Fiona McNeill

Project: Supporting Diverse and Ethical Computer Scientists: Fiona is conducting her research into the U.S. student support system, particularly that at UC-San Diego, and understanding how it can be translated to the UK to create a generation of diverse and ethical computer scientists.

Fiona is a Reader of Computing Education and Director of Students in Informatics at the University of Edinburgh. Her research and practice focus on inclusive computing and STEM education: how can we bring more people from diverse backgrounds into these teaching environments, and how can we make these environments engaging and supportive to diverse people once they are there? Computing traditionally has very poor diversity, with very significant gender, race and socioeconomic inequality, amongst others. Fiona’s work focusses on several questions around these problems—for example, how addressing stereotypes around what computing is and what careers in it look like can foster engagement amongst groups of people who are socialised to believe it is not for them, and how building inclusive and supportive environments in computing environments can combat people’s sense of not belonging. She also does work around how government policy can support greater engagement from broad demographics with computing and STEM within schools.