Californian chemists receive our first Inclusion and Diversity Prize
The inaugural Inclusion and Diversity Prize was awarded to Dr Henry “Hoby” Wedler and Dr Dean Tantillo from the University of California, Davis, at our Joliot-Curie Conference in Bath last week.
Our former president, Professor Lesley Yellowlees, presented the prize, which recognises an individual or team's contribution and impact in promoting and improving the accessibility, inclusivity and diversity of the chemical science community.
Dr Wedler was at the conference to accept the prize on behalf of himself and Dr Tantillo, who collaborate to make chemistry more accessible to people with disabilities. Dr Wedler has been completely blind since birth and completed his Ph.D. in organic chemistry at UC Davis in 2016. He is the founder and director of the non-profit organisation Accessible Science, which runs science summer camps for visually impaired teenagers. He delivered a lecture to conference delegates on his experiences as a blind chemist and his latest project, looking at developing intelligent sensory design.
Our inclusion and diversity executive, Philippa Matthews, attended the conference and said: “I was delighted to meet Hoby. His work with visually impaired students is absolutely incredible, and we couldn’t have wished for a more deserving recipient for the Inclusion and Diversity Prize. His presence at the conference made it particularly special for everyone who was there, and it was inspiring to hear him tell his story. I hope we can continue to work with Hoby in the future on inclusion and diversity, to make sure that chemistry is truly accessible to everyone.”
Dr Tantillo was unable to attend the conference, but had recorded a video message expressing his thanks.
Supporting early career researchers
The Joliot-Curie Conference is an annual event targeted at early-career researchers, bringing together post-doctoral researchers in the chemical sciences who are aspiring to an independent career in academia. It is unique in aiming to promote diversity and inclusion in academia, and offers a supportive and welcoming environment, particularly to those who are from groups that are under-represented in academic careers.
This year’s conference, held at the University of Bath, attracted 60 delegates from across the UK, with some travelling from as far away as Edinburgh, Durham and Belfast. Delegates could listen to inspiring and honest talks from successful academics, with the opportunity to ask questions about their career paths and any challenges they had encountered. Other activities included poster sessions, an interactive peer-review funding proposal workshop, and one-to-one mentoring sessions with the speakers.
Speakers included Professor Nora de Leeuw, Pro-Vice Chancellor at Cardiff University; Professor Sue Gibson, chair in chemistry and director of the graduate school at Imperial College London; and Claire Carmalt, head of chemistry at University College London.
Our chief executive Robert Parker also attended, along with conference founder and member of our Council, Professor Tom Welton, Dean of the Faculty of Natural Sciences at Imperial College London.
Julie Franklin, careers specialist at the Royal Society of Chemistry and organiser of the event, said: “The atmosphere at the Joliot Curie Conference is unique: warm, friendly and welcoming with plenty of opportunities for networking. Having the Inclusion and Diversity Prize presented at this year’s event added an extra dimension, and we truly appreciated the inspirational talk by winner Dr Hoby Wedler.
“We are indebted to the many eminent and excellent speakers who gave up their time to be part of the conference this year, and also to Professor Christopher Frost, head of the University of Bath chemistry department, for co-hosting the event.”
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