Students from minority ethnic backgrounds who study geography, earth, and environmental sciences at UK universities are being asked what pushes them away from—or pulls them toward—careers in the natural environment sector. This matters because the diversity crisis in these fields is well documented but stubbornly persistent. While the lack of representation is known, the specific experiences of students currently in UK undergraduate and taught postgraduate programmes have not been systematically captured. The project fills that gap by gathering survey data from students across UK universities, plus focus groups and interviews at Lancaster University, to understand why they chose these subjects, what barriers they face—such as exclusive fieldwork practices or narrow curriculum content—and how they perceive career prospects. If the research succeeds, it will produce an actionable plan for change, shared with universities and employers. That could reshape how fieldwork is designed, how career pathways are communicated, and how the geoscience workforce becomes more representative. The immediate impact is on institutional practice rather than on daily life, but a more inclusive pipeline into environmental careers would eventually affect who shapes policy on land use, climate adaptation, and resource management—systems that quietly underpin how the country operates.
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We aim to open up the environment by assessing and exploring the experiences of UK university undergraduate and postgraduate taught students who self-identify as from a minority ethnic group and are studying Geography, Earth, and Environmental Sciences (GEES) disciplines. The diversity crisis within GEES disciplines and subsequent natural environment-related careers is well known (Dowey et al., 2021) yet we have made only limited progress in closing this divide. This research will focus specifically on understanding the experiences of those who identify as from a minority ethnic group at undergraduate and postgraduate taught level who are studying GEES disciplines and aim to (1) understand these student’s perceptions of future natural environment-related careers including perceived opportunities and barriers, and (2) create an actionable plan to foster inclusivity. Led by a research team from Lancaster University (LU) and the British Geological Survey (BGS), the project will gather data through surveys, focus groups, and career-oriented initiatives. The primary objectives include collecting survey data from students across UK universities to understand their motivations for choosing GEES subjects, the challenges they face (e.g., inclusive fieldwork practices, curriculum content), and their perceptions of career prospects in natural environment- based fields. Additionally, the research team will conduct focus group work and interviews with those who self-identified as a minority ethnic student and are studying GEES based subjects, at LU to gather qualitative data on their experiences. The team will also organise a Career Venture Day at the BGS for these students, offering exposure to a range of career pathways within the geoscience field. The survey, focus groups, and interviews will address key questions, including why the students chose GEES disciplines, the challenges they face within their programs, their knowledge of natural environment career pathways, and the factors that would support them in pursuing natural environment-based careers. It will also consider the intersectionality of their experiences, acknowledging that students from different ethnic backgrounds have varying lived experiences that influence their educational and career trajectories. Ultimately, we will create an action plan for change, share our findings, and plan how to scale up, to enable future inclusive careers in the natural environment.
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