Dr Nicola Rollock, whose work as both an academic and public intellectual has been widely acclaimed for challenging racism and prejudice in education and wider society, is to take up a three-year appointment as Distinguished Fellow at the Faculty of Education.

Dr Rollock is a leading academic, consultant and public speaker whose scholarship addresses racial injustice in education and the workplace, as well as wider themes relating to identity and social justice. She holds a number of appointments aimed at improving equality and diversity, and was recently appointed Special Advisor on Race to the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge, Professor Stephen Toope. She will take up her Distinguished Fellowship immediately.

Some of her most recent work has examined why there are so few Black female professors at UK universities. In 2019, Dr Rollock authored the report, Staying Power: the career experiences and strategies of UK Black female professors. This was the first study of its kind to capture evidence about the experiences and challenges faced by Black women in the profession, by drawing on one-to-one interviews with 20 of the then 25 Black female professors in the UK.

The report found that ‘a culture of explicit and passive bullying persists across higher education, along with racial stereotyping and racial microaggressions’. It also documented other barriers to Black women’s career progression, the extent to which many constantly feel they have to go out of their way to demonstrate their academic credentials, and the exhausting strategies that they employ to preserve their well-being. The report was released to widespread public interest and was followed by a public exhibition, ‘Phenomenal Women’, at London’s Southbank Centre which showcased the achievements of this under-represented group of academics.

Dr Rollock’s other publications include The Colour of Class: the educational strategies of the Black middle classes, which won second prize in the 2016 Society for Educational Studies’ annual book awards. The book examines how race and class intersect to shape the identities of Black middle-class parents and their children; how parents help their children to navigate the school system in the face of low expectations and other forms of discrimination; and how their own educational experiences influence their decision-making for their children. Her next book, The Racial Code, will be published this year by Penguin Press and examines the casual nature of everyday racism and its prevalence.

Dr Rollock also holds a number of advisory roles. She is Specialist Adviser to the Home Affairs Select Committee’s Macpherson 21 Years On inquiry, a member of the Wellcome Trust’s Diversity and Inclusion Steering Group and of the British Science Association’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Group. In 2020, she appeared as an expert contributor in the highly-acclaimed two-part Channel 4 documentary, The School That Tried to End Racism.

Alongside several other marks of recognition for her achievements, in 2020 she was included in the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s list of Next Generation Trailblazers – recognised for ‘challenging prejudice and their contribution to British society’.

In her role as a Distinguished Fellow, Dr Rollock will give an annual lecture, and contribute to teaching and research across a range of programmes, in particular those relating to race and ethics in education.

Dr Rollock said: “It is an honour to join colleagues working in the field of Education at the University of Cambridge and to continue to highlight the importance of key issues of equity and fairness in shaping the experiences and outcomes of traditionally under-served groups .”

Head of Faculty, Professor Susan Robertson, said: “This is a wonderful appointment for the Faculty. Nicola will not only contribute to our research and teaching; she will also help to guide and drive forwards our efforts on equality, inclusion and diversity. I am tremendously excited to work with Nicola as she brings her insights and experience to bear on all those aspects of our work.”