The STEMM Bullying and Harassment Intervention Project is a collaborative project to tackle bullying and harassment in science, technology, engineering, maths and medicine (STEMM) disciplines in higher education.
What is the STEMM Bullying and Harassment Intervention Project?
The universities of Nottingham, Lincoln and Lancaster will collaborate with specialist consultant Sheila Kanani to explore experiences and impacts of bullying and harassment in STEMM disciplines. It is made possible by funding from the Office for Students’ Equality in Higher Education Innovation Fund, which supports new ideas and innovation in delivering equality of opportunity. This project is one of 11 successful funding recipients, with funding aiming to address sector-wide risks that may affect a student’s opportunity to access, succeed in, and progress from higher education.
The project will use a novel research approach to explore the diversity of experience of bullying and harassment and understand its perceived impacts on mental health, wellbeing and student success indicators. It will work with students to co-design recommendations to address bullying and harassment, pilot interventions and develop further guidance and resources, including delivery of a sector-wide train-the-trainer programme.
The project will undertake focus groups, interviews and group concept mapping with students and relevant stakeholders. This will inform the development and delivery of pilot interventions and recommendations. Evaluation of pilot activities will inform a wider rollout of activities via a train-the-trainer programme.
| Feb 2025 – Jan 2026 | Research and co-creation |
| Early 2026 | Pilot activity in partner institutions |
| Apr 2026 – Jan 2027 | Sector rollout |
| Jan – July 2027 | Evaluation and dissemination |
Project Deliverables
The project will deliver clear recommendations for a holistic approach to preventing and addressing bullying and harassment in STEMM disciplines, along with online resources and evaluation tools to measure impact. A train-the-trainer programme will empower institutions across the sector to engage with these recommendations and resources.
Rachel Van Krimpen
Faculty Director of People and Culture for Science, University of Nottingham
Rachel is the Faculty Director of People and Culture for Science at the University of Nottingham, where she is also institutional co-theme lead for Gender Equality. Her work has a particular focus on equality, diversity and inclusion, including programmes of work on bullying and harassment, neuro-inclusivity, inclusive research cultures and widening participation to postgraduate research. She is a member of the Research England Expert Advisory Group on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and was a Trustee of the UK Council for Graduate Education from 2021-25.
Robert Bolton
Research Associate, University of Lincoln
Robert is a Research Associate at the Eleanor Glanville Institute, University of Lincoln. He is a qualitative sociological researcher whose core interest areas include gender-based violence (all forms); the social construction of gender, particularly men and masculinities; identities; stigma and shame. Robert previously worked on the multicountry PositivMasc project between 2019 and 2023 which explored how violence against young women can be addressed in the context of men and masculinities. For this Robert co-wrote a set pedagogical training resources and lesson plans for teachers to enable young people to develop critical thinking skills in relation to gender and gender-based violence. Robert traverses the qualitative sociological and psychological divide and is interested in the subjective experiences of individuals in relation to ‘personal troubles’ they experience in day-to-day life and how these cross the sociological/psychological binary. As testament to this, Robert completed a Certificate in Counselling Skills in 2022. Robert’s methodological interests and expertise include ethnography (including participant observation), interviews and discourse analysis. Robert also specialises in Group Concept Mapping methodology (GCM), a participatory, participant-driven methodology that converts the qualitative ideas and opinions of people to quantitative data which is represented in various easily understandable visual outputs. Robert contributes to the research phase of STEMM BHIP and which includes GCM to produce a clear framework for the development of a bullying and harassment intervention/training programme.
Julie Wardlow
Senior Lecturer, Lancaster University
Julie Wardlow is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Physics at Lancaster University. She is an astrophysicist who uses some of the biggest telescopes on and around our planet to study the evolution of distant galaxies. In addition to astrophysics Julie has passion for equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) and public engagement. She was a member of the UK delegation to the 7th IUPAP International Conference on Women in Physics and has led departmental EDI work and contributed to EDI efforts in physics and STEMM groups more broadly. Julie is particularly well versed in understanding how the experiences of STEMM students and practitioners are affected by gender, disability, neurodivergence, and the intersection of these and other personal characteristics.
Victor Avila Torres
Research Associate, University of Lincoln
Víctor is a researcher in digital media, culture, and technology. His work examines digital practices and cultural consumption from the user perspective, drawing primarily on qualitative and quantitative methods.
He has over ten years of experience teaching and researching in media studies, sociology, and science and technology studies. He completed his PhD at the University of York in 2020 and previously lectured in Social Media and Sociology.
Alongside his academic work, he has contributed to large-scale evaluation and media monitoring projects in Mexico, including studies commissioned by Mexico City’s Electoral Council to assess equality in electoral coverage. He also contributed to a large evaluation project on Inclusive Design for the British Council’s Education and Culture programmes.
He is Associate Editor and Book Review Editor for Information, Communication and Society.
Pronouns: He/Him/Él
Sheila Kanani
Honorary Researcher, Lancaster University
Dr Sheila Kanani MBE is a planetary scientist, EDI consultant, space educator and author, with a background in astrophysics and astronomy research from UK universities. She regularly acts as a science ambassador, visiting schools and speaking at events, and is an advocate for diversity in physics and astronomy. Sheila runs her company Her Place For Space from home, and enjoys walking on her local beach with her family of boys, playing sports, gazing at the stars, reading and eating (preferably reading whilst eating!). Her favourite planet is Saturn.
Cathy Chatten
Operations Manager, STEMM-BHIP, University of Nottingham
Abigail Powell - Advisory Board Chair
Professor of Sociology and Social Policy, University of Lincoln
Abigail is Director of Research in the Eleanor Glanville Institute (EGI). The EGI delivers research and teaching focused on equality, diversity and inclusion. Abigail seeks to support, facilitate and create positive social change. Her research is underpinned by her passion for social justice and equality. Abigail is an expert in the gender division of labour (in the home and workplace) and inequalities in the workplace. She has a particular interest in issues around gender in male dominated occupations, as well as workplace inequalities related to sexuality, race and ethnicity and disability and chronic illness. Abigail also has expertise in complex evaluation and impact measurement. Abigail has published widely in sociology, social policy, management and industrial relations journals, as well as translating research findings for a range of audiences, including academics, policy-makers and the public. Abigail has generated income over £2.6million working with, and delivering research for government, not-for-profits and industry.
Doug Little - Project Board Chair
Head of EDI Managers and Development Lead | University of Nottingham
Doug Little oversees strategic initiatives to embed student-centred equality, diversity and inclusion across the University of Nottingham. As Chair of the Project Board, Doug provides thoughtful oversight and strategic direction, ensuring the project remains aligned with its goals and core values of inclusivity, collaboration and impact. He is a member of the Association for Project Managers and an accredited member of the Association of Higher Education Professionals, reflecting his commitment to professional excellence and sector-wide leadership in EDI.
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/doug-little
Email: doug.little@nottingham.ac.uk