Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan

We aspire to continue creating equal opportunities in our research collaborations by addressing systemic barriers such as inadequate support systems, lack of role models, persistent implicit biases, and uneven access to university resources. These barriers are evidenced in the persistent underrepresentation of women in computer sciences (e.g. 16% of first-year university students). To address these challenges, the Brun Lab EDI coordinator surveyed PIs to synergize best practices across the team, including: (1) cultivation of inclusive work environments; (2) equitable recruitment of collaborators, HQP, and students; (3) support for underrepresented researchers; and (4) outreach beyond the university.

1. CULTIVATION OF INCLUSIVE WORK ENVIRONMENTS

Our team is committed to developing the inclusive culture needed for research excellence by working to remove barriers and biases within our work environment. To begin, the team will identify an EDI manager and work together to synthesize various team members’ EDI statements, memoranda of understanding, and charters. To address EDI concerns, the team will adopt the ongoing practice of Brun lab meetings to include a time to discuss workplace environment concerns or to identify emerging issues, such as access to resources such as childcare, religious accommodations, and immigration considerations. Through this practice, we aim to foster an empathic awareness of the needs and realities of members with intersecting identities (including gender, religion, immigration status, disability, language, race and/or class) and to build communities of mutual aid. Similarly, members of the team will continue to organize inclusive social events that accommodate family responsibilities, religious observances, and dietary restrictions to foster sense of belonging. To monitor the inclusivity of the work environment, the EDI manager will conduct anonymous, optional annual surveys in order to gauge concerns, register complaints, and assess diversity of the overall team composition. As the result of survey results, the EDI manager with revisit and update policies and practices with the goals of maintaining gender balance across the team, retaining members of underrepresented groups, and increasing diversity over five years.

2. EQUITABLE RECRUITMENT OF COLLABORATORS

Recruitment of collaborators, students and HQP will mirror the intentional efforts made in composing the PI team to include those from underrepresented populations. Team members will continue to advertise hiring opportunities widely per the EDI Best Practices guide for Canada Research Chairs, especially to associations of underrepresented groups, and to relevant industry organizations and research networks. Team members will also continue ongoing practices of creating diverse selection committees, and will take into consideration each applicant’s commitment to EDI. In order to address the systemic barriers of implicit biases and stereotypes, particularly the contribution of unconscious affinity bias to recruit trainees who reflect one’s own personal characteristics, all team members will be encouraged to follow the Nguyen lab group in participating in unconscious bias trainings. These trainings provide tools and competencies for identifying, understanding, and overcoming implicit biases at each stage of the selection process, and are readily available through the collaborating institutions, as well as the tri-council Canadian granting agencies.

3. SUPPORT FOR UNDERREPRESENTED RESEARCHERS

Inadequate support systems (such as lack of role models or access to parental leave) act as barriers for members of underrepresented groups to participate fully in the research team. In order to support all underrepresented researchers, we propose to expand on the multiple mentorship programs for women implemented by Nguyen, Durand and Marinier. Mentoring serves to offer guidance for career development, to generate opportunities for advancing academic goals, and to provide psychosocial support. New hires or new graduate students will be paired with mentors across the team, and mentoring events will be coordinated with team meetings.

4. OUTREACH BEYOND THE UNIVERSITY

Aligned with UdeM’s strategy to improve the pre-university “pipeline” of underrepresented groups and overcome barriers of uneven access to university resources, Brun and his team will continue to conduct educational outreach with schools and programs such as Les Scientifines, which focuses on mentoring young girl scientists, and Cap Campus, which fosters participation of Indigenous students and promotes equal access to university studies. The EDI manager will support these efforts, recognizing that underrepresented faculty experience a greater number of requests for mentorship and cultural support. These outreach initiatives also provide trainees and HQP opportunities to serve as role-models and to reinforce their scientific interests in social learning situations.