Candidate Khadra Yasien Ahmed

I wish to represent temporary employees in group B at the university board 2024-2025. Experience is a great advantage in board work, and with recent experience from the board at the Faculty of Medicine, I would like to come in handy in further work at the university board. By being a clear voice for group B, I want to raise our collective challenges.

To resolve issues with poor communication between the faculty board representatives, I would like to form permanent arrangements by using the already existing organizational structure for research fellows at UiB (UiBDoc etc.) Ensuring good cooperation with the local faculty representatives is also important to raise their input to the university board. Dialogue with the faculty board representatives is important to avoid silo mentalities and strengthen cooperation and sense of unity with the PhD-fellows across the faculties at UiB.

To ensure that UiB maintains its status as a haven of knowledge in society, it is all the more important to strengthen free and independent research. At the same time, UiB must also be aware of its important social mandate and have an increased spotlight on international solidarity and cooperation in the years to come. University economics is important for future recruitment, and one part could then be to stimulate increased BOA activity at the faculties and support young researchers in this work.

Taking care of the Ph.D.-fellows is important, and follow-up via employee interviews and BHT are important measures. At the same time, the candidates must also be prepared for a life in or outside academia and strengthening the infrastructure around the support system at UiB (Ferd etc.) is important.I will particularly fight for better follow-up and safeguarding of PhD-fellows in a vulnerable situation, especially concerning conflict-filled relationships with supervisors. This applies to international PhDs in particular. I see the challenges international PhDs face- culturally, socially and linguistically.

For that to happen, we need a strengthened BHT, increased knowledge among the PhD-fellows about whistleblowing routines and better follow-up from the faculty administrations. The high number of PhD-fellows who quit, call in sick over a longer time or do not deliver on time is worrying. I want to raise this issue and propose the study of a Phd-fellows ombud as they are contemplating at NTNU. We still see that there are large variations between the faculties. Perhaps the faculties can learn something from each other? 

In conclusion, another important moment for me is the launch of the new action plan for equality, diversity and inclusion, which was adopted in 2023. Action plans are important, but we also need follow-up and evaluation of these. I would like to contribute to how this work can be followed up. In this way, we can ensure that UiB not only theoretically, but also in practice, becomes a university that lives up to its own goals for diversity and inclusion.