Statement on equity, diversity, and inclusion

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Each member of our team strives to create and advance a culture of equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI). Respect for all persons, contextual awareness, and inclusive actions form the foundation of our equity-driven framework. As principal investigators, we hold ourselves accountable for making progress on diversity and inclusion in our workplaces.

We foster work and training environments that welcome and support individuals who have historically been excluded from STEM careers. These individuals include, but are not limited to, women, racialized individuals, persons with disabilities, Indigenous peoples, and people who are part of the LGBTQ+ community. We believe that individuals from these diverse backgrounds bring the breadth and wealth of perspectives, skills, and experiences needed to build and sustain a strong research team. This diversity forms the basis of novel ideas, innovations, and excellence in STEM.

Our team is committed to identifying and raising awareness about systemic barriers to entering and succeeding in STEM careers faced by individuals from underrepresented groups.  We are dedicated to fair and impartial practices that dismantle these systemic barriers so that all individuals can achieve their full potential. To challenge the status quo and to empower those who have traditionally been marginalized in STEM, we are leading and supporting advocacy efforts across our institutions and academic communities.

 

How we are taking action:

• We assess the progress of our diversity and inclusion efforts by analyzing the gaps in representation on our teams, from team leaders to staff and trainees. This quantitative data will help us improve our strategies to support women, racialized individuals, Indigenous peoples, and the LGBTQ+ community in STEM.

 

• Our team is committed to recruiting and retaining individuals from diverse groups. We ensure that our recruitment materials are accessible and that we use inclusive language. Open positions are promoted broadly using channels that maximize our reach to diverse groups.

 

• To ensure that members of minoritized groups do not self-select out of research positions and STEM careers and to accommodate people with caregiving responsibilities or cultural or faith needs and holidays, we offer flexible work and training arrangements where possible.

 

• We strongly encourage all individuals on our teams to complete training on topics such as unconscious bias, systemic barriers faced by marginalized groups, and EDI principles and best practices. Our workplaces are safe spaces where our teams can have open discussions about our current state of inclusiveness and areas that need improvement. Any form of discrimination is not accepted.

 

• We are dedicated to providing fair and equitable growth opportunities for our staff and trainees by offering them one-on-one mentorship and supporting their participation in other mentorship programs, workshops, conferences, and networking and professional development opportunities.

 

• Members of our team serve as leaders, collaborators, and advisors on local and national STEM and EDI committees and organizations. Through these roles, we engage with the broader public and propose and fund activities that support underrepresented groups in STEM. We also encourage our staff and trainees to participate in outreach activities that will positively impact individuals from diverse backgrounds.  

 

Our EDI strategies and action plans are a work in progress. We welcome feedback from our staff, trainees, collaborators, and academic communities to advance our diversity and inclusion commitments and equity-focused outcomes.