Birkbeck University Conducts Its Debut BAME Doctoral Conference
60 Birkbeck students gathered for the first ever conference, held last month, for those from Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds; groups which have typically been underrepresented at the doctoral level and for whom the event proved to be hugely rewarding.
The all-day event featured talks from BAME doctoral researchers, training sessions at the request of Birkbeck’s Diversity 100 students and a keynote talk in the evening by Professor Jason Arday (University of Cambridge). View the full agenda here.
The Diversity100 initiative aims to increase the numbers of Black, Asian and other minority ethnic students studying and achieving at Doctoral level. Seventeen Birkbeck students are currently developing areas of research in topical areas including antimicrobial resistance and bereavement in migrant communities, with the support of the programme.
At the recent doctoral conference, there was a panel discussion before the keynote talk, which highlighted work and opportunities at Birkbeck to improve the research culture and support for BAME Doctoral Scholars.
Birkbeck academics who participated in and contributed to the event included:
- Dr William Ackah, Senior Lecturer in Black and Community Geographies. William has been one of the organisers of the BAME Doctoral Conference and is part of a team that has produced a new book on the Black PhD experience.
- Professor Stewart Motha, Professor of Law and Academic Lead for the Birkbeck Race Equality Charter application.
- Professor Karen Wells, Professor of International Development and Childhood studies, and an academic lead for the recently awarded Wellcome Trust Institutional Funding for Research Culture (IFRC) award.
- Professor Julian Swann (Chair), Pro-Vice Chancellor for Research and Director of the Birkbeck Graduate Research School.
As part of the programme, attendees could choose to attend sessions on How to get an academic paper published, How to become a Principal Investigator or How to become a lecturer, thanks to the contributions of Birkbeck academic staff Dr Chao-yo Cheng, Professor Sanjib Bhakta and Dr Michael Tsang.
William Ackah, Senior Lecturer in Black and Community Geographies, said, “This was an amazing event. It was especially brilliant to see the excellent research being conducted by students from global black majority communities across so many disciplines.”