Our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee meets every two months and contains representation from our students and all staff job families. As EDI Co-Directors, Nazila, Francesco, James, and Ingrid also sit on the Department Management Committee to ensure diversity and inclusion are at the heart of all departmental decision making.
The minutes from our EDI Committee meetings can be found on our Intranet (accessible to members of the department only).
Committee members
Nazila Kamaly
I am currently a senior lecturer and also one of the EDI co-directors in the Chemistry Department. I plan to continue strategies that ensure EDI is a major focus of all our activities within the department and to strive to change practices and structures that present inequality and discrimination, and to ensure that everyone is heard by promoting diversity and valuing individual differences openly and broadly. As a mother and female academic, I aim to improve the number of women who study science, and in particular chemistry at all levels.
Francesco Aprile
I am a lecturer and co-director of the EDI committee for the Chemistry Department. I am committed to contributing to maintaining an inclusive and respectful environment for all staff and students within our department. As a first-generation university student, I strive to widen access to higher education.
David Ayuso
I am an Associate Professor and Co-Director of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in the Department of Chemistry. As a gay and neurodivergent academic, I am fully committed to fostering safe, inclusive, and accessible spaces for all. I contribute to departmental efforts and strategic initiatives aimed at building a positive culture for students and staff.
Ingrid Temmerman
I am an EDI Co-Director and Executive Assistant to the Head of Department. I oversee the Department’s EDI administration, staff training and events, and support student and staff access to the nursing and prayer rooms at MSRH. I am based in G04 at MSRH.
Oscar Ces
I am Head of the Chemistry Department and a Professor in Chemical Biology. I am extremely proud of the great strides the Department has made with respect to EDI and ensuring we provide a welcoming and supportive environment for our community. I am very committed to ensuring we do everything we can to maintain the special environment we have in Chemistry as well as continuing to address new challenges and opportunities.
Emma Pallett
I am the Manager of the CDT in Chemical Biology. I was immediately attracted to becoming a member of the Department of Chemistry’s EDI committee; the Department is hugely progressive in supporting all of its staff, championing initiatives on a wide range of issues and seeking to ensure that we attract the best staff and students from a diverse range of backgrounds. I am grateful to be a part of the Department of Chemistry’s EDI committee, to lend my voice to these important issues and to support the Department where I can through the ICB EPSRC CDT.
Mike Ray
I am the Head of Research Student Training in the Department. I am very proud to be a part of the EDI committee in the Department of Chemistry. I feel very strongly that we all need to be doing more to encourage diversity in the department and across the college as well as supporting both staff and students to achieve their goals and to do so in a caring and creative environment.
Raj Sandhu
I am the Undergraduate Education Manager in the Department and have worked in the area of admissions for over 10 years. I have recently taken on an increased role in Outreach and am really keen to diversify our admissions recruitment. I am excited to contribute to the EDI committee and am looking forward to the positive changes we can bring to the Department.
Ravi Singh
I am a teaching fellow within the department which involves teaching at the undergraduate level. I am also part of our outreach team; this gives me the amazing opportunity to inspire the future generation of scientists.
I am delighted to be part of the committee to ensure that we engage schools in the local area and raise awareness of widening participation. With this, I hope to showcase our welcoming departmental community to those considering higher education here.
Committee members
Aryan Jeilani
I'm the undergraduate student rep and passionate about exploring the intersection of chemistry, equity, and advocacy. I'm committed to making chemistry more inclusive by challenging barriers to access, supporting underrepresented voices, and developing outreach that reflects diverse experiences. I'm really excited to be a part of a team dedicated to strengthening the sense of community within the Chemistry Department!
Nikki Deans
I am a PhD Student in the Department of Chemistry, and I am excited to convey the postgraduate student perspective on EDI topics within the department. I am also on the Imperial Women’s PhD Network committee and hope to connect the goals of these groups to improve the experience for women in the department. In addition, I hope to engage with initiatives to support students from minoritised racial and ethnic backgrounds.
Charlotte Sutherell
I am a Principal Teaching Fellow in the Department and am currently the Departmental Disabilities Officer. I am delighted to be part of the EDI committee, and particularly focus on embedding inclusive practice in our teaching and in our working environment.
Louise Walport
I am a Lecturer in the Department of Chemistry and a Group Leader at The Francis Crick Institute. Over the last few years I’ve seen from the outside the excellent initiatives the EDI committee has been driving to make Imperial Chemistry an equitable and inclusive place to work. There is always more work to be done, however, and I’m excited now to be able to contribute to the committee’s efforts to ensure that everyone in our diverse community feels welcome and supported so they can thrive.
Andy Stannard
I am a Research Associate in the Department of Chemistry. The Department’s dedication to EDI is inspiring and I’m grateful to work in such a welcoming environment. I strive to learn, embed, and teach inclusive adaptations, with particular keenness to accommodate for neurodivergence. In addition, as a former secondary school teacher of pupils from backgrounds of low university participation, I’m a strong advocate for social mobility initiatives and their benefits.
Gregor Ekart
I am a Department Waste Technician and represent the technical services team at the EDI committee. As a member of the LGBT community, a mental health first aider, and a former subwarden, my aspiration is to ensure that all members of Imperial community feel that they can work in an open and supportive environment, giving both students and staff resources to excel in their positions without fear of prejudice.