We want to make our organisation and the whole of science more equitable, diverse and inclusive. To achieve this, we need help to challenge established educational and institutional structures, so we've set up an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Advisory Group.

Members of the group will use their experience of EDI and of change management to support us to make changes to our workplace and programmes. This will help us to be more effective in engaging with those least likely to get involved in science.

Each Advisory Group member started in 2019, and will undertake a three year term running to the end of 2021.

Ahmina Akhtar

Ahmina Akhtar Ahmina is Regional Engagement Lead for Social Work England and is a  registered social worker. She specialises in mental health, sexual abuse, trauma and working with marginalised groups. She worked at the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, where she provided psychologically informed advice and consultation to staff in all strands of the Inquiry; ensured the voices of victims and survivors were heard; and increased engagement from diverse communities. Whilst working for Changing Faces, she was pivotal in setting up the first localised support centre outside London (Sheffield) and establishing various emotional support clinics in hospitals throughout Yorkshire and the Humber to offer tailored support to individuals affected by disfigurement. She was also an advocate for the Face Equality campaign, which encouraged people, organisations and government to challenge negative beliefs towards people with disfigurements. She is a trustee at Sheffield Women's Counselling and Therapy Service and was instrumental in driving strategic and cultural change at the charity to meet service users' needs.

Helen Dolphin MBE

Helen Dolphin MBEHelen has degrees in Molecular and Cellular Biology and Law. She is also a trained science teacher for 11-18 year olds. Helen had started a PhD but after becoming a multiple amputee from meningococcal septicaemia she took an alternative career path. Helen is a well-respected expert on transport with a particular focus on disabled parking and Blue Badges. She is Chair of the Disabled Person's Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC) personal mobility working group, Chair of the Joint Committee for the Mobility of Disabled People (JCMD), Chair of East Anglia Driveability and a member of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) consumer panel. Helen also runs a company called People's Parking which is an inclusive accreditation for car parks aimed at driving up standards in the parking industry and runs Helen Dolphin Consultancy working with businesses in the mobility sector. She was previously a journalist for ITV Anglia News.

Zahid Nawaz

Zahid NawazZahid possesses extensive experience in the EDI field and is currently Diversity and Engagement Manager at the Department for Education working on a Ministerial Project aiming to increase the participation of underrepresented groups in Apprenticeships. He was the Regional Director at the former Commission for Racial Equality and then became the Regional Manager at the Equality Human Rights Commission (EHRC) and their national Public Affairs Manager focussed on Private sector engagement. He has been the Director of the national regeneration think tank Urban Forum, a Magistrate for the Birmingham Magistrates Court, a Non-Executive Director for a Hospital Trust Board, a Senior Visiting Fellow to the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom and a Chair of a Governing Body for a Primary School.

Sheila Rogers

Sheila RogersSheila has over 25 years' experience working on equality, inclusion and human rights across the United Kingdom, and in Europe and has worked, including at Chief Executive level, in four UK equality bodies. As an independent consultant she has acted as a Specialist Advisor to the Women and Equalities Select Committee and is currently a member of the English Premier League Equality Standard Independent Assessment Panel. Other work includes community and stakeholder consultation and engagement, programme evaluation, policy advice, equality audits, analysis and training, equality objectives and business planning and developing non-statutory guidance on the Equality Act 2010. As a lawyer Sheila was Deputy Director of the Legal Aid programme in Manitoba, Canada and delivered legal services at a grassroots level, including to First Nations communities. She is a member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and a former Trustee of the Disability Law Service.

Dr Nicola Rollock

Dr Nicola RollockNicola is an academic, consultant and public speaker specialising in racial justice in education and the workplace. She is a member of the Wellcome Trust's Diversity & Inclusion Steering Group and a Patron of AdvanceHE's Race Equality Charter which aims to improve the experiences and progression of students and faculty of colour. In January 2019, Nicola was appointed as the Specialist Adviser to the Home Affairs' Select Committee inquiry – the Macpherson Report 20 Years On - which is examining whether there has been progress in meeting the 70 recommendations published in 1999. Her most recent research examines the career experiences and strategies of UK Black female Professors, the findings of which were widely covered across the media including University World News, WonkHE, The Guardian, Stylist magazine and British Vogue.

Nita Sharma

Nita is a seasoned accredited coach and facilitator with over 25 years’ experience of managing complex stakeholder dynamics in an increasingly diverse, interconnected, multi-national, global environments. Her skills have included helping corporate organisations to create a narrative that enables them to identify what they need whether it be tangible next steps for a competitive advantage, optimize their vision or meeting financially deadlines. Commercially, Nita has global experience of working with board members and senior leadership teams in the UK, Continental Europe, USA, the Middle East, APAC and India. Prior to becoming a coach and facilitator, Nita worked at The BBC, as an equalities manager where she was responsible for strategic development of equalities, both internally and externally. One of Nita's key successes was 'putting fair representation of diversity on air', an initiative which still continues to have an impact in the UK today.

Jonathan Sobczyk Boddington

Jonny SobczykJonny is a social entrepreneur and the Chief of Staff at BCS Consulting. Having started his career as a classroom teacher, Jonny has since worked predominantly in start-up and fast growth organisations in both private and third sectors, with a theme of social justice running through most of his projects. In his current role, Jonny leads the responsible business strategy for BCS, an employee-owned management consultancy firm working predominantly in Financial Services. Jonny has founded and co-founded several companies and charitable initiatives, including The Brilliant Club, Researchers in Schools and ImpactEd, and has worked as CEO of the Peter Jones Foundation. Jonny was named in the Top 10 Young UK Social Entrepreneurs in 2010, listed by the Observer as one of Britain's 50 New Radicals and won the Guardian's Charity of the Year Award. Jonny has run an award-winning property business and is on the board of The English Speaking Union, ImpactEd, The Young Foundation and is a Teach First Ambassador