Objectives
AIBIO-UK views the need to embed Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility (EDIA) in all its activities and actions as a standard expectation. We will ensure this occurs by viewing all our actions through the prism of the UKRI EDI policy.
We recognise circumstances and personal characteristics can affect opportunity for some people. Our goal is to be aware of potential barriers that may prevent people from engaging in the AIBIO-UK community by creating processes and guidance to avoid this.
We will embed equality, diversity and inclusion in all our actions. This requires us to recognise the key protected characteristics defined in the Equality Act 2010 and ensure that we incorporate process to support people potentially affected by this definition. Protected characteristics we consider as part of our business as usual are age, disability, gender assignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity/paternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation. We also consider those with caring responsibilities, those with neurodiverse conditions and those in financially or socially precarious situations.
Measures we will undertake to address this goal are:
- Make all events inclusive and accessible to all by ensuring invited participants reflect the diversity of society, providing financial support for those with need, make access for those with limited mobility standard and offer online access. We will aim to provide hybrid events settings at meetings and workshops to enhance accessibility, where possible. We will record sessions from meetings and workshops that we organise, with the agreement of the participants, and make content available on our webpage. Before each event, we will provide detailed information, including the venue address, accessibility, maps, travel options, parking (including accessible parking), arrival expectations, and the registration process. We will communicate in advance a code of conduct for all participants and make sure appropriate information is supplied to address the needs of any participants who may have special needs.
- When assessing funding applications or requests for engagement to avoid bias by using blinding as appropriate and working to well defined evaluation criteria that do not discriminate against with different protected characteristics.
- Conduct surveys of participants at events and those engaging with the network to understand the diversity of characteristics represented and to understand whether there are any barriers preventing them from benefitting from their involvement with AIBIO-UK. We will incorporate participants feedback into our planning to continuously improve inclusivity and accessibility.
- Support well-being at events by offering quiet spaces for participants who may need them and ensuring organisers have awareness of hidden disabilities and mental health considerations
- Provide caring bursaries or childcare facilities to support participants with caring responsibilities.
The list above is not exhaustive, and there may be circumstances where full implementation is not feasible. However, by sharing this information, we aim to ensure that AIBIO-UK members are aware of our intentions and considerations. Through these measures, our goal is to foster an inclusive, welcoming, and supportive environment for all participants engaging with AIBIO-UK.
Members
Dipali Singh
EDI co-lead
Dipali is a research scientist at the Quadram Institute and an affiliate researcher at the Oxford Brookes University. Dipali’s expertise lies in mathematical modelling of metabolism in particular the development and applications of genome-scale metabolic models. Her research focuses on systems biology approaches to investigate metabolic adaptation of microbes and microbial communities to bridge the gap between genotype and phenotype. The practical implications of her work extend to metabolite-based biomarkers and therapies, precision nutrition, and the enhancement of food safety. She is currently funded by the BBSRC Institute Strategic Programme (BB/R012504/1 and BBS/E/F/000PR10349).
Robert Knight
EDI co-lead, Year 2 co-lead
Robert is a Reader at the Centre for Craniofacial and Regenerative Biology, King’s College London. Robert has been using molecular genetics and cell biology to probe organ development and repair in vertebrates for over 20 years, principally focusing on neuromuscular and musculoskeletal tissues. Combining advanced microscopy methods with computational and statistical approaches he aims to create explainable models for cell behaviour with funding from the Leverhulme Trust, Dunhill Medical Trust and Royal Society.
He sits on the steering group for the King’s AI Institute and is a member of the UKRI Interdisciplinary Assessment College.
Maria Temenou
Network Manager
Maria (Mary) Temenou is the Network Manager for the AIBIO-UK project. She holds two Master’s degrees from the University of Nottingham and is certified in PRINCE2 Foundation and Practitioner project management. Her previous experience in organising large-scale events has equipped her with essential skills for effective network management. In her current role, Mary oversees project activities, collaborates with partners, manages funding calls, distributes awards, and engages with the public. She plays a pivotal role in supporting the management team to ensure the project’s success.
Chris Wood
EDI Group Member
Chris is a Project Manager at EPCC. With a PhD in biogeochemical modelling, he now focuses on supporting scientists in using, publishing, and managing data, with a particular interest in the environmental and life science domains. His current projects range from using Generative AI to extract metadata from large datasets to supporting climate researchers running forecasting models on a range of computational infrastructure. He is an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and is actively involved in a range of teaching activities; he is a module coordinator on the MSc run by EPCC, a certified Software and Data Carpentry Instructor and has been PI on a set of NERC Advanced Short Training Course grants.
Rachel Rusholme-Pilcher
AIRBDS and EDI Group Member
Rachel is a Senior Postdoctoral Bioinformatician at the Earlham Institute. Her research focuses on understanding crop genetic variation and the identification of pangenomic resources that can be used to develop climate resilient crops for more sustainable agriculture. Rachel works primarily on bread wheat, adapting existing bioinformatic tools and pipelines to work with large complex crop datasets. With a background in transcriptomics, she also uses network analysis to understand how genes work in concert to regulate key processes such as abiotic stress responses. Rachel has a background in crop science and plant molecular genetics, and has over 20 years’ experience working in both academic and industry-led research environments, overseas and in the UK. She is an advocate of collaborative, open and inclusive research cultures, a Women in Wheat champion and a member of the Women in Crop Science initiative. Rachel is a member of the AI-ready Bioscience Datasets (AIRBDS) and EDI (Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity) working groups.
Edward Clark
EDI Group Member
Edward has worked on the BioFAIR project at the Earlham Institute since 2025, joining during its formative stages as one of the project’s early team members. He has played a key role in helping shape and establish the foundations of BioFAIR as it develops into a national FAIR infrastructure for the UK life sciences, contributing across programme development, stakeholder engagement, communications and the establishment of the systems and processes that support the programme.
Prior to moving into research, Edward worked in the NHS for a number of years across operational, programme and staff engagement roles. He was an elected Chair of a staff neurodiversity network within a large NHS Trust, where he provided strategic leadership and worked to strengthen representation, awareness and inclusion for neurodivergent colleagues.
At the Earlham Institute, Edward is the Accessibility Champion on the IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equality and Accessibility) Committee, contributing to the Institute’s wider approach to accessibility, inclusion and equitable participation. His interests centre on embedding EDIA considerations into the design of research environments, digital infrastructure and scientific communities, with a particular interest in the appropriate and equitable use of emerging technologies such as AI. He is particularly interested in how AI can be developed and adopted in ways that are accessible, transparent and beneficial to diverse communities, and how potential barriers or inequalities can be considered from the outset rather than addressed retrospectively.
Edward graduated from Norwich University of the Arts in 2023 with a BA (Hons) in Graphic Communication. His experience spans public services, research infrastructure, communications and organisational inclusion, giving him a cross-sector perspective on how people, systems and communities can be brought together to create more accessible, collaborative and sustainable research ecosystems.
Rebecca Crossley
EDI Group Member
Rebecca is a Junior Research Fellow in mathematics at the University of Oxford. After completing a PhD using mathematical modelling to understand the role of heterogeneity during collective cell migration, Rebecca’s research now focuses on developing and employing a range of data-driven and AI technologies to learn the mechanisms underpinning biological processes ranging from infectious disease dynamics to tumour growth and more. Rebecca is also a member of the European Mathematical Society Young Academy and sits on an AI steering group for European Women in Mathematics. Whilst in her much-loved position as a college lecturer at the University of Oxford, Rebecca is also an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and a certified member of the Association of Learning Technology.
Lidia Dykes
EDI Group Member