Unconscious bias to be explored in Imperial's diversity lecture

Psychologist Dr Pete Jones will explore unconscious bias within academia in the Annual Diversity Lecture on Wednesday 22 June.

Dr Pete Jones is the UK’s leading applied expert on unconscious bias. A former research manager for the UK Home Office, Dr Jones now delivers unconscious bias training to a number of UK universities, research institutes and businesses.

Unconscious bias refers to how someone’s background and personal experiences, as well as the impact of wider society and culture, can impact their preferences without them realising.

Speaking in advance of the lecture, Dr Jones said:
“Our implicit people preferences can influence decisions in higher education without the decision makers being aware. Unconscious bias is not just about gender and ethnicity; for example someone’s facial hair, attractiveness, height or body weight can affect their salary.

“In the lecture, we will explore how our experiences, exposure to media and the culture we grow up in can affect our decisions and I will share advice on how this can be mitigated.”  

Dr Pete Jones

Dr Jones will compare higher education with other sectors, such as engineering and finance, in terms of their implicit bias and he will share advice on how individuals and leaders can mitigate personal bias.

Leyla Okhai, Head of the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Centre at Imperial which hosts the lecture, said:
“We have made a concerted effort this year to focus on unconscious bias training which has received a very positive response. To increase engagement with the topic, I felt it would be an ideal subject for our annual lecture.”

Register to attend the lecture