Latest diversity figures paint improving picture of physical sciences in the UK
Engineering and physical sciences funder reveals award and fellowship data
The latest diversity figures from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) reveal a mixed picture. While some ethnic minorities are not yet as successful as their white colleagues in winning grants and are not as well-represented on peer review bodies, others have made up ground.
The EPSRC compares its figures against data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) that show the proportion of ethnic minorities in engineering and physical sciences in higher education. In 2018–19, 73% of physical sciences researchers were white and 21% were ethnic minorities with the remainder ‘unknown’. In all, Asians (excluding Chinese) made up 8%, Chinese 7%, other 3%, mixed race 2% with Black researchers making up just 1% of academics in engineering and physical sciences.