EDI champion named Vice Dean for Social Responsibility at The University of Manchester

Professor Natalie Gardiner has been announced as the new Vice Dean for Social Responsibility for the University of Manchester’s Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health.

Natalie has extensive experience of social responsibility (SR) and Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI), most recently as Director for SR in the School of Medical Sciences for six years, and since 2022 as Associate Dean for EDI. In this role, Natalie has had many successes, developing and delivering a number of sustained initiatives in the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health (BMH). She recently brought together a team for a successful Faculty-level Athena Swan application, and has contributed to several recent successful University-level Race Equality Chartermark, Disability Confident and Stonewall applications. Natalie is particularly passionate about patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE) and engagement with our communities, and increasing access to, and equity within, higher education.

Her collaborative and collegiate approach is demonstrated through her support and encouragement to staff and students seeking to make a positive change. This is evident in the many nominations for the ‘Making a Difference’ awards for staff and students across this Faculty. Natalie herself was also recognised for her commitment to SR&EDI, through her nomination for an ‘Agent of Change’ Award in 2022 from Northern Power Women, and a ‘Making a Difference’ award for Widening Participation’ in 2018.

This role was previously held by Professor Mahesh Nirmalan, who stepped down in July 2024. Mahesh transformed the way the Faculty viewed social responsibility, seeking to embed it in all aspects of our teaching and research.

Professor Gardiner said: “Mahesh is a hard act to follow. He has had a tremendous impact on the SR agenda in BMH and across the University, and globally.  I am very much looking forward to building on his work and working with you all to further strengthen and embed SR&EDI in everything we do – whether teaching and learning, research and innovation, internationalisation or operations. I am privileged to work with such a fantastic team of people and in a Faculty which already has so much of social responsibility built into its ethos.”