivity, and we must also work towards offering Queen Mary students and staff research ethics support and guidance that are responsible, reliable, and relevant. To this end, we must work towards definitive research ethics standards at Queen Mary in which the Queen Mary community not only trust, but also actively contribute to and participate in.

Do you have any hobbies, pastimes outside of work?

At home, I enjoy spending time with my two sphynx cats – Ruby and Frida – and telling my partner that his subject area, which is international law, is actually not law at all. After a long hiatus, I also look forward to getting back to practicing and playing the piano this year.

Are there any Queen Mary activities you’d recommend staff getting involved with / is there any training you have done with Queen Mary or externally that you’d recommend?

I look forward to attending more public lectures, symposia, and other events at Queen Mary, such as the Imagining Justice symposium organised by the Imagination Research Network and also the symposium on Roger Cotterrell’s Jurisprudence and Socio-Legal Studies organised by the Queen Mary School of Law. The various events offered by Music at QMUL and BLOC are also worth exploring.