What is EDI?
What is EDI?
Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) is a framework and set of principles that organizations use to create fair, respectful, and supportive environments for all individuals, especially those from historically marginalized or underrepresented groups.
- Equity – fair treatment, access & opportunity for all.
- Diversity – who is at the table? This can include race, ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation, disability, religion, socioeconomic status, language, and more.
- Inclusion – feeling welcomed, respected, supported & Valued.
Investing in Equality and Diversity has always been of vital importance, especially in geoscience, one of the least racially diverse fields at the postgraduate level [1]. Early career researchers (during or a few years after their PhDs) are more diverse than ever [2]. However, underrepresented groups are subject to discriminatory and exclusionary practices [1,3,4], and have been disproportionally impacted by the pandemic due to reduced opportunities [2].
One in two PhD students experience common mood disorders such as depression and/or anxiety [5,6], a rate six times higher than the general population [6]. Disabled students for instance must invest a lot of time and energy to access support and wait for necessary reasonable adjustments to be put in place [7].
Our diversity is made up of a unique blend of our demographic, experiential and cognitive diversity and every person is unique. However, there are many barriers to PhDs and academia that underrepresented groups commonly encounter, but with the right support, information, and opportunity we hope academia will become a more diverse and welcoming environment for all.
Often these underrepresented groups invest a lot of time and energy in advocating for their needs, learning the ‘unwritten rules’ of the academia, having to navigate a system that isn’t welcoming to their identity and educating others to move towards a better environment, without compensation and with little to no information.
At the heart of the Net Zero Polar Science Doctoral Training Programme is a belief that the best science happens when everyone feels valued, safe, and empowered to contribute. By embedding equity, diversity, and inclusion into every aspect of our programme from recruitment and training to fieldwork and community, we are aiming to shape the kind of culture required for excellent polar science to take place. We recognise that this work is ongoing, and we are committed to listening, learning, and improving so that together we can build a programme where diverse perspectives strengthen the science, and where every individual has the opportunity to thrive.
References:
[1] Dowey, N., Barclay, J., Fernando, B., Giles, S., Houghton, J., Jackson, C., … & Williams, R. (2021). A UK perspective on tackling the geoscience racial diversity crisis in the Global North.Nature Geoscience,14(5), 256-259.
[2] Fisher, B. J., Shiggins, C. J., Naylor, A. W., Rawlins, L. D., Tallentire, G. D., van den Heuvel, F., … & Buckingham, J. (2021). Interventions to prevent pandemic-driven diversity loss.Communications Earth & Environment,2(1), 1-4.
[3] Marín-Spiotta, E., Barnes, R. T., Berhe, A. A., Hastings, M. G., Mattheis, A., Schneider, B., & Williams, B. M. (2020). Hostile climates are barriers to diversifying the geosciences.Advances in Geosciences,53, 117-127.
[4] Hughes, B. E. (2018). Coming out in STEM: Factors affecting retention of sexual minority STEM students.Science advances,4(3), eaao6373.
[5] Levecque, K., Anseel, F., De Beuckelaer, A., Van der Heyden, J., & Gisle, L. (2017). Work organization and mental health problems in PhD students.Research policy,46(4), 868-879.
[6] Evans, T. M., Bira, L., Gastelum, J. B., Weiss, L. T., & Vanderford, N. L. (2018). Evidence for a mental health crisis in graduate education.Nature biotechnology,36(3), 282-284.
[7] Hannam-Swain, S. (2018). The additional labour of a disabled PhD student.Disability & Society,33(1), 138-142.
Page added on 17.02.2026.