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How to Build Inclusive Research Environments: Advice from #WiNUKAwards2024 finalists and judges

Writer's picture: Rebecca PopeRebecca Pope

Women in Neuroscience UK hosted their first ever awards event at the University of Cambridge to celebrate some of the incredible and inspiring women working in the field of neuroscience! We spoke to the winners, finalists and judges for the ‘Mentor of the Year’ and ‘Inclusive Workplace Development’ categories to hear their tips and advice for early career researchers, how to create a supportive and inclusive environment in research, and to learn why the finalists were nominated for their awards! Let’s meet our neuroscientists…



Introducing our Head Judge for Inclusive Workplace Development:

Tomi Akingbade, Founder of the Black Women in Science Network and Advisor for WiNUK
Tomi Akingbade, Founder of the Black Women in Science Network and Advisor for WiNUK

Oluwatomi ‘Tomi’ Akingbade, Advisor for WiNUK, is the Founder of the Black Women in Science (BWiS) Network. The global BWiS Network is volunteer-led and aims to provide a safe space for Black women to seek advice and support in their career journeys and through changing legislation, generating tangible change in the STEM industry. Tomi’s role involves running the day-to-day activities of the BWiS network and managing a team of amazing volunteers that help to keep the important work running.


Tomi graduated from BSc Neuroscience at the University of Nottingham, before becoming a Medical Laboratory Assistant for the NHS and then a Research Technician at UKDRI Imperial Care Research and Technology Centre. She is now completing her PhD at the University of Cambridge, studying the mechanisms of inflammation caused by aggregates in Alzheimer’s disease.


Tomi was asked to be Head Judge because “she is a passionate advocate for equality and representation in the scientific landscape, with a strong commitment to supporting underrepresented groups”.


Presenting our winner of the Inclusive Workplace Development Award:

Associate Professor Becky Trueman, University of Nottingham
Associate Professor Becky Trueman, University of Nottingham

Associate Professor Rebecca ‘Becky’ Trueman works at the University of Nottingham and was the winner of the Inclusive Workplace Development award! Becky’s role is split between teaching and research, both of which she enjoys. Studying Neuroscience as an undergraduate at Cardiff University, Becky’s research career began with work on Huntington’s Disease, before moving into stroke research later on. More recently, her work has been focused on drug discovery for Myotonic Dystrophy, another genetic disorder, and she is working within a fantastic multidisciplinary team. 


Becky was nominated for this award because she strives to create an inclusive environment in her research group, believing that science is a team sport. Within her teaching endeavours, Becky has worked on a number of initiatives to improve inclusivity, including work with Emily Herrod (British Neuroscience Association, BNA, Placement student 2021), Anne Cooke (BNA), Hannah Thurgur (BNA) and Emily Sena (University of Edinburgh) to develop anti-racist tools for Neuroscience, helping to develop a Faculties Inclusive Curriculum toolkit.


Meet our finalist for the Inclusive Workplace Development Award:


Dr Katie Long, Research Fellow at King's College London
Dr Katie Long, Research Fellow at King's College London

Dr Katie Long is a Research Fellow at King’s College London, where she started her own lab with an MRC Career Development Award in 2019. Her lab investigates how the human brain develops to the right size and shape. She works with many fantastic basic science and clinical colleagues to address these questions in human foetal development using an interdisciplinary approach – from biomechanics and computational modelling to cell biology and immunology.


Katie studied Biomedical Science at Sheffield University before going on to do a PhD in developmental neuroscience at the University of Edinburgh (with Charles ffrench-Constant), exploring how brains are ‘built’ during development. She then moved to the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics in Dresden (with Wieland Huttner) where she began working on brain development in different species, becoming interested in how brains have evolved into such unique anatomical structures.


Katie was nominated for this award because diversity is a key part of her research, from the experimental approaches she uses to the people she works with. Her commitment to an inclusive and open workplace includes, but is not limited to: hosting ethics lab meetings, encouraging open dialogue in her weekly lab meetings, highlighting important equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) topics, prioritising the career development of her lab members, providing a platform for anonymous feedback, establishing a mentoring programme and collaborating on Routes Collective. This is an organisation dedicated to supporting refugee and asylum-seeking women in London.


Introducing our Head Judge for Mentor of the Year:

Dr Kam Ameen Ali, Senior Lecturer at Teesside University
Dr Kam Ameen Ali, Senior Lecturer at Teesside University

Dr Kamar ‘Kam’ Ameen Ali has been a Senior Lecturer in Biomedical Science at Teesside University since 2022. Kam splits her time between teaching and pursuing an independent programme of dementia research. 


Kam gained her PhD in behavioural neuroscience and neurobiology at Durham University, using an animal model to understand complex forms of memory. Her first postdoctoral position at the University of Sheffield investigated cognitive and neuropathological changes in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease. Following this, Kam decided to gain some experience outside of academia, taking up a position as regional programme manager for the NC3Rs, a research funder in the UK. Gaining this type of experience helped her to reflect on her career and fuelled her decision to return to academia. Kam then took two successive postdoctoral positions, firstly at Newcastle University, looking at the relationship between stroke and dementia using human post-mortem brain tissue, and then at the University of Glasgow looking at the relationship between traumatic brain injury and dementia, again using human post-mortem brain tissue. 


Kam was asked to be a judge for ‘Mentor of the Year’ because she is a passionate advocate for academic researchers, and regularly contributes to the Dementia Researcher Blog to share her insights on life as a researcher. She is also a committed mentor as part of the BNA Scholars Programme and through ARUK’s cross centre mentorship scheme. 



Presenting our winner for Mentor of the Year:


Associate Professor Jo Jones, University of Cambridge
Associate Professor Jo Jones, University of Cambridge

Dr Joanne ‘Jo’ Jones is an Associate Professor in the Department of Clinical Neurosciences at the University of Cambridge and an Honorary Consultant Neurologist at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, specialising in the care of individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS). Her lab is a translational neuroimmunology lab, focusing on understanding tissue immunity and immune regulation in health and disease, including in the brain.


Jo completed her undergraduate medical training at Bristol University, where she was fortunate to receive MRC funding for an intercalated BSc. This confirmed her passion for immunology and medical research. So, after initial postgraduate medical training in the Southwest, in 2003 she moved to Cambridge to study for a PhD with Professors Alasdair Coles and Alastair Compston, working on a novel immune therapy for MS (Campath-1H – now licensed as Lemtrada). She thought the project was incredible, with a fantastic supervisor and research team.


Following Jo’s PhD, she returned to full-time neurology training for a few years before being appointed as a Clinical Lecturer in Neurology – a role made possible by a newly established national scheme. This allowed her to develop her research ideas and to generate the data needed to secure a Wellcome Trust Intermediate Clinical Fellowship, which provided the time and funding she needed to establish her own lab. After her fellowship, she was appointed as an Assistant Professor, and later promoted to Associate Professor, the role that she currently holds. Jo was awarded tenure last year. Over the years her group has grown; Jo now leads an outstanding team of talented individuals including a lab manager, five post-doctoral researchers and six PhD students.


Jo was nominated for ‘Mentor of the Year’ because “she is not only inspiring as a scientific leader in her field, she is an exceptional leader with a true dedication to mentoring and empowering the next generation of scientists”. Jo's lab truly celebrates an inclusive environment, championing gender and racial equity both in the lab and the wider department: “She ensures everyone feels welcome, is given support (both career and more broadly) and she stands out in her support of early-career researchers, whatever their chosen career path, after their time in her lab”. She leads the EDI group in her department, which has included sessions on parental leave, and actively promotes the representation of women in neuroscience through organising, supporting and participating in conferences, workshops, and outreach efforts.



Meet our first finalist for Mentor of the Year:

Dr Hilary Richardson, Lecturer at the University of Edinburgh
Dr Hilary Richardson, Lecturer at the University of Edinburgh

Dr Hilary Richardson is a Lecturer at the University of Edinburgh and a developmental cognitive neuroscientist. Most of her research examines the neural correlates of social cognitive development in childhood. She is interested in the development of brain regions that take on particular cognitive functions, and the role of intrinsic and experiential factors on this development. 


As an undergraduate student at the University of Michigan, she worked as a research assistant in a developmental psychology lab led by Professor Henry Wellman and contributed to studies on children’s ‘theory of mind’ development (‘theory of mind’ describes the human ability to reason about others’ internal mental states – their beliefs, desires, and emotions). When Hilary graduated from university, she took a full-time research assistantship position at MIT; this position provided her with more experience in development social cognitive neuroscience research,using fMRI as a key method. She stayed at MIT to complete her PhD in Neuroscience (with Professor Rebecca Saxe) and then completed a postdoctoral research fellowship at Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School (with Professor Charles Nelson). During the fellowship, Hilary learned how to use functional near-infrared spectroscopy to study social brain development in young children. Hilary started as a Lecturer in the Psychology Department at the University of Edinburgh in 2020.


Hilary was nominated because she is a dedicated mentor, supporting her most senior PhD student through two first-author publications, a prior MSc student with a first-author publication, four undergraduate/MSc students to obtain PhD positions and a postdoctoral researcher to a Lectureship position. She tailors her advice to suit each of her mentees and makes professional development a priority in her lab meetings and one-to-ones. Hilary promotes an inclusive and supportive environment by organising group activities with low/no financial costs, hosting open lab meetings, and celebrating both small and big achievements through announcements in monthly lab meetings. 



Meet our second finalist for Mentor of the Year:


Dr Emma Cahill, Lecturer at the University of Bristol
Dr Emma Cahill, Lecturer at the University of Bristol

Dr Emma Cahill has been a Lecturer in Neuroscience at the University of Bristol since 2021, where she teaches undergraduate courses on the brain, neuropharmacology and behaviour, as well as leading a research team conducting experimental work on the neurological mechanisms underlying memory.


Her undergraduate degree was in Neuroscience, from Trinity College Dublin, where she first discovered her love for lab work (her summer project investigated how exercise could enhance object recognition memory in rats!). Emma then travelled to France for her Masters and PhD research. Her PhD programme was for international students, so she met people from lots of different countries and made lifelong friends. Her PhD thesis was on understanding the effect of cocaine on the NMDA-type glutamate receptor and Dopamine type 1 receptor and involved mostly wet-lab work and cell culture. It had ups and downs, but Emma recalls enjoying working in a team and leading a research project to completion. She also got her French up to scratch and started teaching in the University Paris VI.


Post-PhD, Emma decided she wanted to continue to study glutamate and dopamine interactions, but this time in the context of fear memories. She was aiming to secure a post-doctoral position, and she reflected on how she “pretty much stalked relevant groups at big conferences” and managed to secure a position with a team focused on behaviour analysis in Cambridge. As a postdoctoral researcher, Emma continued to teach and perform experiments on how dopamine regulates fear memory persistence. She obtained her own research funding from the BBSRC and an Industry collaborative grant, so she stayed in Cambridge on a temporary lectureship for three years, during which time her first PhD student started. These grants helped Emma to pave the way for her own research that she now continues in Bristol.


Emma was nominated for ‘Mentor of the Year’ for her investment in the scientific development of her mentees, sharing curated opportunities, facilitating networking and assisting in the gain of a wide variety of skills. She is incredibly inclusive of all students, believing in them equally, treating them as individuals and never assuming ability. Her nominator particularly appreciates that “personal flair is always encouraged and you never feel as if you’re being pushed into a mould” and truly believes that “neuroscience, and science at large, would be vastly improved if more people mentored like Emma”.



Top Tips from our Neuroscientists! 


We couldn’t pass up the opportunity to ask these inspirational women for their top five tips to create a supportive and inclusive environment for their teams. Swipe through to hear from everyone:




The Importance of Mentorship


In our research roles, it can often feel as though we are being stretched too thin, with teaching, meetings and all the other essential tasks required of us! Trying to fit being a mentor into our busy schedules can be incredibly difficult, but it is one of the most invaluable uses of your time. There’s a reason that universities often have mentorship schemes for individuals all the way from undergraduate students up to Professors - there’s always something we can learn or teach. 


Tomi was in agreement and also recognised that everyone’s journey is different, even if we end up in similar positions eventually. She remarked that mentorship is important because “it allows people to expand their knowledge - it’s a true personification of “a problem shared, is a problem halved”.” Tomi also recognised that mentorship opens the door to sponsorship opportunities, which are an “ever-growing important part of scientific career progression.”


Becky has been lucky enough to consider many wonderful people to have been mentors throughout her career, sharing that they are the people “who give great practical advice and push you to do things you didn’t think you were quite ready for, and the ones who are there for fantastic emotional support when nothing seems to be working.” She reflected that she has always tried to “search out mentors who hold similar values to [her] and strive to create a positive research culture” and that mentors are “hugely important to help you navigate the rocky road of academia”.


Katie shared that we are not always the best at providing guidance and support for ourselves, instead we are “often much better at seeing the good in other people and their work than we are at seeing our own. Having a mentor (or better yet more than one!) is so important to help you see your own strengths and to navigate your career in a way that you enjoy”. It is equally as important to help those you mentor to do the same. Being a mentor to others can highlight just how critical we can all be of ourselves sometimes. Having that outside perspective really can make all the difference.


Similarly, Kam commented that “mentorship is important now more than ever, because we know that women and people from under-represented groups face structural inequalities in academia and are disproportionately affected by things such as precarious contracts and work casualisation”. She explained that mentorship is an “effective way of supporting early- and mid-career researchers through providing guidance and enabling them to develop and make choices that will allow them to progress in their careers”. Whilst Kam has tried to model many of the skills and qualities she sees in her mentors, she acknowledges that “it’s important to be flexible and tailor your mentorship for the needs of each mentee”. After all, we’re all different and require different types of support!


Jo has learned that mentorship is a dynamic, two-way process, stating that “mentors provide guidance, but they also learn from their mentees. Effective mentorship requires active listening, tailored support, and encouragement of independence”. She highlighted how although it is tempting to solve every problem brought to you, “often it is just helpful for someone to be able to talk issues through. As a mentee, I’ve benefited from mentors who not only provided technical expertise but also encouraged me and helped me navigate career challenges”.


Hilary asserted, “Mentorship is hard! It is a skill to be continually refined”. Recognising how crucial supporting and advising others is, she observed that mentorship is the part of her job that feels most impactful: “No one is an island in academia; my mentors provided me with training and access to opportunities that changed the way that I think and helped me define and push me towards my professional goals”. 


Emma recognised that being a mentor has not only benefited her mentees, but has also helped her to develop new ways to manage herself, saying “it’s always a two-way process and there is something to be gained by both mentee and mentor.” She shared that being a mentor involved being flexible and adapting your approach, depending on the mentee’s requirements, as “there is not a one-fit rule either. As a mentor, you may need to adjust your approach for different situations or different persons, and your own experience might not be relevant. So, it helps to be flexible. In the same way, search out different mentors for different aspects of support.”



Essential Advice for Early Career Researchers


Since we all have to start somewhere, we asked our seven neuroscientists to give some useful words of advice to the early career researchers out there:


Tomi wants you to remain authentic and to ask for help (because it’s OK not to know everything!). She also imparts that no goals are “too big” - set goals that you truly want to achieve!


Becky would like you to “believe in yourself, do not be afraid to take up space, your thoughts and opinions are valid. Find mentors – they don’t have to officially be mentors and don’t need to be in your field – but people who you can knock on the door of and will reassure you when you need it, push you to take those next big steps and help you find the connections and network you need”.


Katie acknowledges that “research can be such a fun and rewarding career path, despite the challenges” and recommends that you “find the things that you enjoy, the questions that you love to work on, the surprise directions that excite you and the people who will support and motivate you. You may find these things in places you weren’t expecting to, so be open to new directions and opportunities to enjoy what you do”. 


Kam shares the advice that she always gives to ECRs: “Have an idea of what you’re interested in, but keep your mind open to different opportunities that come your way. If you follow what you’re interested in, you can’t go wrong, but be open for that to change. In academia we develop such a variety of skills, and we have a range of different career options open to us because of that. Even if you decide to pursue one option, you are not committing yourself to that path forever. More and more people are moving between academic and non-academic jobs, and employers are increasingly seeing the benefit of researchers who have worked across sectors”. 


For Jo, prioritising “building a strong network, collaborations and mentorship” is one of the most invaluable things you can do throughout your career. “Be proactive in seeking opportunities, but also learn to say no sometimes to protect your time. Resilience is key; setbacks are inevitable in research, but they offer valuable learning experiences. Finally, advocate for yourself - whether it’s for funding, authorship, or career progression, don’t be afraid to make your contributions and ambitions known!”


Hilary emphasises the importance of pursuing questions that “excite you, with people who challenge and support you. Scientific outputs take a lot of time and effort; being genuinely interested in ‘the answer’ that a particular project provides is a good sign that a project is worth doing”. 


Emma stressed the value of some inner reflection: “Know what works for you and what you need help with, [so that you can] search out people who are excited by your science”.



We also chatted to them about their thoughts and feelings surrounding their award category.


Tomi wanted to be Head Judge for the ‘Inclusive Workplace Development Award’ because she thinks it is great to acknowledge the work of others; “Often this work is done without reward, whilst the nominees do this work without expectation, it is wonderful to be part of highlighting these individuals”. Along with her panel of judges, Tomi selected Becky Trueman and Katie Long as the finalists. 


Despite all of the fantastic work Becky has done to create a supportive environment for her team, she remarked that she was “surprised [to be nominated], and to be honest did not feel deserving, as much of [her] work to create a more inclusive environment has been done with others. I want to acknowledge the many incredible individuals I've had the privilege to collaborate with in my inclusivity work, as well as those whose open conversations, social media posts, books, and other media have made me consider my own biases. A significant number of these have been women from minoritised groups, whose contributions have been instrumental in driving progress in this area. As we continue to work to improve inclusion for women in our field, it’s crucial to recognise the importance of intersectionality. Different groups experience unique and often compounded barriers to advancement, and we must be mindful of these nuances.


“I would not be here if it was not for the work of others, and to name a few key people:  Errolinda Ward, who started the inclusive curricula project within my School; Yvonne Mbaki and Rakesh Patel, who led our faculty toolkit; and the fantastic Emily Sena, University of Edinburgh, who suggested we approach the BNA when I was discussing resources for decolonising Neuroscience teaching with her. And all the teams who worked with me on these projects, along with the groups of students who have helped co-create resources”. 


Katie was really grateful to be nominated for the ‘Inclusive Workplace Development Award’: “I’m very lucky to have the support from my colleagues, mentors and team to help make our environment more inclusive, and to have seen some fantastic examples of improving inclusivity, diversity and accessibility of science, many of them driven by amazing women that I work with. They are an incredibly inspiring group and I hope together we can continue to help show that science is a space for everyone”.


Kam made the decision to be Head Judge for ‘Mentor of the Year’ because she “fully supports the work of WiNUK and thought it was an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of some outstanding female neuroscientists and provide greater visibility for them and their work”. Kam and the rest of the judges selected Jo, Hilary and Emma as the finalists.


Jo remarked that she was “Delighted!” to be nominated for ‘Mentor of the Year’, explaining that she “had no idea [she] had been nominated - the first I heard was when I received an invitation to the awards ceremony saying I’d been short-listed. I’m incredibly grateful to those who took the time out of their busy lives to put me forward.”


Hilary also felt “grateful and honoured [to be nominated]! I’m so lucky to work with my team”.


As did Emma, who was “really happy and appreciative of the effort of a nomination” and “was excited to meet other people through the network too”.



Closing Remarks


It was great to hear from the judges and finalists for these incredibly important categories. Congratulations again to Rebecca Trueman and Joanne Jones for your wins. What a fantastic group of women, who all deserve to be celebrated - we can’t wait to see what all of you go on to do next!


We will be featuring winners of our WiNUK 2024 award categories in interview pieces throughout 2025, so keep your eyes peeled for some exciting chats! And who knows, maybe there will be a 2025 WiNUK Awards Event?! Who might you nominate?


'Mentor of the Year' and 'Inclusive Workplace Development' award categories were sponsored by Wellcome Trust.



 

This article was written, and interviews conducted, by Rebecca Pope and edited by Lauren Wallis with graphics produced by Lilly Green. If you enjoyed this article, be the first to be notified about new posts by signing up to become a WiNUK member (top right of this page)! Interested in writing for WiNUK yourself? Contact us through the blog page and the editors will be in touch.




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