We are delighted to invite staff and students at GuildHE institutions to our second Lunchtime Learning Webinar of the academic year, where we will be joined by Dr Hamied Haroon, Chair & Director of the National Association of Disabled Staff Networks (NADSN) and Research Fellow at The University of Manchester.

Hamied will talk about his journey in setting up NASDN and the important work of the association, reflect on how recommendations and initiatives at NASDN could be implemented in higher education and invite discussion what might this look like for specialist and vocational institutions. The session will end with a Q&A.

About our speaker

Dr Hamied Haroon is a proud life-long Disabled Mancunian, a Muslim of Pakistani heritage, a husband and father of two. Hamied is a Senior Technical Specialist and Research Fellow in Magnetic Resonance Imaging Physics at the University of Manchester and was recently appointed as the University’s new Academic Lead for EDI Disability. Apart from his “day jobs”, he is Founder, Chair and Co-Director of the National Association of Disabled Staff Networks (NADSN), a collaborative super-network that connects and represents Disabled staff networks in universities and colleges, NHS Trusts, and other public sectors across the UK and beyond. Hamied has served on the Royal Society’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee since 2021 and on the Snowdon Trust’s Masters Scholarships Selection Panel since 2023. He was also a Judge for the Shaw Trust Disability Power 100 2021-2024 and the Nature Awards for Inclusive Health Research 2022-2024. In July 2025, Hamied was presented with The University of Manchester President’s first ever General Distinguished Achievement Award and Christabel Pankhurst Medal. Later in 2026, Hamied will feature in a new children’s book called “Scientists Making a Difference”!