About Us

I want to contribute expertise, advice and mentoring to DiveIn.

My research focusses on developing understanding of materials, typically metals and alloys used in structural applications. I tend to focus on how we can improve and use state-of-the-art characterization techniques, including a core focus of the-research-group-I-lead’s work on electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD). ..In addition to our technical work, I guide our graduate program in Materials Engineering at UBC and I work to improve equity/diversity/inclusion and belonging in STEM, with a focus on improving outcomes for LGBTQ+ individuals in STEM.

This is the first emergence of truly PGR-centred doctoral programme, and as such is rich ground for trying out some of the newer theories and practices around doctoral education. Leadership minds are open to doing different and doing better for PGRs, and I wanted to lend my support to that. 

In July 2022 I took up the post of Head of Research Culture and Researcher Development, leading the work of the Research Culture and Researcher Development Team. ..Since starting my career as a Researcher Developer in 2010, I’ve developed specialisms and research interests in mentoring, supervisor development and research community building – anything that revolves around a good quality conversation and the making of a positive research culture. In 2018 I was awarded a National Teaching Fellowship in recognition of my impact in this area. I am a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (awarded for strategic impact in researcher development) and a Masters qualified Leadership Coach.

I am a passionate advocate for active engagement, firmly believing in its power to foster equal opportunities and inclusivity, particularly in the realm of postgraduate training. Hailing from the BAMĘ community, I intimately understand the transformative impact that support can have on individuals’ careers. To translate my convictions into action, I have actively participated in James Watt School of Engineering’s Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) committees. ..Beyond advocacy, I’ve taken tangible steps to empower disadvantaged groups within my team, facilitating access to valuable opportunities.

I wanted to support a programme of doctoral training that prioritised diversity and inclusion. I work in the areas of biophysics and biophotonics, applying some of the newer optical microscopy methods to understanding the structural basis of cell signalling. Outside of my research work, I have been involved in a few initiatives to boost the diversity and visibility of women, LGBTQ+ people, and people of colour, in the academic STEM sector in the UK. ..As someone who experienced the mismatched between the high performing approach to research and the recognition and inclusion one necessarily gets from their peers, a mismatch driven by the biases and prejudices of society, I made a decision to devote this time to the dismantling of those vicious gradients.

I want to contribute to DiveIn because it seems to be an opportunity to work with an open, caring, and qualified team on a fundamental subject in the academic environment. It’s not just about wanting, but about proposing effective solutions to the lack of diversity in our laboratories.

I am a physicist specialized in metallic nanoparticles and their interactions with light. ..I am using them to detect pollutants in water. Additionally, I am an enthusiastic teacher interested in finding ways to teach in a motivating manner, and I have tried many different approaches over the years, ranging from playing to movie making! The line between teaching and popularizing is thin. I have been popularizing science since I was a teenager. Currently, I am the vice president of my university, responsible for science and society. My aim is to use science popularization as a tool for inclusivity. My concern about the place of women in academia has grown with the number of studies highlighting their discrimination.

As a graduate of the University of Glasgow, I am committed to expanding educational access for talented students who are traditionally underrepresented in the sciences.

I was born in Bellshill, Scotland, and received my undergraduate degree in chemistry at the University of Glasgow, where I worked with Dr. Ernie Colvin. In 1990, I began doctoral studies under the direction of Professor Larry Overman at the University of California, Irvine, before undertaking a postdoctoral position with Professor Dave Evans at Harvard University in 1996. ..I began my independent career at the University of California, Berkeley, in July of 1998 before moving to Caltech in 2000 as the Earle C. Anthony Chair of Organic Chemistry. In 2006, I moved to Princeton University as the A. Barton Hepburn Professor of Chemistry. I served as Department Chair from 2010–2015 and am currently the James S. McDonnell Distinguished University of Chemistry. I share the 2021 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Benjamin List and was Knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2022. My research interests encompass a wide range of organic chemistry, including the development of new areas in organocatalysis and photoredox catalysis. I am committed to supporting students from diverse backgrounds, and I welcome the opportunity to participate in this exciting initiative.

I have been Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Global Engagement) at the University of Nottingham since 2019. I received my B.Sc. in Chemistry from the University of Nairobi after which I spent a year working for Unilever in Kenya. I was awarded my Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge in 1992. That same year I was elected to a Research Fellowship at Trinity College, Cambridge and in 1996 was awarded an EPSRC Advanced Fellowship. ..I joined the School of Chemistry in Nottingham as a lecturer in Materials Chemistry in 2000, was promoted to Reader in 2005, and to Professor of Materials Chemistry in 2008. In 2016 to 2018, I was Associate Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Global Engagement. I am a Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award holder (2017-2022). In 2022, I as appointed OBE for Services to the Chemical Sciences, and in 2023 was elected Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS).

I was born and brought up in Glasgow North West, graduating from Strathclyde University with a BSc (Hons) in Laser Physics and Optoelectronics in 1993. I then trained as a teacher, gaining a PGCE in Physics and Mathematics before working in various Glasgow comprehensive schools, prior to becoming the Scottish National Party (SNP) MP for Glasgow North West in 2015.

I am on the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee, I am Chair of the APPG on Photonics and Vice-Chair of the APPG on Surgical Mesh Implants. ..In addition, I am the SNP’s Westminster Spokesperson for Education, Armed Forces and Veterans, and I have led the campaign in the UK Parliament to change attitudes towards Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME), leading two landmark debates on the research and treatment on the condition and on the controversial PACE trial.

I am excited about the opportunity that DiveIn presents to not only welcome a diverse PhD student cohort, but also to drive a healthier research culture and a more interdisciplinary approach to research.

I am the Director of the Cambridge Centre for Gallium Nitride. The focus of my research is understanding how the small scale structure of nitride materials effects the performance and properties of devices. ..I use expertise in microscopy and materials growth to develop new nanoscale nitride structures that will provide new functionality to the devices of the future. I am a founder of a spinout company, Poro Technologies Ltd, which is commercialising porous nitride technology developed in my lab. I am also a passionate advocate for increased equality, diversity and inclusion in science and engineering and a member of the Royal Academy of Engineering’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee.

I have a longstanding interest in encouraging everyone who wants to, to be able to participate in the field of science I have worked in the field of gravitational wave detection as a researcher for more than two decades. I graduated as an undergraduate, and postgraduate student from the University of Glasgow, and spent time after that working as a researcher split between Glasgow and Stanford University in the US. ..I came back full time to the UK in 2003 and became Director of the Institute for Gravitational Research here in 2009. I have strong interests both in the carrying out of research – where I work in large international collaborations – and in how we advocate for the importance of science and the support of science. Following those interests up, I took up the post of Chief Scientific Advisor to the Scottish Government from 2016-2021, was President of the UK Institute of Physics 2021-2023 and am currently (from end November 2023 for 5 years) Physical Secretary of the Royal Society of London.

I have been involved in PGR training since 2009 and am passionate about finding ways to support postgraduate students in developing their skills and themselves and ensuring that their PhD experience is as positive as it can be. DiveIn offers a genuinely new way of building a cohort which overturns traditional discipline barriers and focuses on the student – this is brave and innovative and I’m excited to have the chance to be a part of it!     

My research focuses on the use of x-ray and neutron scattering techniques to understand the nanoscale structure of soft matter. ..It is very interdisciplinary and means I have the chance to collaborate with a wide range of other researchers, and learn from how they do things. As the University Academic Director of Doctoral Training Entities, my role is to ensure a vibrant and supportive environment for all PGRs at the University – from part time self-funded students studying in the Arts, to industry funded Engineering students working as part of a huge research project. I engage with these students to help figure out what kind of training and support they need, and support the University in applying for funding to build our PGR community. This means being mindful of where our students come from, and the diversity of experiences they have. I also have a role within EPSRC as the Chair of a High Level Group who looks after all the National Research Facilities in the UK, and supports the Directors of these facilities to be able to offer access to world leading equipment to the whole scientific community.