Unveiling Racial Bias in Academia: A Study on Disparities in University Responses

A study by researchers at Simon Fraser and Australian National Universities uncovered racial bias in responses to PhD inquiries at Australian universities. Academics showed different response rates based on the perceived racial background of the student names. White-sounding names received notably more positive responses, indicating a systemic bias.

A new study has spotlighted racial bias within Australian academia, revealing that prospective PhD candidates with white-sounding names receive more positive responses from academics than those with names associated with non-white racial groups.

Researchers sent nearly 7,000 emails using fictitious student names to academics at Australia's leading universities, uncovering that names like 'Melissa Smith' received significantly more favorable replies compared to 'Rahul Kumar' or 'Omar al-Haddad'.

This disparity, researchers suggest, indicates a troubling bias at the entry point to academic careers, undermining the meritocratic ideals universities claim to uphold.

(With inputs from agencies.)