by Tim Sigsworth, Telegraph
Academics have been denied promotion for opposing the concept of unconscious bias.
Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) only promotes those who pass a training course that requires participants to express agreement with the contested concept.
Unconscious bias is the idea that hidden prejudices may influence behaviour and decision-making, and has been popularised in initiatives to promote diversity, equality and inclusion.
However, critics argue that the concept is flawed because it would not be possible to identify truly unconscious biases.
All applicants for promotion at the university must first have “completed all mandatory and refresher training”, according to its Academic Promotion 2025-26 Applicant’s Statement document.
This includes a “What is Unconscious Bias?” module, which cannot be passed without completing a quiz whose questions require participants to express agreement with the concept.
Participants can only achieve a pass mark if they select answers including the assertions that it “will help” if they “accept that we have unconscious biases” and that it is “true” that “unconscious biases help us to react quickly but can cloud our judgment”.