QMUL’s faculty-wide education project “Breaking Barriers in STEM: Making Inclusion and Diversity Count” led by team members Dr Rehan Shah (SEMS), Dr Atm Alam and Dr Marie-Luce Bourguet (EECS) and Dr Tippu Sheriff (SPCS) has been shortlisted for the Access, Diversity and Inclusion Award category at the QS Reimagine Education Awards 2025.

CAISE’s work aims to achieve a radical reimagining of STEM education via inclusive excellence, student co-creation and authentic transformation. It brings together educators and students, particularly those from groups traditionally underrepresented to reshape the STEM ecosystem. Drawing on a three-pillar approach of evidence-based interventions, educator transformation and participatory pedagogy, the project looks beyond traditional metrics to deliver lasting, systemic, change. By positioning diversity as a catalyst for academic innovation, it exemplifies QMUL’s ethos of authentic inclusivity, offering a scalable model for influencing educational policy and practice. It also places QMUL at the forefront of equitable education, transforming both the student experience and the broader STEM landscape. The project’s mission is to empower every learner to thrive as skilled, confident scientists and engineers by breaking barriers and fostering inclusive excellence in STEM education. This will help create a future where all students see themselves reflected in the curriculum - not just in the classroom, but as valued, capable leaders shaping the future; a world where diversity drives innovation for a fairer society, and belonging is the foundation of success.

In addition to a very rigorous application form requiring detailed evidence to be submitted, the project team, with support from Queen Mary Academy and professional videographers, also created a promotional video pitch presentation to showcase the impact of their work narrated by each of the team members with a bonus contribution from Prof Stephanie Marshall, Vice Principal (Education) at QMUL, who articulated how “central to our mission as a university is that we don’t just talk about inclusion, it is in our DNA, we live it every day.”

This year led to 1,600 submissions being received across 18 award categories with a very competitive first round of evaluations, conducted by more than 800 international judges. The 2025 shortlisted projects rank among the top 20% in their respective categories. The shortlisted finalists will be invited to the in-person awards ceremony held in London from 1-3 Dec 2025, where they will also pitch their presentation to the attendees and judges, before the final awards are announced. The project team are extremely grateful to each other for their valuable contributions as well as to Queen Mary Academy and the university for providing dedicated support in crafting their application.