BBSRC Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Expert Advisory Group

What is the EDI Expert Advisory Group (EAG)?

The purpose of the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Expert Advisory Group is to provide expert external advice and guidance to the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) on its approach to improving EDI in the bioscience research and innovation community.

This group was established in January 2022 and was approved for continuation by People and Talent Strategy Advisory Panel in January 2023.

The BBSRC EDI Advisory Group consists of 13 members.

Knowledge, expertise and skills represented by the group

An in-depth knowledge of UKRI-BBSRC systems, processes or strategic development (for example, through participation in a BBSRC panel or committee).

A demonstrable understanding and interest in EDI or research culture issues, including one or more of the following:

• knowledge of EDI challenges across the research and innovation community and how this relates to BBSRC’s role in improving EDI in the biosciences
• knowledge of EDI challenges within a particular region, sector (for example, academia, industry or other research institute), or research area (for example, one of BBSRC’s strategic research priority areas)
• knowledge of EDI challenges for a particular career stage (for example, postgraduate students, early career researchers or research leaders)

What does the EDI EAG do?

The EDI EAG provides external oversight of BBSRC’s EDI workplan in the context of the UKRI EDI strategy and BBSRC strategic delivery plan, including:

• acting as a ‘critical friend’ in challenging BBSRC’s work.
• acting as advocates for EDI in the biosciences and for BBSRC work in this area.
• ensuring that BBSRC activities align with UKRI and BBSRC priorities in this area and support a balanced portfolio of activities which have the greatest impact for the BBSRC community
• identifying and prioritising key EDI issues in the biosciences and provide advice on what BBSRC could do to help address these challenges in the short and longer term

In addition the group provides oversight on BBSRC’s EDI evidence base to identify areas for intervention or further investigation, for example advising on:

• ongoing or future evidence requirements
• the role of existing BBSRC investment mechanisms in improving EDI or gathering evidence, including fellowships, studentships, new researchers, strategic longer and larger grants, institute strategic programmes, and others

Examples of previous discussions include:

• updates on UKRI EDI strategy development and implementation
• updates on progress against the BBSRC EDI action plan
• discussion on BBSRC’s role in using EDI targets and benchmarks
• discussion on BBSRC’s role in facilitating the sharing of best EDI practice
• discussions on BBSRC’s role in addressing under-representation of specific groups such as people with a disability or Black British bioscientists
• identifying priorities ahead of the Spending Review and EDI Action Plan update

Our members

Learn more about our equality, diversity and inclusion external advisory group members:

• Andrew Lin, The University of Sheffield
• Cailean Carter, Quadram Institute
• Jade Hall, Royal Society of Biology
• Lesley Iwanejko, University of Liverpool
• Paul Gemmill, Research on Research Institute
• Stephen Montgomery, University of Bristol
• Ying Chen, University of Southampton

Professor Candy Rowe

Candy’s main research interests lie in understanding ‘what makes animals tick’, and particularly how they learn about food and decide what to eat, and as importantly, what not to eat. Candy discovers these decision-making processes through observing animal behaviour, as well as applying what she knows to more pressing issues such as improving animal welfare.

These interests sit Candy firmly within the BBSRC remit. Over the years she has been part of a number of panels that have helped BBSRC evaluate their doctoral training partnerships, fellowships and grants.

However, Candy is just as passionate about the people who do research as the research itself. She believes equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) is important for ensuring that everyone enjoys the research they do and reaches their full potential.

At Newcastle University where Candy is based, she has spent the last eight years dedicating two days a week to leadership roles in this area, sometimes calling herself a ‘part-time researcher’!

Candy was initially Director of EDI in her Faculty (2015 to 2018) where she led their first faculty-wide Silver Athena SWAN application. Candy then took on being the Director of their new university fellowship (NUAcT) scheme (2018 to 2020) and is currently the university’s first Dean of Research Culture and Strategy. This is a particularly exciting role, where one of the priorities for this year is building safe and inclusive research environments.

Candy works across a broad range of projects, including building an EDI Toolkit for leaders in research, tackling inappropriate behaviours, and inclusivity in research funding through co-chairing our Race Equality Charter Research Workstream.

Candy says: “Being part of the EAG allows me to share some of my experiences with BBSRC to help shape what they do, learn from others’ perspectives about some of the challenges we face, and hopefully make a difference in the funding landscape.”

Professor Anastasia Callaghan

Anastasia Callaghan is Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics at the University of Portsmouth and Director of a biotechnology spin-out.

With a scientific focus on molecular interactions involving RNA, Anastasia’s track record spans basic research through to commercialisation, and the success of her journey was highlighted in BBSRC’s Impact Showcase 2022.

Anastasia’s research leadership encompasses significant contributions across a number of UKRI committees and panels. This includes chairing roles, and at the University of Portsmouth as co-founder of a current Research Centre and former Research Institute Director.

Anastasia is passionate about supporting equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) and building a positive research culture where researchers can develop and excel. Her insights today build on activities earlier in her career, including setting up the University of Portsmouth’s Researcher-Development Programme and Researcher Forum, while at a national level she contributed to assessment of the HR Excellence in Research Awards and supported the development of the Vitae researcher training programme.

Anastasia is presently an EDI champion at the University of Portsmouth and recently led her department’s successful Athena Swan Bronze submission.

Dr Jenny Pople

Jenny Pople is a senior industrial research scientist at Unilever research and development with 19 years’ experience in the beauty and personal care sector, with specialist expertise in human biology and skin science. She has been industrial co-supervisor for BBSRC Industrial Cooperative Awards in Science and Technology (CASE) PhD studentships since 2015 with several UK academic partners.

Jenny has a passionate for equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) with specific interest and expertise in disability inclusion.

She is a member of the Unilever UK network for employees with disabilities and allies, supporting the business inclusion strategy in areas such as policies and processes, recruitment and talent development, awareness activities and training. Jenny continues to build her expertise via connections with external partners including the Business disability forum.

Professor Karen Halliday

Karen Halliday is Chair of Systems Physiology at the University of Edinburgh.

She studies systems approaches to biological problems and conducts cross-disciplinary research spanning molecular-genetics, mathematics, computational science, the humanities and social sciences.

She has directed large, multifaceted cross-disciplinary projects, published widely in her primary research area of plant photobiology, and with social scientists on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics  diversity and inclusion.

Karen has longstanding (12 plus years) involvement in equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) innovation within her own institution and the wider community. In 2020, Karen became College Dean Systematic Inclusion, with oversight of EDI vision and strategy for the College of Science and Engineering. Drawing on her experience as co-founder of the EPSRC Inclusion Matter project, ‘evidenceBase’, she employs holistic, evidential, system-grounded approaches, aimed at eliciting organisation-level interventions at scale.

Karen’s community facing work includes:

• membership of the Hong Kong REF Panel for Biology (2013 to 2018)
• founding Director of the Edinburgh Plant Science consortium in 2015
• member of the BBSRC Institute Assessment Exercise panel
• BBSRC Future Ways of Working Group and
• BBSRC EDI Expert Advisory Group
• Executive Board member of the Scottish Consortium for Rural Research
• Scientific Advisor to the Scottish Government Plant Health Centre

Dr QueeLim Ch’ng

QueeLim Ch’ng is a Reader of Systems Biology and Neuroscience in the Centre for Developmental Neurobiology at King’s College London.

He grew up in Singapore and undertook higher education in the US, gaining a bachelor’s degree from Princeton University and a PhD from University of California San Francisco under the mentorship of Cynthia Kenyon.

He next performed postdoctoral research with Josh Kaplan at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School.

QueeLim’s laboratory investigates information processing in neuroendocrine networks that link environmental cues to organismal physiology. These interdisciplinary studies combine experimental and computational approaches to address mechanistic questions about multineuron gene networks encode environmental cues to orchestrate physiological processes such as development and ageing.

Besides teaching students from BSc to PhD, QueeLim is also involved in the management of the London Interdisciplinary Doctoral Training Partnership (LIDo), a BBSRC-funded PhD programme involving eight London Universities.

Within LIDo, he has applied his expertise in multidimensional data analysis to monitor diversity in the admission process and established collaborations with other groups keen on enhancing equality, diversity and inclusion across the talent pipeline.

Professor Narender Ramnani

Narender Ramnani is Professor of Neuroscience at Royal Holloway, University of London.

He has a PhD in Behavioural Neuroscience (University College London) and postdoctoral experience in brain imaging (University College London, University of Oxford).

His research programme, regularly supported by BBSRC applicant-led mode grants, focuses on the anatomical organisation of the human brain and brain mechanisms that support learning and decision-making in the human brain.

He served on BBSRC Committee A for some years. He has a special interest in promoting equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in science and academia.

At Royal Holloway University of London he has served as Chair of his Departments Athena SWAN Self-Assessment Team which won a Silver Award in 2016.

He currently serves as a member of the Royal Holloway Race Equality Charter Self-Assessment Team, with a decade of continuous experience in this role.

He also serves as Director of EDI for the School of Life Sciences and the Environment, and from April 2023 will be Vice Dean for EDI in the School.

Nationally, he has worked with UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) data to uncover a severe lack of diversity and inclusion in UKRI research council decision-making structures. This evidence was submitted to the House of Commons Science and Technology Select Committee inquiry into Diversity in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, and discussed with him and UKRI CEO in evidence sessions.

Professor Ramnani’s governance experience includes membership of the Governance Committee that oversees Advance Higher Education’s national Race Equality Charter.

He was also elected to the Council of the Parliamentary and Scientific Committee APPG. He has also been elected and coopted to the governing body of the British Neuroscience Association (BNA) on multiple occasions, in various roles including:

• Trustee for Research Policy
• the British Neuroscience Association EDI Steering Group

His continuous service over more than 17 years was recently marked with an award of lifetime honorary membership.

He was recently invited to serve as an Advisor to the ALBA Network, helping this group to fulfil its mission to promote diversity and inclusion in neuroscience internationally, and he chairs their Data Working Group.

Meetings

In 2022, the group conducted two panel meetings and two additional focused workshops which contributed to the publication of BBSRCs first EDI Action Plan in 2023.

In 2023, a short workshop was held to discuss BBSRC EDI data and attended an in-person meeting where the panel received updates from the EDI Caucus and discussed the potential for BBSRC EDI targets.

In 2024 the panel convened to discuss the upcoming Spending Review and determine subsequent EDI priorities for BBSRC over the coming years.

Following a membership refresh that resulted in the appointment of seven new members, in 2025, the panel has been focused on the EDI Action Plan review for BBSRC.

The group have focused on identifying priorities for the Action Plan and convened for focused workshops that will contribute to the publication of a new Action Plan for 2025 to 2028.

Contact us

Email: bbsrc_edi@bbsrc.ukri.org 

Last updated: 25 November 2025