Peter Bryan is a fourth-year postgraduate research student in the Department of Bioengineering and co-chair of the Black Doctoral Network.
He is also one of the first recipients of the James West scholarship which aims to address the under-representation of Black and mixed Black Heritage PhD students within the department.
Ayo Oluyemi is the Education Projects Coordinator in the Education Office and is leading a project to improve the experience of Black students at Imperial. After running successful pilot activities last year supported by the Education Office Innovation Fund, they have secured further funding for the Black @ Imperial programme to run a series of events across the 2025-26 academic year, with the first event taking place later this month.
Farwa Abbas is a final year PhD student in the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering.
It was always her dream to study at Imperial and as the first in her family to pursue higher education abroad and earn a PhD, Farwa has made the most of all the opportunities on offer during her time here as a postgraduate research student.
Christine Larbie, Support Technician in Central Biomedical Services, joined Imperial in 1979 when she was 21 years old.
In 1985 Christine moved to the animal unit, where she was trained as an animal technician. She has worked at the South Kensington Campus ever since, in roles ranging from animal tech to support services and housekeeping roles.
To mark Women at Imperial Week, the co-Presidents of the Society for Women and Non-Binary Individuals in Physics shared the work they do to create inclusive spaces in the Department of Physics, how they are creating networking opportunities, and why it’s important to highlight underrepresentation in science.
Mary Adeturinmo is currently Interim Executive Assistant for the Associate Provosts for EDI, and has previously worked as a Research Assistant based in the National Heart and Lung Institute. Her research role within the EQuity Lab is closely aligned with the Imperial Sickle Cell Group, of which she is a co-founder.
Alongside her PhD with the Department of Bioengineering, Meg is the Imperial College Union Disabilities Officer.
Now in the third year of her PhD, Meg is developing a medical device to prevent pressure ulcers.
It was in her first year of her PhD that Meg was diagnosed with autism, and she completed her undergraduate degree at Imperial with minimal adjustments.
After finishing my GCSEs, I went to sixth form to study chemistry, biology and music. At the time, I was set on going into the field of medicine with the aim of being a surgeon. However, when lockdown happened and my older sister moved back into our family home, I was exposed to more of the UX/UI (User Experience and User Interface) work she was doing and listened in on the Zoom calls she would have with her team. This reignited my interest in tech and coding, enough to make me switch paths and pursue it fully!
The President’s Awards for Excellence recognises the achievements of staff based on four award categories: Culture and Community, Education, Research, and Societal Engagement. Among the winners for each specialist area, those who have made exceptional contributions are also awarded with the President’s Medal.
I am qualified in Animal Care (BTEC National Diploma) and started my career at Huntingdon Life Sciences as a Support Services Technician. I learned more about water quality and gained further expertise, including being involved in a study testing and collecting data on air quality machines. Following this experience, I moved to Imperial to work as Support Services Supervisor for Central Biomedical Services (CBS), Imperial’s animal care facility, at the South Kensington Campus.