Ever wondered what it takes to be a Black female CHRO in the pharmaceutical industry? Meet Tina St Leger, a trailblazer who has navigated the complexities of HR leadership at the highest levels. Please visit our website to get more information: https://vantastem.com/

Clive & Ali travel to the Blackett Laboratory @ Imperial College, to sit with Dr Mark Richards, one of the few Black physics lecturers in the country. Mark is an inventor, teacher, mentor and company founder, with vast industry experience from Atmospheric Physics to Finance.

We discussed the reasons behind the apparent lack of Black scientists in the UK, which has been ongoing since Mark's days as an undergraduate Chemist. During his PhD, he comments that there were "no other black physicists" and the situation hadn't changed when he came back to Imperial years later.

We dug deep to understand the root of the issue, which included a lack of role models to aspire to and a lack of research funding to Black academics. Mark shared how he navigated these spaces by leaning into getting his authentic self and bringing new perspectives to the table - an approach that led to his success as an academic and an inventor.

Mark isn't your average scientist, having an established career as a DJ and music producer. His eloquence and humour made this an incredibly inspirational episode, that we know you'll both enjoy and benefit from!

Ali & Clive are joined by Professor Ijeoma Uchegbu, Lecturer in Pharmaceutical Nanoscience at University College London and Chief Scientific Officer at Nanomerics. Prof. Ijeoma has an incredible backstory of resilience and triumph, having grown up between post-war Nigeria and East London and headed to university at age 16. She is a notable scholar and holds a number of patents for drug delivery technologies used in the medical industry.

We tackled the sticky issue of the university Awarding Gap, which sees white students suddenly outperforming other demographics; inconsistent with Key Stage 2 & 3, GCSE and A-Level awarding. We also discussed disparities in research funding and the process of launching a pharmaceutical start-up company.

This conversation was incredibly insightful and will go a long way to support those disadvantaged by the lack of equity in STEM.

We gained invaluable insight around what it takes to create viral yet accessible educational content, exploring what it means to strive for excellence. We discussed Matt's experience on The Voice UK, his recent TV appearances and his partnership with the Royal Society of Chemistry to create equitable STEM education.

Matt's charm and easy-going nature made this an incredibly smooth and funny conversation. Be sure to check it out and comment your favorite part!

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Clive & Ali are joined by Stemettes CEO, Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon, for a riveting discussion around representation in Tech. We explore the foundations and countless contributions of women in Tech and Engineering, from Gladys West (GPS) to Hedy Lamarr (Wi-Fi), while exploring how power dynamics seek to prevent entry and progression to Black women. Despite there being gatekeepers, Anne-Marie demonstrates the importance of women entering (and building) spaces that support diversity and reminds us to seek out environments where we thrive, instead of just being tolerated.

This episode is full of wisdom and gems garnished through years of experience at the head of companies and in the boardrooms of businesses. Anne-Marie’s charm and humour shine through, making this episode a MUST WATCH.

Ali & Clive are joined by Petroleum & Chemical industry expert and Consultant Scientist, Albert Rwarasika.

Albert migrated to the West, following the end of colonial rule and change in country from Rhodesia to Zimbabwe. After fulfilling his childhood desire of “getting on a plane” he arrived in Czechoslovakia, which then underwent the fall of Communism via the Velvet Revolution, gaining independence to become Slovakia. Albert learned the local Slovak language and became a citizen and a student, before migrating the to UK in the early 90’s.

Having seen two political revolutions and travelled across the world to find opportunity, Albert has had to navigate the landscape of clearly being a minority in a non-diverse society. From “sticking out like a sore thumb” to finding commonality through language and culture, Albert demonstrates that although we have differences, globally we are akin in so many ways. From passions such as sport, to ambitions of creating a family, we must remember that our similarities are more pronounced that our differences.

This is an incredibly powerful episode and explores Albert’s humble outlook on life, as well as providing practical guidance to creating connection and finding commonality and finding commonality.

In Memory of Nigel - 2024

Ali & Clive sit down with Dr Kayisha Payne, a chemical engineer turned business consultant. In this episode, they explore the experience of being a Black woman in STEM and being skipped at the table, growing up in Kent where there were very few people who looked like her, the power of allyship, and the various routes one can take in industry with a Chemical Engineering (or related) degree.

We discuss the founding of her company BBSTEM, an organisation dedicated to supporting Black British individuals reach success in STEM. BBSTEM just celebrated it's 6 year anniversary and is consistently taking on new cohorts of mentors in their flagship programme "Bridge".

BBSTEM: https://bbstem.co.uk/

Access STEM Jobs: https://jobs.bbstem.co.uk/

Bridge Mentoring: https://bbstem.co.uk/about-us/bridge-mentoring-programme/

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Clive and Ali are joined by Professor Robert Mokaya OBE, lecturer in Materials Chemistry and Pro-Vice Chancellor for Global Engagement at the University of Nottingham. Robert is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, where he sits on the Board as a Trustee.

We discuss Robert's life growing up in Kenya, the cultural shift in moving to the UK to study a PhD at Cambridge University and the significant drop off in Black Chemists after undergraduate level. We deep dive into the recently published 'Missing Elements' report which concluded that, based on the data, the culture of Chemistry is racist. Finally, we discuss the RSC's action plan, addressing these issues by taking an equitable approach.

Sponsored by: https://www.rsc.org/

Missing Elements Report Launch Event: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Mrl5YEUBWE&ab

Missing Element Report: https://www.rsc.org/globalassets/22-new-perspectives/talent/racial-and-ethnic-inequalities-in-the-chemical-sciences/missing-elements-report.pdf

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