‘Some might say that things have actually got worse’

RP Live: Personal experiences of bullying and discrimination highlight desperate need for change in academia

A trio of experts has set out ongoing and devastating problems with equality, diversity and inclusion in universities, and warned that far more must be done to create a genuinely representative sector.

Their talk follows a growing focus on the problems of research culture in recent months. In January a survey conducted on behalf of the Wellcome Trust revealed that more than half of researchers questioned—61 per cent—said they had witnessed bullying and harassment in the workplace, with 43 per cent claiming to have personal experience of it. And recent official statistics listed no black academics in universities as managers, directors and senior officials.