The Royal Society of Chemistry Inclusion and Diversity Forum 2025 will take place in person (and livestreamed) on 25 March, 2025 at the Royal Society of Chemistry in Burlington House, Piccadilly, London.
This event will bring together the scientific community to explore and address the critical issues surrounding inclusion and diversity within the chemical sciences and will feature a series of keynote speakers and interactive panel discussions focused on fostering an inclusive culture in STEM, breaking down barriers to entry, and creating equitable opportunities for individuals from all backgrounds.
The 2025 forum will provide a platform for participants to engage with new research, share best practices, and collaborate on strategies to improve representation and inclusion in STEM. Attendees will have the opportunity to network with colleagues, learn from inspiring changemakers, and contribute to ongoing efforts to build a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive scientific community.
During the event, the winners of the RSC 2024 Inclusion & Diversity Prize will be formally presented with their medal, and we will hear about community-driven projects financially supported through the RSC Inclusion & Diversity Fund.
We will hear presentations from the winners of the LGBT+ Inclusion in STEM grants (see list of projects below) a transatlantic research programme funded by the Department of the Science Innovation and Technology, and led by the RSC and the Science Innovation Network US, aiming to investigate the factors behind attrition and retention of LGBT+ individuals in STEM in the US and the UK. Grant winners will present their research findings and recommendation before taking part to an interactive panel discussion.
The Forum is an opportunity to make and enable progress on inclusion and diversity in the chemical sciences by bringing together stakeholders, topic experts and members of the chemical sciences community.
Your voice can make a difference. We encourage attendees to participate in the discussions and to share their views, helping us to advance inclusion and diversity as a community.
LGBT+ Inclusion in STEM grant winners:
Barriers within barriers - minorities within minorities: the challenges for LGBT+ inclusion in the UK-US STEM landscape through an intersectional lens
Prof. Abigail Powell, University of Lincoln, UK
Somewhere over the rainbow: Investigating presence, perceptions, and engagement with LGBTQ+ inclusion symbols in STEM departments in the UK and US
Prof. Ioana Latu, Queen’s University Belfast, UK
Centering LGBT+ perspectives in STEM career decision making
Prof. Bryce Hughes, Montana State University
Creating change by telling the whole story: Making the case for qualitative research methods to strengthen LGBTQ+ retention in STEM in the US and the UK
Dr Marco Reggiani, University of Strathclyde, UK
ASPIRE: Addressing Systemic Precarity: Trans Inclusion and Retention in STEM
Dr Cal Horton, Oxford Brookes University, UK
For those who cannot join in person, the Forum will also be live streamed.
This event will bring together the scientific community to explore and address the critical issues surrounding inclusion and diversity within the chemical sciences and will feature a series of keynote speakers and interactive panel discussions focused on fostering an inclusive culture in STEM, breaking down barriers to entry, and creating equitable opportunities for individuals from all backgrounds.
The 2025 forum will provide a platform for participants to engage with new research, share best practices, and collaborate on strategies to improve representation and inclusion in STEM. Attendees will have the opportunity to network with colleagues, learn from inspiring changemakers, and contribute to ongoing efforts to build a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive scientific community.
During the event, the winners of the RSC 2024 Inclusion & Diversity Prize will be formally presented with their medal, and we will hear about community-driven projects financially supported through the RSC Inclusion & Diversity Fund.
We will hear presentations from the winners of the LGBT+ Inclusion in STEM grants (see list of projects below) a transatlantic research programme funded by the Department of the Science Innovation and Technology, and led by the RSC and the Science Innovation Network US, aiming to investigate the factors behind attrition and retention of LGBT+ individuals in STEM in the US and the UK. Grant winners will present their research findings and recommendation before taking part to an interactive panel discussion.
The Forum is an opportunity to make and enable progress on inclusion and diversity in the chemical sciences by bringing together stakeholders, topic experts and members of the chemical sciences community.
Your voice can make a difference. We encourage attendees to participate in the discussions and to share their views, helping us to advance inclusion and diversity as a community.
LGBT+ Inclusion in STEM grant winners:
Barriers within barriers - minorities within minorities: the challenges for LGBT+ inclusion in the UK-US STEM landscape through an intersectional lens
Prof. Abigail Powell, University of Lincoln, UK
Somewhere over the rainbow: Investigating presence, perceptions, and engagement with LGBTQ+ inclusion symbols in STEM departments in the UK and US
Prof. Ioana Latu, Queen’s University Belfast, UK
Centering LGBT+ perspectives in STEM career decision making
Prof. Bryce Hughes, Montana State University
Creating change by telling the whole story: Making the case for qualitative research methods to strengthen LGBTQ+ retention in STEM in the US and the UK
Dr Marco Reggiani, University of Strathclyde, UK
ASPIRE: Addressing Systemic Precarity: Trans Inclusion and Retention in STEM
Dr Cal Horton, Oxford Brookes University, UK
Travel support and virtual viewing
Please see 'Bursaries' below for information about financial support to attend in person.For those who cannot join in person, the Forum will also be live streamed.
