Building careers by overcoming barriers

Published on 8, October, 2025

Almost 500 women have benefitted from a project involving the University of Sunderland to boost the careers of Black, Asian and minoritised ethnic students.

Generation Delta, a four-year programme partly funded by Research England and the Office for Students and led by the University of Leeds alongside five partner universities, was set up to help participants overcome barriers that can hinder the progress of racially minoritised women as they go through their doctoral journey. 

It was led by six female professors – all members of the Black Female Professors Forum – including Donna Chambers, former Professor of Tourism at the University of Sunderland.

Professor Donna Chambers, who is now at Northumbria, said: “It has been an absolute pleasure leading for the University of Sunderland on the Generation Delta project over the last four years. 

“Over the years we have supported racially minoritised women students to develop their confidence and feelings of belonging in higher education research. We have also had many roundtable discussions with representatives from our six institutional partners on how policies and systems can be changed to enhance these women’s experiences. 

“Looking after students who are unsure of themselves and working with them until you see them on the graduation stage is very satisfying. It is also great to see postgraduate students get jobs in academia. That makes me feel happy. There is a lot of joy from working with other academics and students to produce something worthwhile.” 

The research team held workshops over the past four years to help women apply for places, find funding and the right supervisor to help them on their journey. 

The next objective was to help these students stay the course and go on to pass their exams so that after completing their studies and the programme, they transitioned into an academic post. 

>

Around 500 women have benefitted from the free workshops, organised all over the country.  

The programme formally ends in January 2026, but the final workshop and conference were held in September.

Among those who took part in the programme is Ruphine Obare, a doctoral student currently at the University of Sunderland in London.

Ruphine, who is a Generation Delta Champion, said: “Generation Delta was a first in so many ways. It provided a safe space where I could share my experiences and relate my stories with others like never before without fear of contradiction or judgement.

“The keynote speeches and presentations from different black female academics and professionals inspired me and gave me hope to believe there are still elements of goodwill in humanity.

“As the curtain falls on this project, I take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to all the six black female professors who were the brainchild of this life changing project. Your effortless zeal and devotion to the cause is something I will strive to emulate. Thank you for giving me the opportunity as a Generation Delta Champion”. 

Legacy materials and training resources are now being created in a determined effort to continue to provide support and to realise Generation Delta’s vision to lay the foundations for a long-term increase in the number of racially minoritised women gaining professorships in higher education institutions in England. 

Professor Iyiola Solanke founded the Black Female Professors Forum and the Temple Women’s Forum North to promote engagement between legal professionals and students in and around Yorkshire. 

Professor Solanke, who is a Visiting Professor at the University of Leeds and lead partner on Generation Delta, said: “Many higher education institutions do not reflect the make-up of the population. More needed to be done and this programme aimed to address that.

“Postgraduate students from backgrounds where academia was a bit of a mystery, needed help right from the start.”

Professor Luke Windsor, Dean of the Doctoral College at the University of Leeds, said: “As an institution we recognise that we need to reflect the communities we serve, and we are very keen for this work to continue.” 

Professor Windsor was involved with the programme from its inception and was keen to lay the foundations for a long-term increase in minoritised students accessing and completing PhD studies and going on to forge careers in academia and beyond.

The other female professors involved are: Professor Uma Kambhampati from the University of Reading; Professor Shaofeng Liu from the University of Plymouth; Professor Amaka Offiah from the University of Sheffield; and Professor Farzana Shain from Goldsmiths, University of London.