Two new EDI appointment for FBS

The new appointments include Anouchka Sterling (Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience) as Religion and Belief Equity Lead and Carolyn McGettigan (Division of Psychology and Language Sciences) as LGBT+ Equity Lead.

Equality, diversity and inclusion are fundamental to the ethos of UCL Faculty of Brain Sciences. Our aim is to foster a positive cultural climate where all staff and students can flourish and be their authentic selves.

Anna Cox, Vice Dean of EDI for the Faculty said: “These latest appointments ensure our commitment to LGBT+ and Religion and Belief equity, and help us progress our vision of the Faculty as a place in which all members of our community feel that they belong and can achieve their potential.” 

Anouchka Sterling, Religion and Belief Equity Lead said: “EDI issues are of growing importance across the HE sector as pressures are felt from within and without that demand attention and more importantly, action. At UCL, as elsewhere in the UK HEIs, there are a growing number of staff and students from diverse faiths and belief backgrounds. Whilst UCL was founded as a secular institution, it must be noted that a large proportion of its staff and students are people of religious faith or non-religious belief, and it is important that this is recognised in the way the college is governed, the manner in which it functions and in the shape of its success.

“I look forward to collaborating with colleagues to serve UCL in this role and to shaping an inclusive environment that can contribute to the recruitment, wellbeing and progression of a diverse body of staff and students. It is my opinion that religion and belief, even if there is a lack of one, underpins the very structure of the society we live in and the world we depend on. At a time when so much in the world around us is in flux, it would seem to me to be essential that we strive, as a community, to do what we can to ensure that this protected characteristic is indeed protected.”

Carolyn McGettigan, LGBT+ Equity Lead said: “I’m delighted to take up this role. As a member of the LGBT+ community, I know the value of being seen and welcomed at work for who I am. I look forward to working with the Vice Dean and other members of the EDI Committee to ensure that all of our staff and students experience UCL’s Faculty of Brain Science as a welcoming, safe, and happy place to study and work.”