University of Leeds: Design engineer becomes the 41st black female professor in the UK

Lisa-Dionne Morris, from the School of Mechanical Engineering, has become the UK's 41st black woman to be awarded a professorship. This follows her 16 years of service.

Looking back at the journey to her promotion, she said: “You look around and you know in your heart it was all worth it. That was the sense of wellbeing I had when I found out I was going to be a professor.”

Professor Morris joined the 100 Black Women Professors Now! initiative which aims to increase the number of black women in top academic positions. When the initiative launched in 2021, there were only 35 black professors that were women out of a total of 22,000.

Now professor of public and industry understanding of capability driven design, Lisa-Dionne said being one of few black female professors in the UK, she sees her positions as a privilege. She said: “I started to understand the lived situation and experience of a female of the African diaspora in a UK higher education institution. I wasn’t the only one facing barriers in my career progression to the professorial level.”

“We are a minority at the professorial level but we are part of the global majority. I will take this opportunity to ensure that black females and people from all backgrounds recognise and appreciate the importance of ethnic minority success.”

The 100 Black Women Professors Now! applications are now being accepted for the next 12-month programme, which will commence in January 2023.