• Further details, including timelines and background information, are available on the Faculty Operations SharePoint site.

Thank you for your dedication and partnership as we move forward with this important work.

The draft strategy represents an important step forward in strengthening how equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) are embedded across all areas of university life.

Your feedback will help shape a Strategy that meaningfully reflects the experiences, priorities, and needs of our university community.

More information

• The consultation will close at 5.00pm on Thursday 19 March.
• If you have any questions or experience difficulties in accessing the feedback form, please contact the Diversity and Inclusion Team by email: eqdiv@qub.ac.uk.
• Further information is available on the EDI webpages.

If you anticipate any issues meeting this deadline, please reach out to the Research Finance Team as soon as possible.

Timely submission is essential to support accurate reporting and ensure smooth processing around this busy time of year.

Any requests received after the deadline will be processed after the Research Finance Team returns from the Easter leave period in April.

Queen’s pension schemes provide staff with long-term financial security and stability.

Key benefits include:

• Financial security: a guaranteed monthly income upon retirement;
• Provision for loved ones: support for your family should circumstances change;
• Long-term value: assisting staff with confident planning and future financial wellbeing.

Learn more here about the University's Pension Schemes and how they can support future planning.

Developed in partnership with Queen’s Sustainability Team, The Naughton Gallery, Queen’s Film Theatre, The Seamus Heaney Centre, the MediaLab and academic experts across the region, this year’s programme brings a rich diversity of perspectives to key climate issues. Taking place across the University campus, the festival highlights the powerful connection between artistic practice and sustainability.

Art has the unique ability to translate complex scientific ideas into shared emotional experience, opening space for understanding, hope, and collective action. Through film, image, music, talks, panels, creative writing, design, and visual art, Reach’26 offers multiple ways to engage with themes such as the climate emergency, biodiversity loss, and environmental resilience.

The NHS Fleet Solutions and Queen's Reward Team representatives will be on hand to answer questions about:

• salary sacrifice;
• available electric vehicles;
• scheme benefits;
• how to sign up.

Find out more here about the EV Scheme at Queen’s.

• FREE Queen's Sport App: Stay connected and make the most of your membership with our convenient mobile app.
• Online Bookings: Easily reserve your spot in classes, activities, and facilities through our user-friendly online booking system.
• Complimentary parking facilities exclusively available to our members for up to 3 hours.
• Special Associate Rates: Take advantage of discounted rates for associates of Queen's Sport members.
• Flexible Membership: No long-term contract required for Salary Deduction or Direct Debit memberships. Enjoy the freedom to cancel with just one calendar month's notice.
• Take advantage of special rates for courses, children's courses, 5-aside bookings and physiotherapy services via Kingsbridge Healthcare.

* Please note that the information you provide is strictly confidential and cannot be traced back to you individually.

More information

The REF is the UK’s comprehensive system for evaluating the quality, impact, and significance of research produced by universities, helping to ensure that public investment in research at Queen’s delivers meaningful and lasting impact.

The University’s REF Code of Practice sets out the University’s proposed approach to fulfilling its REF 2029 requirements and provides guidance on key areas, including:

• identifying staff with significant responsibility for research;
• determining research independence;
• selecting outputs for submission;
• embedding equality and diversity consideration throughout the process.

Further information and support

• If you have any questions or experience difficulties accessing the consultation form, please contact the REF Team at ref@qub.ac.uk.
• Further information, ​including FAQs, is available here​.

• Watch the Green Dot programme awareness video.

More information

Initially developed by Ulster University, the Green Dot Bystander pilot began at Queen’s in October 2025. Since then, 42 trainers have been recruited, and 232 participants have undergone Bystander training, learning about the prevalence of unwanted sexual experiences, domestic abuse, harassment and hate crime in Northern Ireland, and ways to challenge victim-blaming behaviour and redefine perceptions.

The training uses a 3D model of bystander intervention: Direct, Distract, Delegate, to help participants intervene safely and effectively when they encounter inappropriate behaviours or attitudes that could escalate.

1. Jog for five minutes, then walk for two minutes for recovery.
2. Jog for four minutes, then walk for one and a half minutes for recovery.
3. Jog for three minutes, then walk for one minute for recovery.
4. Jog for two minutes, then walk for one minute for recovery.
5. Jog for one minute, then walk for one minute for recovery.
6. Repeat this run three times over the week.
7. Top Tip: To keep a straight posture while running, bring your shoulders back and imagine a balloon is on the top of your head to keep your chest up.

If you would like to showcase a display of traditional attire, artefacts, storytelling, customs or performance from various Eid-celebrating cultures, including providing educational insights and promoting cultural exchange, please contact Victoria Gilroy on v.gilroy@qub.ac.uk.

This event is organised by the Student Engagement Team (One Elmwood), with the Staff Diversity and Inclusion Team, iRise staff network and student societies.

Women’s Aid is a voluntary organisation providing confidential support, information, and emergency accommodation for women and children affected by domestic abuse.​

Prize Draw

Our Digital Transformation Partners, Kainos and Codec, have donated two prizes – a £250 Amazon voucher and a £250 Victoria Square voucher. If you wish to be included, please email ​dis-iwd@qub.ac.uk by 5.00pm on Wednesday 1 April.​

Thank you for your support.​ 

In aid of Belfast & Lisburn Women’s Aid, Registered with Charity Commission for Northern Ireland NIC 106099, HMRC No: XT3255 and Company Reg No: NI020807.​

More information

With our ambition to lessen our carbon emissions footprint by 25 per cent come 2028, and with significant financial savings for choosing a cycle commute, there is no better time to explore the safe cycle commute options across our city in a community bike ride setting, guided by a certified bike ride leader.

New segregated cycle lane infrastructure is finally appearing, including a scheme for Dublin Road / Botanic Avenue and this will form part of the ride.

Next week, commencing 23 March, is E-bike Demo Week. Register for the webinar here.

Explore sustainable commuting benefits

• QUB Net Zero Bikers
• QUB Staff Liftshare
• Sustainable Travel at Queen's.

To find out more, or for any queries, contact the Sustainability Team at sustainability@qub.ac.uk.

More information

The afternoon will begin with student-led activities in the QFT foyer (2.00pm to 3.00pm), creating a welcoming space for creativity, conversation, and reflection. These activities invite young people, community members, and the wider public to come together to celebrate Roma identity, culture, and aspirations, while encouraging dialogue and community engagement in an open and inclusive setting.

The event will continue (3.00pm to 5.00pm) with a screening in QFT Screen 2 of I Want to Be a... (2025), a powerful film that follows the lives, ambitions, and everyday realities of young Roma people and their families. First screened at QFT last year, and produced in collaboration with EANI, the film offers an intimate and thought-provoking portrait of identity, aspiration, and the challenges young Roma people navigate in their educational journeys.

The screening will be followed by a live Q&A with the filmmakers and protagonists, reflecting on the year since the film’s release and discussing how their journeys have evolved, as well as the possibilities that lie ahead.

More information

From teaching and assessment to research and future careers, artificial intelligence is reshaping higher education. But are the benefits worth the risks?

The AI Debate is a live discussion exploring the academic, political, societal, institutional, and career dimensions of AI in higher education. At this event attendees will hear from a panel sharing four perspectives shaping AI at Queen’s, and then be part of the conversation during the audience Q&A.

This event is hosted by Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (AHSS) Student Skills Assistants and SHAPE AI (a student-led research collective in AHSS).

• AI Lightning Talks (open to all staff). Tuesday 31 March, 10.00am to 12.00pm, online.
• Webinar: What's new in AI in 2026 (webinar recording). Staff can also view the session resources here.
• AI for Educators Course: Self-paced Canvas course for student-facing staff to build confidence using AI in education. Explore four modules (Basics, Teaching & Learning, Assessment & Feedback, and Research), with practical AI Skills Build activities and discussion. Complete what’s most relevant to you, or finish all four to earn a Digital Certificate of Completion, signed by Professor Judy Williams (PVC Education and Students).

More information

AI Lightning Talks: A morning of insight, ideas, and conversation about the future of AI in education, featuring a series of short, engaging talks showcasing how colleagues across the University are already putting AI into practice.

Webinar: What's new in AI in 2026. The Digital Learning Institute recently hosted a webinar exploring new developments and trends in AI in 2026, facilitated by Joe Houghton, unpacking how AI is changing how we design, deliver and manage learning.

Please contact the team at AI-Hub@qub.ac.uk with any queries.

To contribute an article to Queen's Policy Engagement, please email Kevin at qpol@qub.ac.uk.

• World's biggest astronomy camera seeks to answer pressing questions about the Universe / Maior câmera astronômica do mundo começa a responder a algumas das perguntas mais importantes sobre o Universo, by Joshua Weston
• Could joining the state sector be an option for private schools? by Dr Tilly Clough
• Ukraine: after four years of war, exhaustion on both sides is the main hope for peace, by Dr Alexander Titov

• Queen’s strengthens global leadership through Global Talent Visa achievements
• In Pictures: Queen's 180 Concert
• Queen’s first on island of Ireland to receive accreditation for drug and alcohol support
• Transcript: Digital Transformation – University Admissions
• Celebrating minds and music at Queen's
• In Pictures: 2026 Sustainability Student Summit
• Queen’s launches free late-night shuttle service for students
• In Pictures: Queen’s launches free late-night shuttle service for students

* Findings from a European Research Council Advanced Award: 'The Social Identity Model of Traumatic Identity Change: A Novel Theory of Post-Traumatic Stress, Resilience and Growth'.

• Lecture: Innocent Victims, Heroic Survivors, and Monstrous Perpetrators: The visual politics of memorials commemorating sexual violence, Wednesday 18 March, 5.00pm to 6.30pm, Senate Room, Lanyon Building.
• Workshop: PeaceTech: Setting the Scene for a Potential PeaceTech Context for Great Britain and Ireland, Friday 20 March, 12.00pm to 1.30pm, Senate Room, Lanyon Building.
• Public consultation: Positive Peace in Northern Ireland, Tuesday 24 March to Thursday 26 March, Belfast and Derry/Londonderry (various locations).

More information

This event is an opportunity to share and reflect on work related to the scholarship of teaching and learning across Queen's – whether that’s empirical research, pedagogical initiatives, reflective practice, or curriculum development.

In addition to showcasing some of the recent work of the EPIC lab members, applications for oral presentations are welcome from colleagues across the University, as are applications from students for poster presentations. Presentations do not need to be the finished research project – ideas in progress, pilot data, and practice-based insights are all very welcome, providing they are related to the scholarship of teaching and learning, and align with one of the four themes of the conference, which are:

1. Deliver a transformative student experience.
2. Provide an education for societal impact.
3. Broaden access to Higher Education.
4. Innovate our teaching and learning.

Please email Dr Paddy O’Connor (EPIC Lead) if you have any questions or would like to discuss a presentation idea.

This workshop will deal with 'Exploring machine learning-based methods to transform unstructured archival materials into research-ready assets', and will be particularly relevant for:

• archivists and librarians;
• digital humanities researchers;
• heritage organisations;
• data curators; and
• AI researchers interested in applying computational methods to archival and cultural collections.

A small number of participants may be invited to give short lightning pitches introducing an archive, dataset, or research question to stimulate discussion.

For questions about computational approaches, datasets, or participation, please contact: Sneha Jha: s.jha@qub.ac.uk.

This workshop is delivered by the Artificial Intelligence Collaboration Centre – an initiative led by Ulster University in partnership with Queen’s University Belfast (Digital Scholarship Hub, and Vision and Language Cluster, Centre for Intelligent Sustainable Computing), supported by Invest Northern Ireland and the Department for the Economy NI.

• Subscribe here.

This includes the latest Queen's Research information on:

• Research Quality
• Impact and Engagement
• Funding (including a new internal call for UKRI Proof of Concept funding and Pump-Priming Funding for UNC-Chapel Hill x QUB). Weekly funding updates can also be found here.
• Enterprise and Innovation
• Knowledge Transfer Partnership
• Awards and honours
• Training and Development
• Research to Reality

• Exhibition on Screen: Turner & Constable
• Walled Cities 8
• Midwinter Break
• Spilt Milk
• Cinemagic On the Pulse
• Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme 2026

Staff tickets are priced at £8.50. Staff and students aged 26 and under can join LUMI to get tickets for £6.00 every day, all year round.

Since its inception in 1968, the QFT has occupied a unique place in the cultural and entertainment life of Northern Ireland. This uniqueness comes from the QFT's special atmosphere, its screenings of carefully curated new and classic films, its loyal members and audiences and from the many people who have worked front of house and behind the scenes. Today the QFT is a vibrant and modern cinema that welcomes 100,000 people through its door every year.

In this engaging discussion, Jeffers will reflect on his wide-ranging creative practice, from his globally celebrated picture books to his acclaimed visual art and activism, exploring how storytelling and art can shift perspectives on our changing world.

Following the discussion, Oliver Jeffers will a hold a book signing of the accompanying Disasters and Interventions exhibition catalogue, which will be available to purchase during the event.

The Naughton Gallery will be open to the public from 11.00am to 6.30pm on Thursday 19 March.

Oliver Jeffers is well known for his award-winning picture books. Beyond his literary success, he is an internationally recognised painter and sculptor. Jeffers’ work, with its distinctive simplicity, beauty, and humour, invites people to engage with big ideas, offering fresh context, hope, and a renewed sense of purpose in these rapidly shifting times.

The Gallery is open daily from 11.00am to 4.00pm.

Spectrum.Life Wellbeing Series

Spectrum.Life, Queen's new EAP provider, has a range of wellbeing webinars and eLearning modules on their wellbeing hub. Access Spectrum.Life courses here using the Organisation Code QUBSTAFF.

Available courses

• The Impact of AI on your Mental Wellbeing – eLearning programme.
• It's Just Period Pain...Or is it? Wednesday 25 March, 1.15pm to 2.00pm
• Understanding, support and resources for domestic violence – eLearning programme.

In Case You Missed It

• Body Image - Letting go of labels
• Dermot Whelan's Practical Tools for Smart Living
• Raising Kids in an AI World
• Simple Practices for Gratitude and Self
• How We Break the Cycle: Stress

• Engaged Research and Impact: Why are they important?
  This half-day interactive course explores research engagement and impact in alignment with Queen’s Strategy 2030. It offers dedicated time and space to reflect on how your research engages external stakeholders, the impact it aims to achieve beyond academia, and how to plan strategically to strengthen its reach and relevance. You will explore the meaning and benefits of engaged research, how impact is defined and evidenced, how engagement and impact plans are developed, and how impact relates to the REF through examples of 4* case studies. The session also provides an opportunity to consider and refine your own engagement and impact plans in relation to your current or future research.
• Lectureships: Ready, Set, Go!
  Does your career plan involve applying for lectureships? If so, this full day interactive course is designed to provide you with useful information to help you prepare for the next stage! During this course, you will discuss the academic career path, look at current lectureship job descriptions to identify key skills, identify your strengths and weaknesses for career progression, analyse senior academic CVs, conduct peer-feedback on each other's CVs, and plan how to maximise the potential of your lectureship application.
• Postdoc Life Series information session
  The UK Council for Graduate Education (UKCGE) Research Supervisor Recognition Programme offers a nationally recognised framework for evidencing and reflecting on doctoral supervision experience. This session delivered by Professor Marie Coleman, Professor of Twentieth Century Irish History at QUB and a UKCGE Recognised Research Supervisor, will focus on the Associate recognition level, designed for researchers who contribute to supervision but are not yet the primary supervisor.
• New Postdoc Induction
  Calling new postdocs and research staff (or anyone wanting to find out more about postdoc support at Queen’s)! Join the next induction event to find out how you can make the best of your time at Queen’s and hear about the support available to postdocs in the University!
• Personalised Support from the PDC
  A well-crafted application and well-prepared interview can make all the difference when it comes to landing your dream job! The PDC offers one-to-one meetings to discuss your career progression plans, provides feedback on CVs, and offers mock interviews to help with interview preparation.

Please feel free to contact the University Safety Service at safety@qub.ac.uk or 028 9097 4613 should you have any queries or training requirements.