Decolonising and Diversifying Biosciences Education

Dr. Katharine Hubbard

Reader in Bioscience Education, University of Hull

Katharine Hubbard is a Reader in Bioscience Education at the University of Hull, where she is also responsible for developing the University of Hull Inclusive Education Framework and awarding gap strategy. Her teaching focusses on cell biology, plant biology and microbiology, as well as inclusive approaches to lab based teaching.

Her educational research focusses on awarding gaps, staff-student partnership and how students engage with scientific literature, while her disciplinary research background is in plant signal transduction. She is a National Teaching Fellow, Senior Fellow of AdvanceHE, former SEB President's Medallist (SEB+ 2017) and RSB HE Bioscience Teacher of the Year (2016). 

: https://www.hull.ac.uk/staff-directory/katharine-hubbard
: @@KEHplantsci

Catherine Mansfield

Senior Strategic Teaching Fellow, Imperial College London

Catherine Mansfield is a Senior Strategic Teaching Fellow at Imperial College London. She teaches across a range of undergraduate modules at Imperial including cell biology, molecular biology, genetics, plant biology and maths for life scientists, as well as working on curriculum design.

Her PhD is in plant developmental biology and she has previously worked for The Brilliant Club, a widening access charity. Her interest in inclusive university access and participation have led to work supporting a widening participation agenda and she is a Fellow of AdvanceHE.

: @@Cathy_Mansfield

Tina Joshi

Associate Professor in Molecular Microbiology, University of Plymouth School of Biomedical Sciences (Faculty of Health)

I am an Associate Professor in Molecular Microbiology and Employability Coordinator in the School of Biomedical Sciences. I teach and research in the field of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. My interdisciplinary research is focused on Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) and development of sustainable Molecular Diagnostics (using novel technologies) to help tackle the Global Healthcare Challenge of Anti-Microbial Resistance (AMR). My research group is based within the Frontiers in Discovery Science research theme in the Plymouth Institute of Health and Care Research.

I am a recognised national expert in Anti-Microbial Resistance and my knowledge exchange and policy activities contribute to help policy makers and the wider public enhance their understanding of AMR. I am passionate about public engagement, and I regularly provide expert commentary in the areas of Infectious Diseases, COVID-19 transmission and AMR in local, national and international media. I sit on the Microbiology Society Council and the Science Committee Board of Antibiotic Research UK.

Dr Joshi's professional YouTube Channel.

Background: After obtaining my BSc in Microbiology at Cardiff University, I completed my PhD in Molecular Microbiology (development of Biosensor Diagnostics for infections) at the Welsh School of Pharmacy, Cardiff University and patented the findings.

I subsequently undertook several multidisciplinary Postdoctoral projects exploring commercial development and translation of these biosensor technologies in collaboration with microwave engineers at Cardiff School of Engineering and with Industry partners. I translated the technology to detect a wide range of clinical pathogens while gaining teaching experience. In August 2017 I joined the University of Plymouth as a Lecturer in Molecular Microbiology and was promoted to Associate Professor in August 2022.

I have successfully built an independent research group and strong national and international collaborations focusing on developing point-of-care Microbial Diagnostics for AMR and Infection Control. I am a very strong advocate for feasible incentives to promote Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in Academia and Microbiology.

Lead for the Microbial Diagnostics and Infection Control Research Group.

: https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/staff/tina-joshi
: @@tinaljoshi

Isaiah Ting

PhD student in Chronobiology, University of Surrey

Isaiah is a final year PhD student in Chronobiology studying Ultradian and Circadian rhythms, in vitro and in silico. He teaches across different modules in Biochemistry undergraduate programmes, including molecular biology, genetics, cell biology and biochemistry.

His interest in EDI (Equality/Equity, Diversity and Inclusion) have led to work celebrating black scientists across the University and being part of a diversity group that celebrates ethnic diversity within the University. Particular interests that he would like to develop is exploring decolonisation higher education and pedagogic methods to improve representation across higher education.

: https://www.surrey.ac.uk/student-life/what-our-students-say/isaiah-ting
: @@ijcruzting