'Nobody looked like me while teaching at uni'

It was during a trip to a US conference when Emmanuel Adukwu first realised he could be an academic, despite having studied for a masters in the UK.

The professor of microbiology at the University of the West of England (UWE) said during his studies "there was nobody that looked like me" teaching.

"I actually had a 'eureka' moment after going to a conference in the US. That was the first time I saw a gentleman presenting that was an associate professor that was black".

UWE and University of Bristol both have a target of making academic staffing more diverse by 2030, aiming for 20%. Universities UK said: "We are working to create more diverse and inclusive environments" for staff and students.

The Higher Education Statistics Agency says the number of people from black, Asian or ethnic backgrounds working in academia in the UK has increased over the past 20 years but still remains much lower, in particular the number of black academics - representing just 3.8% of the workforce.

Speaking to BBC Bristol, Prof Adukwu said: "One of the things I think we've really missed for a very long time is we're trying to address under representation in schools, at universities.

"We're forgetting the fact that people come out from the community. So we need to have those conversations beyond the walls of the academy with the community."

University of Bristol is currently analysing data from its Breaking Barriers project, which it describes as "a survey designed to expose areas of racial injustices in national funding award practices".

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