Jessica Wade: Evangelizing Diversity in Science

This is Guy Kawasaki's Remarkable People. We’re on a mission to make you remarkable. Helping me in this episode is Dr. Jessica Wade.

Jessica is a physicist and researcher based in London, and her work has earned her worldwide recognition.

You might have heard of Jessica because of her work as an advocate for diversity in science. She has written over 1,750 Wikipedia biographies for women scientists who have not received their due recognition. Her efforts in this regard were acknowledged by the late Queen Elizabeth, who invited Jessica to Buckingham Palace for sandwiches and to receive the British Empire Medal for services to gender diversity in science.

In 2018. Jessica was the honorable mention for the Wikimedian of the year award. Later she won the Wikimedian of the year award for the United Kingdom

In her role as a research fellow at Imperial College London, Jessica is investigating new materials for optoelectronic devices, specifically chiral organic semiconductors.

In addition to her research and advocacy, Jessica is also a children's book author. She has written a book called "Nano: The Spectacular Science of the Very (Very) Small," which is a fascinating and fun introduction to the world of nanoscience for young readers.

We're so excited to have Jessica on the show today and learn more about her work and what inspires her to keep pushing boundaries and making a difference. So, let's dive in and hear from Jessica.

03:17 to 04:15 - Jessica’s visit to the Queen at Buckingham Palace with Tupperware

27:39 - 28:31 - The accuracy of Wikipedia and why teachers should embrace it

37:39 to 38:36 - Reinforcing and supporting people/students about their education to make big breakthroughs.