Annette Hayton convenes NERUPI (Network for Evaluating and Researching University Participation Interventions) She was previously Head of Widening Participation at the University of Bath and at Goldsmiths, University of London. She has many years of experience in managing activities designed to support successful progression to higher education as well as developing strategies to ensure that all students have a positive experience of university study. Annette is interested in how educational theory, research and evaluation can be developed and applied in practice to promote positive change within the education system, aiming to combine theory and practice in her work. She is co-developer of the NERUPI Framework and has published a number of books and articles on widening participation and is Innovative Practice Editor for the journal ‘Widening Participation and Lifelong Learning’. Annette is a member of ICHEM (International Centre for Higher Education Management) at the University of Bath and a Trustee of Midsomer Norton Schools' Partnership (MNSP) leading the Bath Hub.

Dr Sally Griffin joined the NERUPI team in March 2022 as a NERUPI Research and Development Officer. She has worked in widening participation for over twenty years and prior to joining NERUPI was the Access and Participation Manager at Bath Spa University, where she wrote and reported on the university’s Access Agreements, Widening Participation Strategic Assessments and Access and Participation Plans, and managed activities designed to support successful progression to higher education. A strong supporter of the importance of collaboration to widen participation, Sally has been involved in a number of national and regional boards and steering groups including Aimhigher, the local Uni Connect Wessex Inspiration Network and the Service Children's Progression (SCiP) Alliance. Bath Spa University was an early adopter of the NERUPI Framework, participating in the pilot and development stage so Sally has direct experience of applying NERUPI in practice. Sally supports the NERUPI Working Groups on Access and Participation Plans, Student Ambassadors and Mentors and Parents and Carers.

Dr Joanne Moore joined the NERUPI team in March 2023 and has a background in policy research before coming to work in widening participation, holding research and evaluation roles at the University of Manchester and Open University. She has supported practitioner led evaluation including developing evaluation tools and materials, and a collaborative project to support evaluation of the impact of outreach.

Fatmata Daramy is one of the co-leads of the Student and Staff Race and Ethnic Equity working group (SsREE), as well as a part-time research assistant for NERUPI (Network for Evaluating and Researching University Participation Interventions). She has previously worked in various roles related to widening participation for Aimhigher Plus at Aston University, at the Coventry University Group as a Widening Participation Specialist, and at The University of Law as a Widening Participation and Student Success Manager. In previous roles, she developed her research, skills by designing and implementing research into the experience of Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic students. Additionally, she has designed and delivered training for academic staff pertaining to inclusive and anti-racist curriculum design, sense of belonging, and imposter syndrome. Fatmata has also delivered racial literacy training and unconscious bias training to academic and business professional staff.

She is also interested in neuroscience, having completed her undergraduate degree in Biological Sciences (Neuroscience) and her MSc in Educational Neuroscience. As such, she aims to view widening participation, social justice, and equity through both a scientific and sociological lens.

Fatmata is now a PhD researcher at The University of Leicester, currently completing a research project that examines mental wellbeing for domicile students of colour (Black, Asian, and minority ethnic) in Higher Education Institutions and the role of Student Wellbeing Services and related staff (counsellors, frontline staff, and personal tutors) within this experience.

Dr Jon Rainford is a NERUPI Research Fellow and Lecturer in Childhood and Youth at The Open University, UK. He has 15 years experience of working with marginalized groups in education, and completed a doctorate at Staffordshire University in 2019 which focused on widening participation policy and practice. As a researcher and evaluator, he has interests in the value of creative and digital methods. He has recently co-edited The business of widening participation: policy practice and culture with Colin McCaig and Ruth Squire.

Gihan Ismail is an Associate Lecturer in Sociology at Oxford Brookes University and a teaching assistant in Education at the University of Bath. A Ph.D. candidate at the Department of Education, Gihan’s study explores the experiences of international doctoral students in UK universities, using a framework that draws on the theories of Critical Pedagogy and Critical Race and Capabilities Approach. Her focus is on the complex relationship between knowledge, power and ethics.

Lauren Curtis joined the NERUPI team in June 2022 as the NERUPI Administrator. Having previously worked as a Widening Participation Outreach Officer at the University of Bath for 6 years she is making good use of her experience to support with the administration for NERUPI. She also has experience of working in diversity and inclusion, in a charity that supports young people and in a youth offending team. Lauren is currently retraining to become a dietitian and so works for NERUPI on a part-time basis.

Jude Sutton joined the NERUPI team in December 2023 as a part-time NERUPI Administrator, working alongside Lauren.