Prof Patricia Kingori, Dr Agomoni Ganguli-Mitra, and Dr Ayesha Ahmad join Kumeri Bandara to explore the opportunities, challenges, and complexities of postgraduate-led activism and advocacy in academia. Recorded on 12 June 2023.
This episode is a little different from our usual format—it's a recording of a live panel discussion, shared here with the speakers' prior consent. The event took place at the 2023 Postgraduate Bioethics Conference, held in June at the University of Edinburgh. In this panel discussion hosted by Kumeri Bandara, we hear from senior academics Prof Patricia Kingori, Dr Agomoni Ganguli-Mitra, and Dr Ayesha Ahmad, as they explore what it means to engage in activism and advocacy as postgraduate scholars navigating academic institutions. Drawing on their personal experiences, the panellists reflect on how their encounters with structural inequities and microaggressions shaped their commitment to academic citizenship and social justice work. They offer practical insights on incorporating advocacy into research practices, mentoring, and everyday academic life—emphasising the importance of community, strategic action, and ethical responsibility. With honest reflections on navigating institutional politics, short-term contracts, and the myth of meritocracy, the panellists highlight the double burden often placed on marginalised researchers and the quiet forms of resistance that make meaningful change possible. This conversation is both candid and empowering, offering guidance for early-career scholars seeking to challenge inequity while sustaining themselves and each other in the process.
