What is normal?

April is Autism Acceptance Month and in this post, Eloise Parr, a newly diagnosed autistic PGR in English Language and Applied Linguistics, shares her journey of self-acceptance.

As a newly diagnosed autistic person*, Autism Acceptance Month has very much been for me as well as those who are allistic (not autistic).

Whenever I would talk to someone about being stressed and overwhelmed with the amount of things I had to do for my PhD, they’d tell me that was normal. Whenever I talked to someone about balancing PhD work and household chores, they’d tell me that was normal. Whenever I would talk to someone about being really anxious about speaking at conferences and not knowing what to say during a networking session, they’d tell me that was normal too.

Those people were right up to a point. It is normal to sometimes feel stressed and anxious as a PGR. What wasn’t normal was how often and how intensely I was experiencing anxiety and stress, and how none of the usual fixes (a change of scenery, talking to friends, meditation, cognitive behavioural therapy, etc) seemed to help at all.

It wasn’t until a friend of mine told me I might be autistic that it all began to make sense. After hours of internet research for days on end (it’s very common for autistic people to hyperfocus on a topic like this) and talking to all of my autistic friends (again, it’s very common for autistic people to gravitate to one another accidentally or intentionally), I finally started to feel I had answers for why being told my struggles were ‘normal’ didn’t sit right with me.

In November last year, I was finally diagnosed with autism at the age of 25. Although I qualify for the label of ‘late diagnosed’, I feel somewhat fortunate that I was able to find this out now compared to many who are diagnosed or self-diagnosed in much later stages of life. That being said. once I gained that diagnosis, I went from non-disabled and neurotypical to disabled and neurodivergent* seemingly overnight. Of course, in reality, I’d always been disabled, it’s just I had always treated myself and been treated as if I were non-disabled up until that point. This meant I wasn’t able to give myself the accommodations I needed and was instead making things worse by pushing myself too much.

As soon as I began to discover what autism looked like for me, I felt a weight had been lifted off me but also found myself struggling more with things I once did with apparent relative ease. This is because I realised how much I’d been pushing myself into a state of discomfort without even realising it. For example, I suddenly found social situations more difficult once I was aware of how sensitive I was to loud noises and the unconscious effort I used to put in to create appropriate levels of eye contact and facial expressions.

It was very demotivating to find out I will always have struggles that many others won’t have, but it’s just meant that I have had to find what support I need from the people around me and what support I need from myself. For me, these changes are working in shorter, focused sprints rather than a 9-5 (the Shut Up and Work sessions in the Main Library have been a god-send!), making sure my supervisors set me clear deadlines between supervisions, and making sure my working environment is filled with fidget toys.

My journey of self-acceptance is far from over but once I stopped forcing myself to be someone I wasn’t, I was able to understand and accept myself a lot more than before.

* A note on terminology: although some people have individual preferences, the autistic community has shared a general preference for identity-first language (autistic person) rather than person-first language (person with autism). This is the language I prefer too, but it’s also best to ask someone what they prefer if you’re not sure. I will also be using the term ‘neurodivergent’ to describe myself and others. This isn’t an interchangeable term for autistic but is an umbrella term used to describe anyone who isn’t the dominant neurotype (neurotypical). This includes autism, ADHD, Tourette’s, dyslexia, dyspraxia, bipolar, etc. More information.

The Piscopia Initiative: inspiring inclusion in Maths

Ahead of International Women’s Day on Friday 8 March, Rosie Evans, a PGR in Maths shares the work that she does with The Piscopia Initiative.

Only 26% of doctorate mathematical sciences graduates are female, and this falls further to 11% of mathematical sciences professors. The Piscopia Initiative is an international network of women and underrepresented genders in mathematical research with two key aims:

• To support current women and underrepresented genders in PhD study in mathematics and create a community where they feel heard and understood.
• To encourage more undergraduates to consider further study in mathematics.

Three PhD students (Isabella, Tiffany, and Mary) at the University of Edinburgh started Piscopia in 2019 to tackle this gender gap that we see in mathematical research. I started up the Birmingham Piscopia node in 2021 in the first year of my PhD when Tiffany got in touch. At the end of 2022 I became a national co-lead and I am now responsible for coordinating some of our 19 committees across the UK and one in the US.

PiFORUM23 participants at the University of Birmingham in September 2023

Our local committees run events such as mentorship schemes, social sports, and application helpdesks for students to get advice on PhD applications. Nationally, we host a monthly, online seminar series called PiWORKS and run an annual in-person event called PiFORUM. We also have several online advice series on our social media pages including “Mathematician of the Month”, which celebrates the recent achievements of a nominated women or person from an underrepresented gender.

International Women’s Day is an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of women and underrepresented genders within our community. Piscopia are hosting ten events across the UK simultaneously on Friday 8^th March to celebrate International Women’s Day this year. Our Edinburgh committee are going to be making signs and going on the IWD march, in Newcastle there will be a bake sale in aid of a Kenyan outreach programme that encourages and supports Kenyan girls to pursue education in STEM, and lots of our other committees are hosting coffee & cake (York, St Andrews, Bath, Glasgow & Strathclyde, Leicester) with a poster carousel of work done by women and underrepresented genders in Maths. Here in Brum we are going to be hosting a PhD showcase on the Physics Bridge in Watson. After a successful showcase in 2023, we have decided to run the same event this year, hopefully even bigger! We’ve asked postgraduates in maths to make a poster that communicates their research in a way that is accessible for undergraduates. This includes talking about the best and worst parts of PhD study for them and the sorts of skills that they learnt when they were undergraduate that they are using now. This event is open to anyone but is particularly aimed at women and underrepresented genders. The goal is to break the barrier between postgraduates and undergraduates and initiate conversations that would otherwise not happen organically. We also want to inspire the students by showing them the huge variety of topics that we as postgraduates research – each PhD and therefore each PhD student is unique.

None of the events we run here in Birmingham would be possible without our committee members as well as the staff in Maths. Sara Jabbari and Olga Maleva have supported us at every stage, particularly with their advice from their experience supporting underrepresented groups in Mathematics. We’d love you to get in touch if you’d like to be involved.

Queer Research(er)

During LGBT+ History Month 2024, Rebecca Humphreys-Lamford (she/her), a PGR in the College of Arts and Law, discusses her experience of being a queer researcher carrying out research on representations of asexuality.

The theme for LGBTQ+ History Month this year is ‘Under the Scope’, designed as a celebration of LGBTQ+ peoples’ contributions to medicine and healthcare. It also serves as a reminder of the many ways in which LGBTQIA+ people have existed ‘Under the [Micro]Scope’ of scrutiny, discrimination, and pathologization in both research and society more generally.

My research focuses on representations of asexuality on British television over the last twenty years and aims to discover how asexual representations can impact asexual communities. Asexuality is a sexual orientation that includes any person who does not experience, or rarely experiences sexual attraction.  As a queer researcher in the field of Gender and Sexuality Studies, it can be difficult to balance this research alongside my own identity as an asexual. I remember starting my MA by Research in 2021, where – for the first time – I was speaking about asexuality to people who weren’t my closest friends. I often found myself having to navigate a space where talking about my research often meant outting myself as asexual. Sometimes this meant explicitly coming out with the words “I am asexual”, while at other times, feeling almost forced ‘out’ through the assumptions of others about why I was engaging in research about asexuality.

Research suggests that 72% of Britons “haven’t heard of or have heard very little” about asexuality: I find  myself feeling ‘Under the Scope’ when talking about my research, as in some cases, I am the first asexual someone has met. For any researcher, talking about their research can be difficult. You have to translate your specialisms into understandable summaries and hope the audience will have some idea about what you’re talking about. However, for me, there are additional hurdles. I have to ask, ‘Will this person know what asexuality is?’; ‘Will they understand why asexual representation is so important?’; and begin every discussion by framing what asexuality is. I have to ask myself, ‘Will they even believe that asexuality is real?’, and be prepared to not only defend my research, but my own identity as well.

Thankfully, my research has consistently been met with positive reactions.  I am now a first-year PhD student, continuing my research into representations of asexuality: I am thoroughly enjoying it. I can stand proud about my research, and my position as an asexual researcher conducting research into asexuality. But my own project requires putting members of my community ‘Under the Scope’, through questionnaires and interviews, in order to talk about our experiences and histories. This is an important privilege and responsibility. Recognising LGBTQ+ History Month (and LGBTQIA+ histories more widely) is important. This recognition can act as a tool from which we can all learn, not just in retracing and celebrating queer histories that have historically been silenced, but in remembering the horrors of the past to avoid repeating them. A celebration this year, then, of LGBTQ+ peoples’ contributions to medicine and healthcare is important, but simultaneously, it must be remembered that the fields of medicine and healthcare continue to discriminate against LGBTQ+ people. Just because we can celebrate our successes, doesn’t mean we can’t look to our futures and continue to work towards equality, in healthcare and beyond, for all LGBTQIA+ people.

Spotlight on the RDF: “Collegiality”

In one of our occasional series of “Spotlight on…” posts, we take a closer look at a specific descriptor from the RDF. Each one of the sixty-three descriptors in Vitae‘s Researcher Development Framework (RDF) is a characteristic of an excellent researcher, and we’ll be looking at how UoB PGRs can develop these characteristics.

Photo by fauxels on Pexels.com

Research, and particularly postgraduate research, can be a lonely business. Each PGR is answering unique research questions. A lot of (if not all) day-to-day activity is carried out on an individual basis. So who are our colleagues? What should our relationship be with them? How might we develop that relationship? Does it even matter?

The RDF puts collegiality in domain D (engagement, influence and impact) and sub-domain D1 (working with others) and the phases for this descriptor are:

1. Shows consideration to others; Listens, gives and receives feedback and responds perceptively to others.
2. Is approachable, demonstrates interpersonal sensitivity; Ensures everyone has a shared understanding.
3. Keeps people informed of wider institutional issues; Promotes collegiality, regardless of status; Engages in supportive peer review with colleagues.
4. & 5. Exemplar for collegial behaviour in department/institution; Cascades knowledge; Solicits and attends to feedback from colleagues at all levels.

So far, so wishy-washy. The first couple of phases can be summed up by “don’t be a dick“, and then it sort of seems to say that you can be collegiate by being collegiate…

So I thought I might give you my interpretation of what it means to be collegiate as a PGR.

The single most important thing you can do as a PGR is to surround yourself with people. Support from others, in all its different forms, is going to make all the difference to you, through both your research and your wellbeing. But I think of collegiality as a specific part of this which has two key components. Firstly, it involves primarily that part of your network which surrounds you in your department or School. The people that might, in some contexts, be called “colleagues”. In the past, it might have been the people who share your office corridor, building or common room, but who may not seem immediately useful. Secondly, it is about reciprocity, so as much as you will benefit from having good working and social relationships with your colleagues, they will also benefit from you being an active part of their network. Collegiality is therefore part of creating and maintaining an effective, welcoming, and vibrant research culture and everyone can do their bit.

There are lots of ways that you can be collegiate in your area, including:

• Cultivate successful relationships with all the members of your supervisory team, including your mentor.
• Get involved in departmental activities, such as research seminars, and encourage others to do the same.
• If you can, spend time in your department on campus, working in a hot-desking room or shared PGR office.
• Meet up for coffee (virtually or in person) occasionally with the people around you and let the conversation go where it will. Take it as an opportunity to check in on someone’s wellbeing – ask twice.
• When you develop your skills, proactively think about how you can share your learning with others in your department.
• Look out for and participate in EDI initiatives such as the UoB LGBTQ Ally Scheme, or the Staff Networks, and again, share your learning within your department.

What does being collegiate mean to you? Who do you think of as your colleagues and how do you practice collegiality?

Exploring Knowledge Horizons: A Researcher’s Insta-Journey

In our last post of 2023, Fatemah Dashti, a PGR in Civil Engineering, shares her experience of initiating research collaborations via social media.

In recent years, the role of social media has become an integral part of the academic journey. If you were to ask any researcher across the world about their use of social media in recent times, the resounding answer would be yes. The use of social media platforms has revolutionized the means by which researchers disseminate their work and establish connections within their academic communities. Imagine a life without social media, it’s a scenario that prompts reflection. Personally, as a PhD student, I’ve witnessed the profound impact of social media on both my personal and academic spheres. It goes beyond a mere tool for communication; it has become a lifeline connecting me with family, especially when they are miles away.

Platforms like Instagram have become spaces where I can share the joy of my paper publications and celebrations, reaching friends across the world. Social media serves as a complementary tool to conferences and journals, rather than a replacement. In recent times, a significant scientific conferences have transitioned to live online platforms, utilizing platforms such as YouTube or Instagram.

In the years 2017 and 2018, my experiment into environmental volunteering took root through Instagram. It all began with a post from the Date Palm Friends Society account, extending an invitation to join their environmental volunteer community. Motivated by this post, I took the plunge and joined several environmental events organized by the Date Palm Friends Society. These events were considered to increase environmental awareness. One of the standout features of these events was the inclusion of environmental lectures conducted by researchers from different countries. In May 2018, during an environmental projects event, I presented on the conversion of tidal seawater energy into electricity. The event was hosted by the Kuwait Environment Public Authority. This journey, ignited by a simple Instagram post, unfolded into a rich of experiences. From actively participating in environmental events to absorbing the insights shared by environmental researchers, each step contributed to my growing understanding of environmental sciences.

In my journey at the Water Research Centre within Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, I had unforgettable experience as a team member in the “Assessment of the Potential of Dibdibba Shared Aquifer (WM066C)” project. Our challenge was to develop a conceptual numerical model for the shared Dibdibba aquifer which demanded groundwater well data from Iraq and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. As a team member, in conversation with the project leader, the solution came unexpectedly, by Instagram. I suggested to the project leader, about connecting with hydrology researchers I follow them on the Instagram platform. Engaging with researchers through Instagram proved to be a game-changer. The collaboration with experts unfolded seamlessly, and the missing pieces of our aquifer puzzle fell into place. In conclusion, our journey through the assessment of the Dibdibba shared aquifer project became not just a scientific exploration but a testament to collaboration through the lens of one of the social media platforms which is Instagram.

Black in Research: empowering diversity for research excellence

October is Black History Month and this year’s theme is Saluting our Sisters. Professor Yemisi Takwoingi shares her reflections on her career and being a Black woman in research.

“Academia is so White” said one of my two daughters while looking through slides of a prestigious plenary lecture I recently gave. That’s because she hardly saw people of colour in the pictures of colleagues and people I’ve collaborated with over the years. Being Black in research can indeed be lonely at times especially the further up the ladder you go but I do not feel alone.

Prof Yemisi Takwoingi in the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens earlier this year.

I am a Nigerian-British married woman in a small (60ish) but growing cohort of Black female professors in UK higher education institutions. I have an unconventional career path with complimentary background in veterinary medicine, computer programming and medical statistics and have transitioned from technical support to academic related to an academic role at the University of Birmingham (2001−now). Starting from Nigeria, my entire life, well almost, has been in a university which certainly wasn’t the plan!

My research timeline began in 2008 as a part-time Research Fellow in Biostatistics; awarded a National Institute for Health and Care (NIHR) Doctoral Fellowship in 2012; completed the part-time PhD and promoted to Senior Research Fellow in 2016; awarded a NIHR Postdoctoral Fellowship in 2018; promoted to Chair in 2020; Deputy Institute Director in 2021. My trajectory may seem to defy stereotypes and celebrate individual achievement without the ‘burden’ of being a Black researcher in a predominately White space. Not entirely true. I owe a lot to people and to my Christian faith that keeps me going whenever I’ve felt like giving up.

For me, being Black in health and care research carries the duality of burden and privilege. The burden lies in the weight of disproving stereotypes, constant awareness of being an outlier in spaces where diversity is often lacking, pressure (often self-imposed) to prove my worth and the responsibility of being a role model and an advocate. Yet, within this burden lies privilege—a unique perspective forged through diversity and a rich lived experience that I initially buried but I’ve grown to embrace and maximise; resilience honed through the uncertainty of life; ability to challenge the norm; an unyielding determination to excel against all odds and make the most of every opportunity; and a commitment to supporting the development of others. The duality is my catalyst for leading the new NIHR Race Equity and Diversity in Careers Incubator to ensure that being a Black female professor is not just an individual accomplishment but an opportunity to amplify my voice. It is a no brainer that academia and research should reflect the diversity of the community it serves. Change is inevitable!

I salute my family who have inspired me to believe in the impossible. Amazing colleagues here and elsewhere have championed me over the years, opened doors, nudged me and given me the opportunity to thrive. As such I believe it is important as a (Black) researcher to be surrounded by the right people, be in the right place, do the right things, and at the right time it all falls into place. Proud to be Black in research.

for (you in PhD): “self-taught code” to “professional code”

In this post, Seb Gilbert, a PGR in Mathematics, introduces us to the “We Don’t Byte” PGR coding club and talks about the value he has found in setting up and contributing to the club.

More and more often, coding is becoming an essential skill in academic research. Whether you are in a subject closely related to the language of logic (such as me in Mathematics) or having to analyse large datasets in the humanities; being able to code can enable you to process, compute and visualise data in a matter of minutes which previously would have taken months.

The problem is that, for many, coding is often a lonely self-taught experience. Even for the few subjects which touch upon coding during their undergraduate degrees, you only skim the surface of the vast technicalities. Teaching yourself how to code is a valuable experience in itself, yet, it can only take you so far.

Before beginning your endeavour with code, you might have had an image of multiple black monitor screens, running lines of luminescent green text and progress bars showing how long you have until you’ve hacked into the nation’s secret database… okay maybe not the last bit but that’s what you see on TV or in films. However, the reality for many involves writing line after line of carefully typed code to only be rewarded with the dreaded “Error” message. I know in the office I share with other PhD students, the comparison between expectation and reality is more like this…

With this in mind, and inspiration taken from BlueBEAR’s Coding Club, we thought to start a PGR coding club, calling it “We Don’t Byte”. The idea was to understand how as PGRs we could a) share solutions that help reduce our frustration, and b) bridge the gap between writing self-taught code and professional code. Specifically, how can PGRs early on in their coding journey pick up the essential tools needed to write reliable and reusable code.

We first invited our friends and soon their friends would come along too. Starting within one School and then expanding across the College, we now have members spanning all across the University.

The sessions so far have included talks presented by PGRs (in topics such as “Code Structure” and “Version control with Git”), peer feedback sessions (such as our “Advent of Code code review”) and an interactive workshop on data visualisation, with invited lecturer Dr. Ilija Rašović. The sessions are all decided and organised by the club’s members, so if you had something in mind, then please let us know!

This is now a rare way that PGRs can gather, irrespective of academic subject, to share their enthusiasm and share their ideas. Setting this up has truly been gratifying and not only through the improvement in my own coding but how the club has found a way for PGRs to help one another. Finally, as I am coming to the end of my PhD, I have the confidence to search for jobs that involve coding in their description, with the knowledge that my skills are to professional expectations.

At the very least, I know that my coding experience now includes less expletives than it did before.

Being a woman and a PGR at UoB

To celebrate International Women’s Day this year (Wednesday 8 March), we have invited PGRs at UoB who are women to contribute their experiences to this in depth blog post. All those included have received a hard copy of ResearcHER: the power and potential of research careers for women (ebook available via link). Their stories are presented in no particular order.

Amy Tansell, Mathematics

Being the only woman in my cohort on the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Topological Design, I was passionate about becoming a student equality, diversity, and inclusion rep, joining the Piscopia Initiative committee, and becoming a STEM Ambassador. Through these roles, I have planned and organised a number of events, from a ‘How to Be an Ally’ workshop to outreach with local schools. By encouraging more women and non-binary students to pursue a career in STEM, I am helping tackle the STEM gap, and knowing I can make small positive changes during my time as a postgraduate researcher is empowering!

Sharon Smith, Education

Juggling
Washing, cleaning, writing, caring, reading
                Alternative rhythms
                                The academic metronome goes on
Tick tick tick

                                Stopping for nobody. Always ticking, measuring progress
Tick tick tick

But life not so linear

A mother, a carer
                                goes…….
                                                                slower……………………

             never                                       in
                                     quite
                                                                             sync
Juggling.

The sense of always being behind
Behind what? Behind who? Always behind. Never in time. Always catching up

Guilt,
never good enough.

Juggling.
Struggling.

Tick tick tick
Tick tick tick

Ticking the box. Sufficient progress is being made.
                But mum… do you have to work this weekend?
                                Every weekend?

Tick tick tick
Tick tick tick
Tick tick tick

Amani Alzahrani, Immunology and Immunotherapy

I am happy to introduce this opportunity. I am lucky to be a woman and a researcher with the possibility. I am a daughter to indulgent parents, a mother to three diamonds, the elder sister to four brothers, and I am the heart of the chivalrous man. Life treats me well as I am in such balance of giving and gaining the strength, determination, and turnout for diligence and success. And, a woman who know when she is in her full femininity, and when to be self-sufficient and become tougher than men. I see myself in an outstanding position in the few coming years.

Alex Dickinson-Lomas, Metallurgy and Materials

I love the variety of work I am involved in as a PhD researcher, especially embarking on exciting experimental work and teaching. I have noticed a skew in the gender balance of teaching postgraduates and those involved in outreach; women and non-binary students seem more likely to engage in activities that don’t primarily benefit their own research and it can be frustrating that work outside of pure research activity is not always valued in the same way. I have developed strong friendships with female researchers in my department and most of my colleagues make me feel very welcome but being in such a male dominated environment affects my confidence. It is difficult to feel like you’re in the right place when there are few people you can relate to in senior positions.

Karma Tamang, Political Science

Being a woman and postgraduate researcher, I feel immensely grateful. I am from Nepal and until around 80 years ago, there was authoritarian Rana regime and people were prohibited from formal education. Later on, when the democracy came, people were allowed to go to school but in a patriarchal society, female were underprivileged. Sons had priority and most of the time, girls left school very early to help at home. So, on the International Women’s Day, I thank all those in the history who fought for equal rights. I thank everyone who helped me directly and indirectly to come so far.

Zakiyatul Mufidah, Theology and Religion

As a mother student, it is not only imposter syndrome that often gets me down but living thousands of miles away apart with my 3 kids seems an unbearable burden for me while struggling with the early year of my Ph.D. here. All the disadvantaged situations are real and valid. Women have always been in more vulnerable positions when engaging with the public domain including career and education. However, millions of reasons should be raised to keep going and stand still from pursuing a better life and equal opportunities. Women shouldn’t be afraid of hardship but of the absence of courageousness.

Katrina Waters, Social Policy

I’m Katrina Waters, and in the fourth year of a part-time PhD in the School of Social Policy, CoSS.  My research explores the factors that support women to challenge idealised norms of femininity.  As a woman doing this kind of research, it is ironic that I fail to challenge such stereotypes, especially in my (typically female?) reticence about publicly discussing my research!  However, I am becoming more comfortable with ‘putting myself out there’ in academic settings thanks to my supervisors’ encouragement and the PGR network meetings I attend. Hopefully, I can also encourage other female PGRs make their research, and voices, heard. 

Emma Reith Hall, Social Work and Social Care

You won’t find us on campus or see us in online events, instead we will be in our homes – trying to finish reading an article before the school pick up, or at work – hoping the steady stream of emails lets up, so we can focus on our research. First-world problems, I know, but if you are a PGR, juggling research, work and parenting, remember that everyone’s PhD journey is different. Your pace will probably be slower than others; that’s okay, this isn’t a race. Be kind to yourself and celebrate everything you have achieved and overcome to get this far. You’ll get your PhD done. And FYI, the laundry can wait!

Antonieta Fostier, Nursing

Being a woman, a mother, and having a professional life often takes us away from our dreams and goals. Nonetheless, there comes a time when pursuing these goals becomes essential for us to feel alive. Achieving my PhD at maturity is an unparalleled experience. It’s a mix of fears and insecurities but, above all, a lot of passion and commitment. Each of us has unique abilities. However, believing in our competencies, seeking improvement, and enjoying each achievement is essential. I am confident that we are capable of becoming what we believe in. Happy International Women’s Day to all of us!

Four top tips for better conversations

A little while ago, I put together some material for the Working effectively with your supervisor Canvas course on managing difficult conversations. The research I did clarified a few things in my mind, and the four key points that I ended up with are things I return to regularly, in all areas of my life, to help me get the most out of meetings and conversations, regardless of whether I expect them to be difficult or not.

I thought I’d share them with you.

Research across cultures

One of the great things about working in academia is being part of an international community. At the University of Birmingham, there are students from over 150 countries and 34% of academic staff are overseas nationals. This generates a hugely interesting and creative environment for research.

Photo by cottonbro on Pexels.com

Unfortunately, it also creates opportunities for cultural misunderstandings (although anyone who has tried to establish what to call a bread roll in England will know you don’t need to be from different countries for that!). Many of these are harmless (see the aforementioned barm cakes) but at other times they can make working relationships difficult or strained, or serve to make someone feel like they don’t belong.

Luckily, there are things we can all do to increase our own cultural awareness so that everyone can exploit the full richness of a diverse international community.