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Vice-Chancellor in conversation about career perspectives for LGBTQ+ academics

Brighton VC Debra Humphris has recorded a conversation with PhD researcher Benjamin Archer discussing LGBTQ+ issues related to those working in academia.

17 February 2021

Coinciding with LGBTQ+ History Month, the conversation also marked the launch of a new Doctoral Training Alliance (DTA) LBGT+ researcher group by the University Alliance (UA) – of which Professor Humphris is the Chair.

Professor Humphris is one of the few openly LGBTQ+ leaders in the higher education sector. Among the subjects in the 20-minute recording – available to listen to on the Universiry Alliance website - were the importance of inclusive networks and safe spaces for LGBTQ+ academics, the work that Alliance universities are doing to improve their equality and diversity - and the importance of visible representation in promoting these things for other marginalised groups in the sector, such as people of colour, working class individuals, and those with disabilities.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Debra Humphris

Vice-Chancellor Professor Debra Humphris

Professor Humphris said: “I am proud that as an openly LGBTQ+ leader I am also Chair of a group of universities that is putting equality, diversity and inclusion at the heart of our mission. As leaders we have a responsibility to create conditions in our institutions to support individuals to be their most authentic selves. If you’re an authentic leader, you need to tell the story of you. I’m proud of my identity and want to ensure that others feel comfortable and safe to be their authentic selves.”

Benjamin Archer said: “Representation from individuals within these communities is something that I feel is vitally important in academia, so I am incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to speak with Professor Humphris, and discuss her experiences. University Alliance and the DTA provides incomparable support for its postgraduate research students, which is only enhanced through the creation of the LGBTQ+ group.”

The DTA LGBT+ group is one of a series of groups recently set up to provide PhD researchers with new spaces for socialising and developing peer-support connections amongst those with similar interests or experiences. The DTA Team support researchers to coordinate these groups themselves via WhatsApp groups and virtual gatherings. Other groups that have been set up are dedicated to Women in Research, Parents, BAME and researchers Living alone in lockdown.

Professor Humphris joined the University of Brighton in December 2015 from Imperial College in London, where she had held the positions of Pro Rector (Education) and Vice Provost (Education) since 2012. She earned her doctorate on the implementation of policy into clinical practice in the NHS in 1999.

Benjamin Archer is part of the DTA Social Policy cohort. He is currently writing up his PhD, which examines Public Spaces Protection Orders, a measure used to tackle anti-social behaviour within public spaces. He is completing his PhD at Sheffield Hallam University, and is now a member of staff within the Department of Law & Criminology.

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