Ongoing Initiatives

• First launched in 2023, Count Me In is a 6-week cohort-based research internship in Edinburgh for undergraduate students of mathematics (focused on algebra, geometry and topology). It is targeted at women and non-binary people, members of under-represented ethnic minorities in mathematics, people from a challenging socioeconomic background, and people with a disability. 

• Vacation Scholarships (link requires EASE login) are summer research projects awarded to top students, to research an area of mathematics they are interested in with a supervisor. We are working to promote this scheme to students of under-represented gender identities within mathematics, actively working to get more applicants who are women and non-binary people, and increase their interest in pursuing research mathematics.
• We are implementing training in accent bias and discrimination for student-facing staff, including tutors.
• We are broadening our widening participation initiatives to support students on-programme, as well as pre-application.
• Working to increase the number of gender neutral bathrooms in JCMB.

Achieved Initiatives

The School of Mathematics have successfully implemented many initiatives which promote equality, diversity and inclusion in the study and work environment. This a select list of some of these initiatives, and is by no means exhaustive.

• The University's School of Mathematics has partnered with the Martingale Foundation to improve access to a number of its Masters and PhD courses.
• Many steps have been taken to provide a more inclusive mathematical curriculum, including the use of open-book exams and 'flipped classrooms'.  Flipped classrooms are a type of blended learning which increases diverse student engagement and allows students to discuss maths questions during the lecture. The questions are typically asked through the app TopHat, which widens accessibility and provides a more inclusive culture for students.
• The School provides free access to sanitary products in our building, James Clerk Maxwell Building (JCMB).
• The School has consistent and open dialogue with its academic staff regarding their contributions to EDI within the School, such as in annual reviews.
• The School of Mathematics offer Maths Access Scholarships, awarded to high-achieving students from the UK who are from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds, to assist them in getting their undergraduate degree in mathematics. This coincides with the School's involvment with Widening Participation in Edinburgh.
• The Neurodiversity Peer Support Network has been developed for neurodivergent staff and students in collaboration with the School of Physics and Astronomy. This group is for staff and students, with or without a formal diagnosis, to meet informally over tea, coffee and cake. If you are interested in joining the network, please contact Charlotte Desvages (charlotte.desvages@ed.ac.uk).
• The Flora Philip Fellowship was launched in Autumn 2022. This fellowship is for early career postdoctoral researchers from underrepresented backgrounds. Our first set of Fellows joined the School of Mathematics in September 2023. This is an ongoing initiative. See our Flora Philip Fellowship webpage for more information.
• A Social Media Series called "Diverse Mathematics" was developed to promote the work and lives of diverse mathematicians from many varied backgrounds. The content was posted on various mathematical days of celebration, and on dates such as Pride Month, Black History Month and International Women's Day. Follow the School of Mathematics social media pages (Instagram, Facebook and Twitter) to view these posts throughout the year. To see the full collection of posts, see our "Diverse Mathematics" section of the Resources page.