Pride in Science
eBook
Last Updated: September 14, 2023
(+ more)
Published: June 26, 2023
Credit: iStock
Each year since the Stonewall Riots in New York in 1969, June has served as Pride Month, a month dedicated to the celebration and commemoration of LGBTQIA+ people and culture. Here at Technology Networks, we want to use this opportunity to shine a light on the experiences of LGBTQIA+ individuals studying and working in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine (STEMM) through a series of interviews from individuals at various stages of their careers.
Download this eBook to read the full interviews.
Pride in
Science
“The field needs you, so
be proud and confident
pursuing a career in
science”
– Claudia Wascher, PhD
“Know that you’re
valuable, important and
that your experiences and
contributions are vital to
the work that we do”
– Daniel Gillis, PhD
“Don’t hesitate to pursue
the type of research
important to you or to the
community you belong to”
– Jui-Lin Chen, PhD
Alyssa Scott 4
Charlotte G. Roughton 6
Christina Atchison, PhD 8
Clara Barker, PhD 10
Claudia Wascher, PhD 12
Daniel Gillis, PhD 14
Drake McCrimmon 16
Emma Waters, PhD 18
Gabi Fleury 20
Güneş Taylor, DPhil 22
Izzy Jayasinghe, PhD 24
Jamie Gallagher, PhD 26
Josh Makepeace, DPhil 28
Jui-Lin Chen, PhD 30
Justin C. Luong, PhD 32
Kristal Cain, PhD 34
Sebastian Groh, PhD 36
Contents
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Foreword
Pride in Science
According to an article published in Science Advances, LGBTQIA+ persons
were more likely than their non-LGBTQIA+ peers to experience social marginalization, harassment and limited career opportunities, and in a survey conducted by the Institute of Physics, Royal Astronomical Society and the Royal
Society of Chemistry, 49% of respondents agreed that there was an overall lack
of awareness of LGBTQIA+ issues in the workplace.
Each year since the Stonewall Riots in New York in 1969, June has served as
Pride Month, a month dedicated to the celebration and commemoration of
LGBTQIA+ people and culture. Here at Technology Networks, we want to use
this opportunity to shine a light on the experiences of LGBTQIA+ individuals
studying and working in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and
medicine (STEMM).
This eBook contains a selection of interviews from LQBTQIA+ individuals
at various stages of their careers, in which they share information on their
research, experiences, opinions and ideas to inspire the next generation.
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In 2017, after graduating from the University of
Washington with a B.S. in Biological Oceanography,
Alyssa worked for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA) as an acoustician mapping the
migration patterns of North Atlantic right whales, kogia
and sperm whales. This work sparked an interest in the
ecology and physiology of marine mammals, so she
transitioned to working as the stranding coordinator for
the San Juan County Marine Mammal Stranding Network
in Friday Harbor, WA. Through this job, Alyssa discovered
the field of pinnipedology – the science of seals and sea
lions – and decided to focus on pinniped research. She
is currently pursuing a PhD at the University of North
Carolina Wilmington investigating the ecological changes
experienced by Antarctic crabeater seals due to sea ice loss
and prey habitat redistribution incurred by climate change.
In this interview, we spoke to Alyssa to learn more about
her research into the effects of climate change on seals, and
her experiences in STEMM.
Q: Can you tell us about your research
interests?
A: Broadly speaking, my research interests include
investigating the ecology and physiology of mammals,
specifically marine mammals. I’m interested in
understanding how animals interact with their
environment and how they adapt to changing conditions.
Q: What do you enjoy most about working in
STEMM? What would you say are your proudest
achievements?
A: I love adding to our greater knowledge about the
health and functions of our natural environment. I love
the process of asking questions, seeking innovative ways
to research the question at hand, and finding answers.
Additionally, I love the rugged nature of fieldwork –
battling seas while in transit to a field site, getting pelted
in the face by sand during gale-force winds, or evading the
gnarly bite of a seal – every day is a new and unexpected
adventure.
Being an early-career scientist, one of my greatest
achievements is having gotten to experience as much as I
have for my age. From traveling to Antarctica for research
to conducting health assessments on seals on remote
islands, I feel extremely grateful (and privileged) for being
able to experience the wide breadth of research I’ve taken
part in thus far.
Q: What are the main barriers for LGBTQIA+
people entering and progressing in STEMM,
and what could be done to support them?
A: Science has shown that, compared to their nonLGBTQIA+ counterparts, LGBTQIA+ STEMM
professionals are more likely to experience career
limitations, harassment and professional devaluation,
Alyssa Scott
Alyssa Scott is a PhD student at the University of North Carolina Wilmington and identifies as a
cis-gender queer woman.
Kate Harrison, PhD
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leading to LGBTQIA+ folks having a higher rate of leaving
the STEMM field (Cech and Waidzunas, 2021). The reason
for this is multifaceted. For one, the diversity of many
STEMM fields has lagged behind other male-dominated
professions. This issue does not only affect LGBTQIA+
people, but society as a whole; without diversity in
STEMM we hinder our innovation, as it’s known that a
diverse group provides more insight and perspective than
a homogenous team. To amend these issues, there should
be an effort to put LGBTQIA+ professionals in high-level
roles to provide representation and top-down changes.
Q: Have you faced any obstacles in your
career due to identifying as LGBTQIA+?
A: While I haven’t experienced any blatant harassment, I
have experienced obstacles. Having grown up in the Pacific
Northwest, I became acquainted with queer acceptance
being a part of my everyday life. However, when I began
to consider accepting my current PhD position located in
North Carolina, I experienced heightened anxiety about
the idea of living in a predominately conservative southern
state – which I wouldn’t have felt if I were heterosexual. I
think this type of obstacle – the emotional toll of having to
constantly think about what others might think of me and
my sexuality – is a common narrative in many LGBTQIA+
lives. Whether we experience implicit or explicit biases
may vary, but I can guarantee we all have had to consider
at one point or another whether we’re safe in a room, on
a street, or in a workplace setting. The constant mental
processing of my safety and acceptance is emotionally and
physically taxing.
Q: If you could give one piece of advice to
young LGBTQIA+ researchers beginning their
career, what would it be?
A: My advice to young LGBTQIA+ researchers is to 1)
find your community, and 2) educate those around you.
Finding your community, whether they are LGBTQIA+
folks or allies, is important to feel comfortable and
safe in a working environment. And while educating
those around you may not be a possibility for everyone
depending on their level of comfort, it’s critical to educate
our non-LGBTQIA+ peers. That said, if you don’t have the
emotional capacity to be someone’s token queer person
allow yourself leniency to realize that it’s also not your
responsibility to educate everyone about LGBTQIA+
topics. But if you can provide resources, you’d be helping
the greater community and the LGBTQIA+ folks that
person interacts with in the future.
Alyssa Scott was speaking to Dr. Kate Harrison, Science
Writer for Technology Networks.
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Charlotte G. Roughton
Charlotte Roughton is a third year PhD student at Newcastle University who identifies as an
autistic queer woman.
Lucy Lawrence
Charlotte completed a BSc in Biomedical Sciences in
2019, followed by a MSc (Res) at Durham University.
Her interest in the virulence mechanisms of pathogenic
bacteria lead her to her current role, where she researches
the molecular mechanisms of sporulation in the superbug
Clostridioides difficile.
During this interview, we had the privilege of discussing
Charlotte’s research, the challenges faced by LGBTQIA+
researchers and her personal experience working in
STEMM.
Q: Can you tell us about your research
interests?
A: I’ve always found microbes interesting, particularly
those that cause disease. I’m fascinated by how exactly
pathogens can cause such catastrophic harm to a
comparatively enormous host, and crucially, how we
can utilize this knowledge for the benefit of our health.
Antibiotic resistance is a growing global health crisis, so
it’s vital that we understand more about the fundamental
biology of antibiotic resistant bacterial pathogens such that
we can find alternative and targeted ways of treating these
infections.
Currently, I am working on the multi-drug resistant
superbug Clostridioides difficile, which is the most
common cause of hospital-acquired diarrhoea. I’m using
biochemistry and microbiology techniques to understand
more about how this pathogen forms hardy, dormant
spores that facilitate transmission of infection.
Q: What do you enjoy most about working in
STEMM? What would you say are your proudest
achievements?
A: I enjoy the innovative and collaborative nature of
STEMM, and playing a role in bringing us that little
bit closer to understanding more about the biology
of pathogens that threaten our health. I also enjoy
the extracurricular opportunities it has provided – it
has helped me discover a love for teaching, science
communication and outreach.
However, my proudest achievements don’t actually relate
to my academic research. My PhD has and continues to
be incredibly challenging. It can be difficult not to take
setbacks and the inevitable frustrations of academic
research as a personal blow – I really am my own harshest
critic. It’s taken some extensive internal work to uncouple
my sense of self-worth from my perceived academic
achievements. This in itself is something that I am proud
of, as it’s something I’ve struggled with for my entire life.
I feel most proud reflecting on how I’ve personally
developed throughout the PhD process. I’ve overcome a lot
of self-hatred surrounding me being autistic and queer, and
have found the courage to begin advocating for myself and
my accessibility needs. I’m finally in a good place where I,
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for the most part, can be open, honest and proud of who I
am. It’s a wonderful feeling.
Q: What are the main barriers for LGBTQIA+
people entering and progressing in STEMM,
and what could be done to support them?
A: There are several barriers that still exist and impede
LGBTQIA+ people entering and thriving in STEMM.
These include a lack of data on the experiences of
LGBTQIA+ people in STEMM, especially the
intersectional experiences of those who belong to multiple
marginalized groups, which makes it difficult to study
the scope of the problem and implement evidence-based
strategies to rectify it.
Though progress has been made with a number
of initiatives, there is still a lack of visibility and
representation of LGBTQIA+ people in STEMM,
especially in senior roles. This makes it hard to find
relatable mentors/role models and foster a sense of
community. Not only does this require efforts to promote
and highlight LGBTQIA+ people in STEMM, but also
institutional change to ensure that an inclusive and
supportive environment is created.
In the shorter term though, allies can support their
LGBTQIA+ colleagues by helping to promote a respectful
environment, for example challenging discriminatory
behaviour, advocating for inclusive policies and
committing time to becoming better educated about the
LGBTQIA+ community and the challenges they face.
Q: Have you faced any obstacles in your
career due to identifying as LGBTQIA+?
A: I fortunately haven’t experienced any overt homophobia
in the workplace. However, I found the lack of visible role
models and positive representation as I was growing up
difficult, which fed into the internalized homophobia I was
dealing with and resulted in feelings of isolation and not
quite belonging.
Even now, when I meet new people, it’s a lingering
thought in the back of my mind whether it’s safe to specify
“girlfriend” when talking about my partner – especially
with the growing hostility towards the LGBTQIA+
community in the UK and worldwide.
Q: If you could give one piece of advice to
young LGBTQIA+ researchers beginning their
career, what would it be?
A: Be proactive and find your community, be it in-person
at your own institution or online. Engaging with the online
LGBTQIA+ community was the catalyst for me eventually
coming out and reaching a place of self-acceptance. I
spent a long time quietly following hashtags and Twitter
accounts – seeing, for the first time, so many people just
like me in STEMM who were out and proud of who they
are was crucial in slowly shifting my attitudes towards
myself and my own sexuality.
Charlotte G. Roughton was speaking to Lucy Lawrence,
Digital Content Producer for Technology Networks.
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Christina Atchison, PhD
Dr. Christina Atchison is a principal clinical academic fellow at Imperial College London and
identifies as a cis-gender lesbian.
Kate Robinson
After qualifying in Medicine from Cambridge University
in 2002, she worked for several years rotating through
clinical specialties including general medicine, paediatric
surgery, emergency medicine, anaesthetics and clinical
microbiology. She then completed the Diploma in Tropical
Medicine and Hygiene at Liverpool School of Tropical
Medicine and obtained a PhD in Infectious Disease
Epidemiology from London School of Hygiene and
Tropical Medicine in 2011.
In this interview we spoke to Atchison to learn about
her career in STEMM so far and the challenges faced by
LGBTQIA+ scientists conducting fieldwork.
Q: Can you tell us about your research interests?
A: After qualifying in Medicine, I worked for several
years rotating through clinical specialties. Subsequently, I
obtained my PhD in Infectious Disease Epidemiology from
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
My research interests include the evaluation of child
and adolescent public health programs. Currently, I
am working on research into the longer-term effects of
COVID-19 investigating why some people with COVID-19
experience symptoms for several weeks or months (Long
COVID), while others have a short illness or no symptoms.
Q: What do you enjoy most about working in
STEMM? What would you say are your proudest
achievements?
A: I enjoy the constant learning, innovative thinking and
adaptability to a changing world that a career in STEMM
allows.
My proudest achievement was my contribution to the
UK response to the COVID-19 pandemic as a principal
investigator on the REACT surveillance study which
was recognized when Imperial was awarded the Queen’s
Anniversary Prize for COVID-19 response.
The Real-time Assessment of Community Transmission
(REACT) research program was a series of studies that
sought to improve understanding of how the COVID-19
pandemic was progressing across England. To do this the
program launched two studies in May 2020; REACT-1
and REACT-2. REACT-1 was a community survey of
SARS-CoV-2 prevalence in England, based on repeated
non-overlapping cross-sectional surveys of random samples
of the population. At each round, self-administered throat
and nose swabs and questionnaire data are collected from
between 120,000 and 180,000 people ages 5 years and
above, over a period of ~17 days, at approximately monthly
intervals. The aim was to examine how widely the virus
had spread and to identify any trends in prevalence. The
REACT-1 data collection finished in March 2022 following
19 rounds of survey.
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REACT-2 assessed several different antibody tests to see
how accurate they were and how easily people could use
them at home.
Q: In 2021 you wrote an article on some of the
obstacles faced by LGBTQIA+ researchers, can
you tell us more about it?
A: In many countries, there are fewer legal protections
for LGBTQIA+ people than in the UK. The specific
challenges, perceptions and experiences of LGBTQIA+
scientists at undertaking international working are poorly
understood.
Last year, I conducted a survey and interviews with
LGBTQIA+ staff and postgraduate research students
across my university. Respondents reported that potential
safety issues in relation to sexuality and gender identity
were rarely discussed as part of travel risk assessments.
About half of respondents had ever felt uncomfortable
or unsafe based on their sexual orientation or gender
identity whilst undertaking overseas work-related
travel. A quarter of respondents reported harassment or
discrimination. Finally, almost all respondents considered
overseas international working to be important for career
progression, yet 40% had, at some point, chosen not to do
overseas work-related travel because they felt it might be
unsafe based on their sexual orientation or gender identity.
Recently, a group of us within my department have
come together informally to create an “LGBTQIA+
Travel Working Group” to discuss how to better support
LGBTQIA+ staff, students and allies traveling or working
abroad, or who collaborate with international teams. We
plan to provide meetups for LGBTQIA+ staff, students and
allies to raise awareness, contribute towards new policies,
help principal investigators support LGBTQIA+ group
members, and organize “safe-space” informal chats where
LGBTQIA+ staff, students and allies can come together,
share experiences, and learn from each other. We also
aim to create an online space with helpful resources on
international working for LGBTQIA+ individuals.
Over the past decade many STEMM institutions have
taken significant steps to improve access, participation
and equal opportunities for LGBTQIA+ scientists in
the workplace. However, we need to reach out further
to ensure safety and support in the field. Only by raising
awareness of this issue, collecting data to quantify the
extent of the problem and creating solutions that foster
safety and inclusion, can STEMM institutions address the
unique barriers and challenges of LGBTQIA+ scientists
working in the field.
Q: You have worked in many clinical
specialties, have your experiences of the
challenges facing the LGBTQIA+ community
differed throughout your career?
A: I have not experienced overt homophobia at work, yet
I have not felt comfortable coming “out” in many of my
previous jobs in hospital and academic settings. A lot of
progress has been made since I started my career over
a decade ago, many STEMM organizations in the UK,
including the NHS and higher education institutions,
are now formally committed to inclusivity, diversity and
equity. In my current job, visible allyship, in the form of
my colleagues wearing rainbow lanyards, has giving me
the confidence to finally be out in the workplace. I am
now a visible and active representative of our LGBTQ+
community.
Recently, I worked on an evaluation of an adolescent
reproductive health initiative in Ethiopia, Nigeria and
Tanzania, which included in-country field visits to research
sites. In Ethiopia, Nigeria and Tanzania homosexuality is
illegal. So, when asked about my personal life I would selfcensor and switch pronouns to he/him/his when talking
about my wife. Indeed, probably the hardest decision I
have to make as an LGBTQ+ scientist whilst traveling
with work abroad is whether to disclose my sexuality or
gender identity. The decision to be out during fieldwork is
exceptionally complex as the risks are location dependent.
There are circumstances where staying in the closet may be
safer than being out, particularly in Africa and the Middle
East where homosexuality is illegal in many countries and
sometimes punishable by death.
Q: If you could give one piece of advice to
young LGBTQIA+ researchers beginning their
career, what would it be?
A: It is important to acknowledge and reflect on the fact
that, as an LGBTQ+ scientist, your individual professional
choices and career decision-making could be profoundly
affected by your sexuality, particularly if your fieldwork
takes you overseas. My advice would be to increase your
awareness of safety issues associated with fieldwork for
LGBTQ+ scientists. Prepare yourself for work in the field
by identifying potential safety issues in relation to sexuality
and gender identity and discussing these with your
employer. If you know what to expect in terms of potential
safety issues and cultural beliefs related to LGBTQ+
people, you can make an informed decision whether you
still feel comfortable traveling, or whether you will need
additional support or mentoring to handle the additional
stress in the field.
Dr. Christina Atchison was speaking to Kate Robinson,
Assistant Editor for Technology Networks.
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Clara Barker, PhD
Dr. Clara Barker is a thin-film material scientist and lab manager at the Centre for Applied
Superconductivity in the materials department at Oxford University. She is also a Daphne
Jackson Research Fellow and Dean for Equality and Diversity at Linacre College. She identifies as
a transgender woman.
Mariana Gil, PhD
Clara vocally campaigns for LGBTQIA+ rights. She runs
a group for LGBTQIA+ young people and was the chair
of the Oxford University LGBTQIA+ Advisory Group.
She won different awards, was a speaker at TEDxLondon
Women in 2018 and her views on LGBTQIA+ scientists are
featured in several books.
In this interview, Clara told us about her research and
experience as a transgender woman in science.
Q: Can you tell us about your research
interests?
A: I am a thin-film synthesis specialist, using physical
vapor deposition techniques to grow those thin-films,
specifically magnetron sputtering and pulsed laser
deposition. I am most interested in how changes to
deposition conditions change the film growth and the
material properties. Currently, I work in a lab specializing
in making superconducting materials. My current projects
involve making thin-film superconductors for fusion and
quantum applications.
Q: What do you enjoy most about working in
STEMM? What would you say are your proudest
achievements?
A: I enjoy trying things. Seeing what works. We are
looking for breakthroughs to allow us to use our thin-film
superconductors in different applications. I was part of a
patent that used thin-films to help spinal implants integrate
in the human body – which is amazing to me. Science that
can make a difference to the lives of other people.
Being able to help bring fusion to life, make it a real
source of clean energy for the planet would be an amazing
breakthrough and being a part of that is very exciting. I
also love the interactions with our student researchers –
helping them understand processes is amazing – especially
if they go on to understand more about a material than
I do! As for my proudest moments, gaining my first
fellowship was an amazing achievement for me – my first
independent research award of, hopefully, many more! I
also am hugely proud of gaining my PhD. My mental health
was poor when I completed it (for reasons not only around
my studies), so it was an achievement in itself.
Q: What are the main barriers for LGBTQIA+
people entering and progressing in STEMM,
and what could be done to support them?
A: As with many other characteristics, a lack of role
models was a huge barrier for me. I knew I was trans for a
long time but did not want to come out as I didn’t see any
other trans people in STEMM at the time. In 15 years, I
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met only two openly gay people in STEMM – neither in
my field – and they were the only LGBTQIA+ people in
STEMM that I knew. Less than ten years ago, researchers
from various fields were told that coming out would
detrimentally affect their careers. So, with this in mind,
it is no wonder people are not joining or are dropping
out of STEMM careers. In truth, being able to be myself
changed little – but I was no longer hiding or pretending.
It removed the stress of keeping the secret, of being found
out, and allowed me to concentrate on my work. We need
to cultivate that culture and show that LGBTQIA+ people
are welcome and accepted in STEMM and let them get on
with their work. I had feedback from university and school
students saying that they didn’t think trans scientists would
be accepted, and that they now feel they can continue or
join a STEMM field. We are always going to get the most
out of our researchers if they do not have external stresses
to deal with. Increasing living costs and such things will
not go away easily. But accepting LGBTQIA+ people for
who they are, not publicly and openly discussing where we
should go to the bathroom or treating our healthcare like
a discussion for people outside the medical experts, are
simple steps.
Q: Have you faced any obstacles in your
career due to identifying as LGBTQIA+?
A: Yes. I talked about role models. I also mentioned the
fact that other academics feel it acceptable to discuss some
basic human dignities. As much as I want to put them
aside, they do take up time that I could dedicate to my
research. I have had academics make a point of attacking
my acceptance of trans people under the guise of academic
free speech – I’d much rather just get on with my research.
But I will speak out for those who cannot.
On a more open level, there have been ties cut with me
since coming out as trans. I have had people deadname and
misgender me in meetings. Usually by mistake, although
it has been done intentionally also. My old papers are all
under my deadname. Again, I’d love to be able to ignore
my past, to be able to move on, but it seems that I cannot
always do so. And whether we like it or not, when I was
in the closet, it was a very traumatic time for me and my
mental health. I do not need those wounds bringing up.
Q: If you could give one piece of advice to
young LGBTQIA+ researchers beginning their
career, what would it be?
A: Things are not perfect, but they are improving. We have
amazing role models now. Make use of our access to the
internet to find those role models, to get advice when you
are facing issues, and to find the people who will raise you
up so you can be the best scientist you can be.
Dr. Clara Barker was speaking to Dr. Mariana Gil, Senior
Science Writer for Technology Networks.
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Claudia Wascher, PhD
Dr. Claudia Wascher is associate professor at Anglia Ruskin University interested in the evolution
of social behavior. She identifies as a lesbian, is married to a fellow academic and advocates
removing barriers for dual career academic couples.
Mariana Gil, PhD
After completing her PhD in 2009 at the University of
Vienna, she spent several years as post-doc in international
labs in Australia, Norway, Germany, France and Spain
before starting a lectureship at Anglia Ruskin University
in 2015. Claudia is passionate about improving equity,
diversity and inclusion in science and leads the Faculty of
Science and Engineering Athena SWAN self-assessment
team at Anglia Ruskin University. She also coordinates
several gender equality initiatives, for example, promotion
support and continued professional training.
In this interview, we spoke to Wascher to find out about
her research and experiences as an LGBTQIA+ academic.
Q: Can you tell us about your research
interests?
A: I am a behavioral biologist, interested in the evolution
of social behavior. I specialize in group living birds and
investigate physiological and cognitive mechanisms
underlying social behavior. For my PhD, I recorded heart
rate as a proxy of the physiological stress response in
graylag geese. I studied how different social interactions
affect heart rate. I found that heart rate in geese increased
even if geese were only observing aggressive encounters,
without being actively involved themselves. Further, heart
rate increases more when geese were watching interactions
with their partner or family members involved, compared
to unrelated individuals.
I am further interested in cognitive mechanisms
mediating social interactions in corvids, mostly carrion
crows. Carrion crows are highly social and frequently
cooperate with other group members. In my research, I
have shown that crows can differentiate between reliable
and unreliable cooperation partners. My group currently
investigates vocal communication in corvids. We are
interested in the complexity of calls in different corvid
species and how vocal complexity is driven by ecological
and social factors.
Q: What do you enjoy most about working in
STEMM? What would you say are your proudest
achievements?
A: My proudest achievements definitely are the successes
of my students and people I manage. It makes me
extremely proud when my students successfully complete
their studies, land great jobs, successfully publish or
present their work. I am also very passionate about
mentoring or managing colleagues and am very proud
when they are successful (for example get promoted).
I enjoy every aspect of working in STEMM. First, I really
enjoy the great diversity of my job. No day is like any other
and every day is filled with a wide variety of activities.
In my everyday job I teach, conduct research, manage
colleagues and research in my School. I am also leading
gender equality work in my faculty, actively working to
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remove barriers for underrepresented groups in science.
I really enjoy the great flexibility in my job. My wife is also
an academic, currently holding a position in Germany.
Thanks to the great flexibility in academia, I am often able
to work from Germany.
Q: What are the main barriers for LGBTQIA+
people entering and progressing in STEMM,
and what could be done to support them?
A: I think that a lack of sense of belonging and navigating
through a heteronormative environment are important
issues. Generally, I found people in my field very accepting
and supportive. However, at every workplace I felt the need
to out myself very quickly to avoid people making wrong
assumptions about my sexuality. The lack of role models
and visibility of LGBTQIA+ people can create a lack of
sense of belonging and as a result LGBTQIA+ people are
more likely to drop out of academia. I actively try to be a
role model and visible for others in my field.
In my field, biology, there are also real barriers when it
comes to field work in countries which are less tolerant
towards LGBTQIA+ people or where LGBTQIA+
identities are illegal. This absolutely needs to be considered
when assessing the risk of field work. It is really important
to educate the majority about potential risks for
LGBTQIA+ people – which they are often not aware of.
For example, the risk of being involuntarily outed.
Q: Have you faced any obstacles in your
career due to identifying as LGBTQIA+?
A: I think I faced more obstacles by not conforming to
stereotypical gender roles. I have been perceived as “too
direct and outspoken”, overseen for jobs and promotions.
Identifying as LGBTQIA+ I have also become very careful
navigating the academic environment. I double check
every communication and spend a lot of time thinking
before I speak out, to make sure that my communications
are perceived in the right way. On the one hand, this is an
obstacle as I spend a lot of time reflecting on my conduct,
but I also find– especially in the more senior positions
I am in now – it also presents a strength being able to
communicate very well with a diverse group of people. I
also find that being LGBTQIA+ gives me a clear advantage
managing people from diverse backgrounds because
I understand the perspective of people in a minority
position.
Q: If you could give one piece of advice to
young LGBTQIA+ researchers beginning their
career, what would it be?
A: I would definitely say “the field needs you, so be
proud and confident pursuing a career in science”. As
professionals, we are always shaped by our unique
experiences and backgrounds. My field, for example,
traditionally is very prone to categorize traits (e.g.,
behaviors) because this makes them easily quantifiable.
However, recent advances in my field (e.g., personality
research) suggest that biological traits often evolve across a
spectrum and are only poorly represented in categories. As
LGBTQIA+ person, I very much identify and agree with
the idea that most biological traits occur on a spectrum
rather than distinct categories. As such I do believe that my
LGBTQIA+ identity makes me the best researcher I can
be.
Also, STEMM is a great field for LGBTQIA+ researchers.
It is a very accepting, open-minded field, with a lot of great
people from very diverse backgrounds who are keen to
learn from and support each other. You will find great role
models and supporters.
Dr. Claudia Wascher was speaking to Dr. Mariana Gil,
Senior Science Writer for Technology Networks.
14 TECHNOLOGYNETWORKS.COM
Daniel Gillis, PhD
Dr. Daniel Gillis identifies as a gay man and is an award-winning associate professor, statistician
and interdisciplinary researcher in the School of Computer Science at the University of Guelph.
Sophie Prosolek, PhD
Gillis is the co-founder of Farm To Fork, a project which
used computer science to reduce hunger in Guelph. He
is co-creator of ICON, a transdisciplinary undergraduate
classroom that brings students from across campus
together to work on social challenges, and he is co-founder
of GuelphHacks and the Improve Life Challenge, a
series of multidisciplinary annual hackathons held at the
University of Guelph. He spends most of his time working
on interdisciplinary teams which have focused on public
health and ecological risk assessment, community-led
software design, transdisciplinary pedagogy and bridging
the digital divide.
In this interview, we spoke to Gillis about his research,
teaching and experience as an openly gay man working in
STEMM.
Q: You work across multiple disciplines
including statistics, pedagogy and computer
science. Can you tell us about your research?
A: It’s been a weird and winding path to get to where I am
today, but now I’ve got four research programs and they’re
all housed under the umbrella of “community-engaged
research and teaching”.
After I finished my PhD in statistics, I worked in ecological
and public health risk assessment. I worked to develop new
statistical methods, use statistical methods and new ways,
or use new data to understand challenges related to public
health, public health intervention, disease modeling and
ecology. Some of my students have worked on things like
DNA barcoding, mRNA and transfer RNA and how those
data can be used to understand the viability of embryos or
the successful breeding of livestock.
When I transitioned into the School of Computer Science,
I also had to train in computer science. I stumbled into
the world of community-engaged software design and
now work with community partners to develop software
tools that support their missions. Most of our work is with
not-for-profits and charitable organizations. We also work
with indigenous populations. In fact, I’m heading to the
Arctic again in just less than two weeks for a new potential
collaboration with the Inuit in Cambridge Bay.
I also have a research program that looks at
transdisciplinary pedagogy and higher education. We
look at improving the way we deliver course content
and provide feedback to students. More importantly,
we set students up in situations where they can work
with communities from other disciplines to foster their
foundational or tran sferable skills.
Q: What do you love about STEMM?
A: My love of STEMM started when I was very young; I
was always fascinated by numbers, though I don’t know
why. As a kid, I used to struggle to get to sleep because I
was constantly doing math in my head and thinking about
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number patterns. I always loved the art of mathematics and
the creativity that’s required. I also love the purity of it.
As I went through my training, I was exposed to working
with social scientists through the Public Health Agency of
Canada. I got to see how a different kind of brain looks at
the world; that reinvigorated my love of STEMM because
I realized it can be way more than just the technical stuff.
In terms of the work that I do, I love it when I can sit down
and just do the maths – I find some sort of beauty in it, and
I love the discovery. While there’s a lot of failures and a lot
of “oh that didn’t work” there’s also “let’s try something
new” and I love that element of it.
Q: What would you say are your proudest
academic achievements to date?
A: So one of the things that I love seeing in the classroom,
or in lab work, is seeing the “light bulb moment” when
students understand a concept. You’re able to help them
through the journey of discovery, and for me that’s one of
the proudest moments.
While I’m super proud of the awards that I’ve received, I
think one of the greatest moments that I had was during
teaching. It was the first time I had held a particular
software design course; I ended up 50 minutes late to 1
hour and 20 minute long class – so there was only half
an hour left. I was fully expecting to walk into an empty
classroom, but every single student was there. There
were four students at the front of the class, leading the
discussion. They were all talking about the community
project we were working on, and they were working on
the things that they needed to. It was one of my proudest
moments. It was excellent.
Q: What do you feel are the main barriers for
LGBTQIA+ people entering and progressing in
STEMM?
A: For me, the biggest barrier is the way the system is
structured to begin with – it’s not been designed by or
for people who don’t fit the mold. If you’re different, you
don’t see yourself reflected in the people who are leading
the universities or teaching in classrooms. From that point
of view, I can definitely see how any equity-deserving
community could feel that they don’t necessarily belong.
Based on some of the experiences I’ve had, I find that
there’s just barrier after barrier thrown at you.
There are comments that are made and microaggressions;
I’ve had situations where people have asked me about my
wife and kids, and these are people I’ve worked with for
years! It’s not like I’m not “out” at work – they just fail to
recognize that sometimes.
While I don’t think it’s malicious, I think it’s a lack of
thinking. I also think that one of the things that push
people away is that a lot of our efforts are hidden or
unrewarded. We don’t want the next generation to have
to deal with some of the stupid things that we’ve dealt
with – and so we put ourselves in a situation to help them
along. It’s not recorded on our CVs and it’s not rewarded by
anybody. But it is extra work, and it can be triggering and
exhausting.
Q: If you could give one piece of advice to
young LGBTQIA+ scientists beginning their
career, what would it be?
A: Do your best to not just survive, but to thrive and be
proud of who you are. You don’t have to be “out” or loud
about your sexuality or gender, because unfortunately,
so many folks in the community are in unsafe situations.
But know that you’re valuable, important and that your
experiences and contributions are vital to the work that we
do. If possible, find a community that supports you. If you
don’t have a local community, reach out to communities
online. Just know that you’re important and valued, despite
what other people might say.
Dr. Daniel Gillis was speaking to Dr. Sophie Prosolek,
Science Writer for Technology Networks.
16 TECHNOLOGYNETWORKS.COM
Drake McCrimmon
Drake McCrimmon identifies as a gay man and is a third year hydrology PhD student at the
University of Reno, Nevada, working in the ice core lab at the Desert Research Institute.
Sophie Prosolek, PhD
Drake researches climate history by measuring
chemistry trapped in glacial ice. Currently, he works on
understanding past Northern Hemisphere wildfire history
by looking at ammonium and black carbon within ice
cores from across the Greenland ice sheet. Additionally,
he has completed work on alpine glaciers in Alaska and
worked for several years as a chemist in a drinking water
purification plant in New Orleans. In his spare time, Drake
enjoys spending time in the mountains, hiking, skiing,
photographing or playing the banjo.
In this interview, we spoke to McCrimmon about his
research and about his experience as an openly gay man in
STEMM.
Q: You’re currently studying for a PhD in
hydrology. Can you tell us about your
research?
A: I use chemistry in glacial ice to reconstruct aspects
of past climate. Year after year snow falls on ice sheets,
creating a layer cake of history. We can drill into an ice
sheet such as Greenland or Antarctica in order to obtain a
sample of that layer cake. In the ice core lab at the Desert
Research Institute, we melt the ice using a continuous
flow analysis system, which results in an extremely highresolution chemical history of these ice cores. In this way
we can look at annual and sub-annual records of climate
history.
My work specifically uses chemical compounds produced
by wildfire, ammonium and black carbon, to understand
the transport of wildfire to different locations across the
Greenland ice sheet. A fire plume will not necessarily
make it to all locations across Greenland and I’m trying to
understand a bit more about the spatial variability of fire
signal deposition on the ice.
I am also interested in water. I’ve worked as a water
professional in the past as a chemist at a drinking water
purification plant and I am now in a hydrology PhD
program at UNR. I am fascinated by water issues and
ensuring equitable uses of water, both for humans and the
ecosystem. Nevada is the driest state in the country and
water managers here must be creative when solving water
issues.
Q: What do you enjoy most about working in
STEMM?
A: First and foremost, I enjoy researching the natural
world around us. I’m fascinated by the interaction of earth
systems and climate. I also love the opportunities within
academia to travel, meet scientists from around the world,
and work together to plan and complete large projects.
Last fall I was able to spend 4 weeks working with an ice
core group at the University of Copenhagen, analyzing
an ice core collected over many years by an international
collaborative team on the Greenland ice sheet. Being part
of collaborative science in this way is truly exciting for
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me. I enjoy unpacking parts of earth systems and sharing
science at conferences and workshops.
Q: What would you say are your proudest
academic achievements to date?
A: Some of my proudest achievements include completing
fieldwork on Alaskan alpine glaciers, in the Alaskan
tundra, and on the Greenland ice sheet. I’ve received
training on glacier safety and mountaineering on Mt
Baker in Washington and I’ve been trusted to be a safe and
valuable member in remote field settings. Probably my
proudest achievement is just continuing with science even
when it gets difficult. I’ve had a dream to work with ice
cores ever since I learned about them when I was young.
I’m so happy and proud that I get to work in this world
now.
Q: What do you feel are the main barriers for
LGBTQIA+ people entering and progressing in
STEMM? What could be done to support them?
A: I think that the barriers for LGBTQIA+ people vary
between STEMM disciplines. In my experience, the ice
core community has been very open and accepting—I
haven’t faced many issues, if any at all, within this field.
There are many queer graduate students currently
engaging with ice core science and it makes me hopeful for
the future. That said, I think one barrier for LGBTQIA+
people in ice core science is potential fieldwork experiences
and the fact that this community is so small. A small
community is a barrier to entry for any type of person
trying to get into ice core research and certain fieldwork
situations can make it uncomfortable to entirely be
yourself as a LGBTQIA+ person.
Q: Have you faced any obstacles in your
career due to your identity as a gay man?
A: I was worried for a long time that I might have issues
within my career as a gay man, and for many years I hid
that side of myself at work just to be on the safe side. But
honestly, since deciding to be my whole self and not hide,
I have been accepted and embraced within the academic
science community.
I think that the only place that I’ve run into potentially
weird situations as an LGBTQ person is during remote
fieldwork, but that mostly comes down to the teammates
you have around you. I’ve had some incredible fieldwork
experiences with women-led teams with other queer
students where I haven’t worried for a moment about my
abilities or qualifications because of being gay. I’ve also
been on fieldwork teams that are more straight maledominated and I do see that I get treated a bit differently.
I find I’m sometimes left out of certain conversations or
activities, merely because it’s assumed because of who I am
that I wouldn’t be interested or good at these things. An
example of this is being left out of conversations revolving
around logistics, the workings of field equipment such as
drills or trucks, and being perceived as less experienced or
competent in remote field situations. This isn’t necessarily
a conscious exclusion, but I find I have to prove myself
more in these field situations. Another aspect of remote
field work is just how alone and cut off you are from the
rest of the world. In Greenland last summer, we camped
on the ice sheet for almost 5 weeks, where I was the only
gay man in camp and had no access to the internet or
communication with friends back home. It can be isolating
to be the only LGBTQIA+ person in a remote field camp
with no way to contact the outside world. But the isolation
of remote field work can also be what makes it exciting.
Q: If you could give one piece of advice to
young LGBTQIA+ scientists beginning their
career, what would it be?
A: If I could give one piece of advice to young LGBTQIA+
students and researchers, it would be to not hide yourself.
Academia is getting more and more accepting, especially
with other graduate student peers. We are allowed to take up
space as LGBTQIA+ people and our voices and experiences
deserve to be heard. Being yourself is the best way to feel
confident in your field/lab group/graduate program and
further normalize our existence in STEMM fields.
Drake McCrimmon was speaking to Dr. Sophie Prosolek,
Science Writer for Technology Networks.
18 TECHNOLOGYNETWORKS.COM
Emma Waters, PhD
Dr. Emma Waters is a Postdoctoral Research Scientist at the Quadram Institute in Norwich, and
identifies as bi/pansexual.
Kate Harrison, PhD
Emma originally trained as a Chemist at the University of
East Anglia (UEA), before starting a PhD in biochemistry,
investigating how to attach tiny chemical solar panels to
bacteria so they could harness solar energy to produce
useful chemicals. She did this by making photosensitizerproteoliposome systems to study light-driven
transmembrane electron transfers via a porin:cytochrome
protein complex.
Since her PhD, Emma changed her research field to
medical microbiology, where she uses different sequencing
techniques to investigate bacterial niche adaptation. She
joined the Norwich Medical School at UEA in 2017 to help
generate transposon libraries of non-aureus staphylococci
for transposon-directed insertion sequencing (TraDIS).
These libraries, used with biofilm models, have helped to
identify essential genes required for biofilm formation that
lead to prosthetic joint infections. The biofilm model aids
the investigation of both the application of bacteriophage
technology to treat staphylococcal prosthetic joint
infections and the essential genes required for initial
biofilm formation of P. aeruginosa.
Since 2018 Emma has been at the Quadram Institute where
she has been investigating the molecular mechanisms
used by Salmonella Typhi to survive asymptomatically in
humans – known as the carrier state.
In this interview, we spoke to Emma to learn more about
her research, outreach work and her experiences in
STEMM.
Q: Can you tell us about your research
interests?
A: My research interests focus on narrowing the gaps
between scientific disciplines (chemistry, biology, physics,
medicine, etc.) to develop innovative methods that tackle
the big modern scientific challenges.
Q: What do you enjoy most about working in
STEMM? What would you say are your proudest
achievements?
A: I have always loved working on puzzles and solving
them. I feel like I do that every day in science, and the
puzzle is always different. Because I work in the interface
between scientific disciplines, I find unusual solutions to
problems that no one has ever considered.
I also enjoy that I can do teaching and outreach as
part of my role. One of my recent achievements was
developing an exhibition called “What is a Scientist?”
(#WhatIsAScientist). With this exhibition, I wanted to
show that a scientist is rarely the traditional stereotypical
version of an old, eccentric, white man who is messing
around with chemicals. I did this by showcasing the
wonderful diversity of scientists we have at the Norwich
Research Park, using a double-sided photo wall of 46
scientists, with one side showing a non-science photo and
the other side showing a science photo. This exhibition has
since gone to science festivals, county festivals and local
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schools to inspire children and smash stereotypes to show
that anyone can be a scientist no matter their background,
race, age, sex, disability, etc. This may even give children
the chance to say I am like this person in x way so I could
be a scientist too, i.e., give them a visible role model in
science.
Q: What are the main barriers for LGBTQIA+
people entering and progressing in STEMM,
and what could be done to support them?
A: Personally, I think one of the main barriers for
LGBTQIA+ people entering and progressing in STEMM is
finding visible role models that they can look up to.
My entire childhood was overshadowed by a law in the
UK called Section 28. This law censored educational
resources which “promoted alternative gay family” and
banned “teaching in any school of the acceptability of
homosexuality”. This meant there were no LGBTQIA+
role models for me to look up to when I was growing up
and led to me not embracing my sexuality until I was in
my mid-twenties. Since the law was abolished in 2003 our
rights have greatly improved but this and other big events
in our history has greatly impacted not just the previous
and my generation but the next generation of LGBTQIA+
individuals and scientists.
The next generation of LGBTQIA+ scientists who are
coming up through the system may have had more freedom
to be themselves but are desperately searching for visible
role models in science from mine and older generations.
But understandably these generations find it hard or do
not want to make themselves visible. So, I think we need
to keep actively helping to give a voice to these quiet
unsung queer heroes that are already out there so the next
generation can find them.
Q: Have you faced any obstacles in your
career due to identifying as LGBTQIA+?
A: I have been fortunate not to face any massive obstacles
in my career due to my identifying as LGBTQIA+, except
for stereotypical assumptions made by colleagues based
on my being in a lesbian relationship. However; I am not
afraid of being myself and take pride in openly discussing
my LGBTQIA+ life, which is something I fully recommend
for everyone. After open discussions I generally find those
assumptions people make are forgotten.
Q: If you could give one piece of advice to
young LGBTQIA+ researchers beginning their
career, what would it be?
A: Actively seek other LGBTQIA+ individuals who are
in STEMM. They are out there I promise! And there are
many different useful layers to this. Seek individuals who
are: 1) at your career level to provide you with a friendly
support network of peers; 2) above your career level to
provide you with silent role models or even potentially
more active mentors; and 3) from history – there are so
many hidden gems of queer individuals who played such
important parts in science.
Many science societies, universities and research
institutions have active LGBTQIA+ communities and
work groups which will welcome all newcomers. For
example, the charity Pride in STEM runs many awesome
events locally and nationally to network with other queer
scientists. And there is a diverse and friendly LGBTQIA+
in STEMM communities still thriving on Twitter waiting
to be found.
Dr. Emma Waters was speaking to Dr. Kate Harrison,
Science Writer for Technology Networks.
20 TECHNOLOGYNETWORKS.COM
Gabi Fleury
Gabi Fleury identifies as a nonbinary person who is also pansexual, and is a PhD student at the
University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Sophie Prosolek, PhD
Gabi (they/them) studies ways for humans and wild
carnivores to co-exist. They led a research team in Namibia
which investigated ways to reduce cheetah-livestock
conflict, designed a picture-only video game to teach nonliterate Mozambican villagers’ different ways to prevent
livestock losses and will soon be testing deterrents to safely
keep carnivores off commercial farms in Botswana.
In this interview, we spoke to Fleury about their research
background and experiences as a Black, indigenous and
LGBTQIA+ scientist.
Q: Can you tell us about your scientific
research interests?
A: I’m a human-carnivore conflict mitigation specialist,
with most of my career spent in eastern and southern
Africa. Carnivores, like leopards and cheetahs, sometimes
eat livestock and farmers get understandably upset about
that. This causes negative human-carnivore interactions
that can lead to the death of individual carnivores. This
conflict can both endanger critical carnivore populations
and majorly impact farmer mental (or physical) health
and economic prospects. Human-carnivore conflict, after
habitat loss, is one of the biggest factors driving large
carnivores towards extinction all over the world, so it’s an
important and challenging line of work. Essentially, I’m a
conservation biologist/interspecies diplomat working to
reduce livestock loss to wild carnivores and collaborate
with farmers to reduce retributive killings of carnivores.
Currently, I’ll be testing non-lethal deterrents for my
PhD project in the Ghanzi District of western Botswana
to determine which deterrents are the most effective in
reducing carnivore incursion onto commercial farms. I’m
also doing a human dimensions aspect of the project to
determine underlying drivers of conflict, such as farmer
perceptions of different carnivore species. To make this
work possible, I’ll collaborate with two on-the-ground
Botswanan non-governmental organizations (NGOs),
Cheetah Conservation Botswana, and Botswana Predator
Conservation.
Q: What do you enjoy most about working in
STEMM? What would you say are your proudest
achievements?
A: What I enjoy the most about working in STEMM is
the daily challenge of it. Human-carnivore conflict is a
complex “wicked” problem and unraveling it through
different mitigation methods is mentally stimulating,
keeps me on my toes creatively. It has the possibility
to allow for real impact, not just for carnivores, but for
people too!
I’ve been lucky to have several proud achievements. One
is gaining a Rotary Ambassadorial grant to study at the
University of Cape Town, where I received my Masters
degree, gaining my first Fulbright Grant in 2020 to travel
to Botswana, creating an environmental video game
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company with my programmer co-founder, including to
our knowledge, creating and beta testing the world’s first
human-carnivore conflict mitigation video game, and
hitting the Forbes 30 Under 30 list.
Growing up, my heroes were Jane Goodall, Steve
Irwin and the Kratt brothers; I didn’t know of any
conservationists who looked like me. I’m proud of being a
Black, indigenous, and LGBTQIA+ scientist, and I hope
that my career will help increase the representation of
diverse scientists so that others will grow up knowing that
they can do it too!
Q: What are the main barriers for LGBTQIA+
people entering and progressing in STEMM,
and what could be done to support them?
A: I think one of the biggest challenges for me, as a
nonbinary person who is also pansexual, is working
abroad. Often, it is not safe to fully be oneself if there
are legal or cultural repercussions in the country you’re
working in. It’s often hard enough to express oneself in
the United States where there’s some legal protection in
many places, but being LGBTQIA+ has limited, for me,
where I can work safely. When I do work abroad, it also
impacts how open I can be about my identity for cultural
or safety reasons. Being in a remote field environment can
amp up all the usual concerns that LGBTQIA+ people
may have about safety, let alone societal acceptance.
I think the best ways to support LGBTQIA+ people
are practical. Universities should fund training within
departments to take some of the burden of educating
others off individuals. For example, training in how to
use the correct pronouns, or what microaggressions are.
Educating others about our identities shouldn’t be a default
expectation – we may be LGBTQIA+, but we’re also there
to do a job, and the job is science.
Also, specifically for my field, I think training on safety
is crucial. As a female-presenting person, let alone a
LGBTQIA+ person, it’s always alarmed me that I’ve
never received a safety briefing or information on what
to do if I encounter a dangerous situation in a remote
field environment, or had any information about what
countries may not be safe to work in for me. Those
were all things I had to figure out through trial and
error on my own, and I don’t think it’d be amiss to have
contingency plans built in to aid LGBTQIA+ researchers
in the field if they do end up in a dangerous situation
based on discrimination. Even self-defense courses could
represent helpful or potential lifesaving knowledge for an
LGBTQIA+ person in the field.
Q: Have you faced any obstacles in your
career due to identifying as LGBTQIA+?
A: I didn’t expect the mental health impacts of hiding
a major part of yourself for years at a stretch (as I
experienced pre-PhD). It can really wear on a person to
have to pretend that your girlfriend back home is just
your friend, or that the pronouns everyone is using for
you are the correct ones when you’re being constantly
misgendered. In the United States, we’re often encouraged
in many places to “be ourselves” but being ourselves can,
there, and elsewhere, come with serious repercussions,
including some potentially life-threatening ones. You must
decide, as a person working abroad, how much you’re
willing to risk and whom you’re willing to trust, depending
on how accepting the environment may or may not be.
I wouldn’t say I faced any obstacles in my career directly
due to being LGBTQIA+, but I’m also non-white and
female presenting, so it’s possible any obstacles I’ve
faced could have happened regardless of being under the
LGBTQIA+ umbrella. I also made choices that were hard
on me emotionally, but that kept me physically safe — if I
had been completely open about my queer identity in all
my remote field environments, I likely would have had an
extremely different career or would have had to seriously
rethink my goals.
Q: If you could give one piece of advice to
young LGBTQIA+ scientists beginning their
career, what would it be?
A: To not be scared off science, even if things may seem
daunting, especially if you’re also a person of color. For
example, I try not to focus on obstacles when I think of
my intersectional identities. As a good author friend of
mine once said — “don’t shy away from intersections,
because Gods reside at the crossroads”. Being a multiracial
person, being a nonbinary person, being someone who has
always existed within blurred categories and boundaries
and shied away from labels, it’s given me the ability to do
my work well. It’s allowed me to communicate effectively
with people from all walks of life and granted me a lot
of empathy to understand differences in backgrounds,
priorities, and communication styles. I don’t think I’d
be nearly as effective a scientist in my field (which is also
extremely interdisciplinary!) without it. Being able to
understand things from a variety of perspectives is a gift,
and we have that as LGBTQIA+ people. You have so much
to offer science and the world, so don’t forget that!
Gabi Fleury was speaking to Dr. Sophie Prosolek, Science
Writer for Technology Networks.
22 TECHNOLOGYNETWORKS.COM
Güneş Taylor, DPhil
Dr. Güneş Taylor is a postdoctoral fellow at The Francis Crick Institute
and a freelance science communicator.
Katie Brighton
As a molecular biologist Güneş uses many cutting-edge
technologies to understand how reproductive systems
are built. Güneş hopes to develop solutions for female
health and fertility by unravelling details of ovarian
function. She is also a highly experienced public speaker,
regularly appearing at festivals and events discussing
the future of human reproduction and other broad
philosophical aspects of science.
Her open style of communication and personal life
experiences as a refugee and member of the LBGTQIA+
community who has moved many times across different
European countries make her relatable to diverse
audiences. Reflecting this passion for making biology
accessible to everyone, Güneş was awarded the Inaugural
Francis Crick Award for Science Communication in 2018.
In this interview, we spoke to Güneş to find out about her
research and her experiences as an LGBTQIA+ academic.
Q: Can you tell us about your research
interests?
A: My research interests revolve around the human
reproductive system and the molecular mechanisms that
make it the way it is!
Q: What do you enjoy most about working in
STEMM? What would you say are your proudest
achievements?
A: I deeply enjoy the back-and-forth of scientific debate
and trying to work out what different pieces of data might
mean with other scientists. I think science is a team
effort and most enjoyable when there are like-minded
others to push you to being your best self. My proudest
moments were getting my DPhil from Oxford, securing
my postdoctoral position at the Crick and coming out at
OUThinkers 2019 in front of my friends, chosen family and
colleagues.
Q: What are the main barriers for LGBTQIA+
people entering and progressing in STEMM,
and what could be done to support them?
A: I can’t speak for the community, but the main support I
would have appreciated is the normalization of bisexuality
in social contexts. Of course relationship preferences and
status are not relevant to work, but in an increasingly
relaxed workplace these things do come up. Not many
people think of bisexuality as an actual category nor
understand that it is not necessarily “just a phase”.
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Q: Have you faced any obstacles in your
career due to identifying as LGBTQIA+?
A: At times, I have certainly felt very out-of-place and
judged by some colleagues for aspects of my personality
or life that relate to being a member of the LGBTQIA+
community. I was extremely uncomfortable about coming
out at the OUThinkers event at work, and worried about
how it would impact my career. Thankfully, so far it has not
had any direct impact on my career, and if anything, I have
been told the representation was welcomed.
Q: If you could give one piece of advice to
young LGBTQIA+ researchers beginning their
career, what would it be?
A: I wish I had worried less about what others thought of
me as a scientist and as a person. So, my advice is: work
towards being the best version of yourself – whatever that
may be. Invest in your skills and invest in building the life
you want for yourself. The people who don’t understand or
agree will always be there, gawking away, making you feel
bad about what you’re trying to achieve – but they won’t be
the ones there to help when you need it. So don’t let them
derail you!
Dr. Güneş Taylor was speaking to Katie Brighton, Scientific
Copywriter for Technology Networks
24 TECHNOLOGYNETWORKS.COM
Izzy Jayasinghe, PhD
Dr. Izzy Jayasinghe is a senior lecturer and UK Research and Innovation future leader fellow at
the University of Sheffield and identifies as a trans woman.
Kate Robinson
Jayasinghe completed her PhD in the department of
physiology of the University of Auckland in 2010. She
founded her first independent research group in the faculty
of biological sciences in the University of Leeds in 2015,
which led to a number of innovations in super-resolution
microscopy methods including an enhanced version of
Expansion Microscopy and a fast localization microscopy
method called sandSTORM. In 2019, she was awarded a
7-year UKRI Future Leader Fellowship, which led her to
form the Applied Biophotonics Group in the department
of molecular biology and biotechnology in the University
of Sheffield. She is an active member of The Inclusion
Group for Equity in Research in STEMM and a co-lead
of LGBTQ+ STEM, working towards upholding equality,
diversity, inclusion and accessibility in higher education
and STEMM.
In this interview, we spoke to Jayasinghe to find out about
her research and experiences as a transgender woman of
color in STEMM.
Q: Your current research focuses on
developing more accessible and versatile
tools and methods for super-resolution
microscopy. Can you tell us more about this
work?
A: I have been lucky enough to enter my research track at
a time when super-resolution microscopy methods were
being invented for the first time. One of the real appeals
of super-resolution was that “anybody” who had a decent
research grade microscope set up could make it work
perhaps with the addition of a sensitive camera, a good
objective lens and a custom-written software. The groups
that I worked with as an early career researcher very much
enjoyed this accessibility. We used these technologies
to shed new light into the biophysical questions that we
were studying. As super-resolution methods became more
diverse and wide ranging in their capabilities, my team and
I have observed the potential to make it more accessible.
One of the real breakthroughs in this domain is the arrival
of expansion microscopy (ExM) which has placed superresolution microscopy in the hands of non-specialist
microscopists. In our group, we have made it a mission
to help peers from the far corners of the life sciences
(i.e., clinical colleagues, field biologists etc.) adopt this
method. As a technology, it is rapidly evolving in areas like
fluorescence probes, hydrogel chemistry and combining
ExM with other, optical super-resolution modalities to
compound the resolution improvement that is on offer.
Q: What do you enjoy most about working in
STEMM? What would you say are your proudest
achievements?
A: I enjoy the images that microscopy produces. Although
I rarely get to sit at a microscope and acquire images
these days, it is nevertheless quite a rewarding process
to train the next generation of optical microscopists to
acquire high-quality images (which, in turn, guarantees
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the high-quality data that we need for our research
questions). My proudest achievements include seeing the
team members that I helped train go on to exciting new
career paths, and the studies and projects where I have
managed to bring together a brilliant group of colleagues.
I am also proud of the discoveries and innovations that I
have been involved in, however the thrill of that work is
often short-lived, thanks to the break-neck pace at which
we are expected to produce scientific papers in modernday academia.
Q: If you could give one piece of advice to
young LGBTQIA+ researchers beginning their
career, what would it be?
A: My advice to LGBTQIA+ researchers starting out in
their scientific/academic careers is to position themselves
in a workplace or academy that takes Diversity and
Inclusion seriously. It is up to you whether you are out, or
when, or how you come out. More important, is being in an
environment where you feel included and uninhibited as
a person, and thrive as a professional. Indeed, the quality
of the training and the quality of the research are also
important criteria, however do not pick that environment
based on traditional metrics or anecdotes of “excellence”
– they are often red herrings. A certain level of resilience
is necessary when navigating hyper competitive sectors
like academic STEMM; positive LGBTQIA+ role models
are especially good for nurturing that inspiration and
resilience. However, resilience also means having the
capacity to recognize discrimination, marginalization, and
inequality, and then to take action to either prevent it or
escape from it.
Q: You have been a scientist in many
geographical locations in your career. Have
your experiences of the challenges facing the
LGBTQIA+ community differed by location?
A: I have experienced racism to differing degrees in the
different countries and cities that I have lived in – none
more than in the South West of the UK. I was not always
out as trans in many of my former home towns, so I have
no objective geographical point of comparison. However,
the LGBTQIA+ community in North Yorkshire have
been a real place of comfort and support for me over
the past seven years. A number of friends that I made
from outside of my career or workplace there played
big roles in my support network. The internal culture of
universities that I worked in had little correlation with
the local LGBTQIA+ community. For example, one such
(former) workplace in Yorkshire has been awful to their
LGBTQIA+ employees. I was lucky enough to escape it,
but for those colleagues who remain, finding the little
allyship they can find for each other has been the primary
mechanism for coping with ongoing homophobia and
transphobia.
Q: What are the main barriers for LGBTQIA+
people entering and progressing in STEMM,
and what could be done to support them?
A: The main barriers are still the high prevalence of
harassment, bullying, discrimination, stereotyping and
targeted microaggressions. Exclusionary workplace
cultures, discouraging LGBTQIA+ colleagues or
students from coming out are real red flags. The lack of
representation of LGBTQIA+ people in the leadership
roles and the failure to recognize the intersectional impact
of belonging to other marginalized groups in addition to
being LGBTQIA+ are also at the core of numerous types of
barriers faced by our community in STEMM. There is also
a serious lack of data that allow us to study, understand,
highlight and fix the negative experiences of LGBTQIA+
people in STEMM. That data is unlikely to arrive any time
soon, due to the lack of impetus from academies, funding
bodies and employers to collect that data in a responsible
and trustworthy manner.
Dr. Izzy Jayasinghe was speaking to Kate Robinson,
Assistant Editor for Technology Networks.
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Jamie Gallagher, PhD
Dr. Jamie Gallagher identifies as a gay man and is a science communicator who shares his love
of science on stage, TV and radio.
Sophie Prosolek, PhD
Gallagher (He/Him) has performed around the world
making science topics as memorable, interesting and
engaging as possible. He also creates science-themed
rainbow pin badges which he sells to raise money to help
homeless and vulnerably housed LGBTQIA+ people. The
pins are now found in labs, libraries and classrooms across
the globe and the project has raised over £13,000 for the
Albert Kennedy Trust. When he is not sharing science
stories, he is helping others to do the same, working
with universities to help them connect effectively with
communities.
Jamie has a background in interdisciplinary physical
sciences with an undergraduate degree in chemical physics
and a PhD in chemistry and electrical engineering. He was
previously recognized by the Science Council as one of the
UK’s “100 leading practicing scientists”.
In this interview, we spoke to Gallagher about his research
background and experiences working in an academiaadjacent field.
Q: You hold a PhD in interdisciplinary
sciences. Can you tell us about your scientific
research interests?
A: While I’m currently a science communicator, I have
a multidisciplinary research background. When I was
leaving school, I was uncertain about which subject I
wanted to study, but I knew that I wanted to do some sort
of science. So, I did my undergraduate degree in chemical
physics – which allowed me to do chemistry, physics,
and maths. My PhD was in chemistry and electrical
engineering - keeping that interdisciplinary angle. I’ve
always been interested in where the subjects overlap.
My research was in nanoscale materials for renewable
energy generation; I was synthesizing low-dimensional
materials in the lab. Chemistry comes into the fundamental
making of these materials and then engineering comes into
the testing and the functionality. So, my interest and my
research background are in low-dimensional structures
that are really functionally useful in the energy sector.
I worked on parts for hydrogen storage and solar cells,
but most of my work was in a niche area called thermal
electronics - that’s what powers the Mars exploration rover.
I was looking at whether we can improve the efficiency of
this technology and whether we could incorporate it into
our daily lives. Could we harvest our own body heat to
generate electricity? It’s a niche area of research – energy
harvesting – and normally the military is interested. If
you were to put a person into a remote environment,
could they charge electrical devices? I was looking at the
harvesting of body heat. All of the energy that is wasted in
the environment, just by walking around, could be used
productively.
Q: What do you enjoy most about working in
STEMM? What would you say are your proudest
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achievements?
A: In terms of joy that I found within research; I’d make
the materials in the lab, take them to a big microscope
facility and I would look at them under the microscope. I
was the first human being in the world to see them and that
was exciting; the idea that I was getting to just investigate
something in a really thorough and new way was exciting.
Plus, I just loved playing with all the big machines. I’m just
a geek; I’m a massive geek playing with my microscopes
and doing glassblowing. Working with different chemicals
and planning out experiments – it’s fun!
I’m really proud to have contributed in some way to my
area, I’m proud to have done something new. But I guess
I’m most proud of my ability to share. I realized that, when
I went to university, I’d never met anyone with a PhD
before. Every year I see thousands of people and I try to
share science in a really accessible and memorable way
because it’s possibly their first encounter with someone
with a research background or with someone who has a
PhD.
Another thing I’m particularly proud of is my science
badges. A few years ago, I started making little pin badges
in the shape of test tubes that had rainbow colors on them.
At the time I didn’t quite realize just how popular these
would be. Now, these little rainbow pin badges have 50
different designs and they’re found all around the world.
I’ve sold 1000s of them and I donate all the profit to the
Albert Kennedy Trust, which helps young LGBTQ+
homeless people or people who are vulnerably housed.
Q: What are the main barriers for LGBTQIA+
people entering and progressing in STEMM,
and what could be done to support them?
A: One thing I always thought as young queer person
was that you look at spaces and you just think “am I
welcome there?” And “who am I going to find there?” If I
hadn’t gone into science, I think I would really have loved
woodworking. As a young gay person, I thought, “oh,
what does that look like? What does that career path look
like?” To work on building sites with all these guys – it’s
not going to be comfortable for me. The same kind of holds
true for science. When you’re choosing your subject area.
You think, “do I fit in? Do I belong?” There are certain
perceptions we have of science as a field and I don’t think it
is necessarily as an inclusive and queer-friendly space. And
that presents the barrier. It’s the scientific sentiment that
you must detach your person from the subject – which is
nonsense to me.
Q: Have you faced any obstacles in your
career due to identifying as LGBTQIA+?
A: I am always very aware of how many times I need to
come out every single day, every single week. It’s not a
subtle thing. It’s an overt thing. It’s a choice for me, and I’m
constantly having to choose, do I reveal myself? Do I not?
And I think the older you get, the easier that becomes, and
the less you think about it.
It’s that additional stress that you feel constantly
questioning “what do I say? When do I say it?” And “how
are people going to respond?”. That’s something a straight
person is not going to have. Yet, you’re constantly thinking
about the safety of the space that you’re in and the reaction
that someone is going to have – that’s an added stress that
no one needs when they’re doing a PhD.
Q: If you could give one piece of advice to
young LGBTQIA+ scientists beginning their
career, what would it be?
A: Find others and find stories of others who have done
it before, because there are plenty of people out there.
Start connecting and asking about their experiences; find
support in their wisdom. Have conversations and enjoy
each other’s company. Share each other’s pain and draw
strength from the sense of community.
Dr. Jamie Gallagher was speaking to Dr. Sophie Prosolek,
Science Writer for Technology Networks.
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Josh Makepeace, DPhil
Dr. Josh Makepeace is a lecturer in materials chemistry and UK Research and Innovation future
leaders fellow at the University of Birmingham and identifies as a gay man.
Kate Robinson
After working in the school of biotechnology at Flinders
University on a project detecting chemical pollutants in
waterways, he moved to the UK to take up a DPhil (PhD)
in inorganic chemistry at the University of Oxford. His
doctoral work explored the mechanisms of reversible
solid state hydrogen storage and ammonia decomposition
catalysis in light metal amides. One of his current focuses
is the development of materials for energy storage
applications, from storing hydrogen and catalyzing the
synthesis/decomposition of ammonia for use as sustainable
fuels, to electrolytes and electrodes for batteries and fuel
cells.
In this interview, we spoke to Makepeace to learn more
about his research into sustainable energy storage and
experiences working in STEMM.
Q: Your current research focuses on
sustainable energy storage. Can you tell us
more about this work?
A: We’re exploring different methods for storing energy
produced from renewable power. Energy storage is
critically important for a whole range of applications,
from balancing discrepancies between renewable power
generation and demand on the electricity grid to ensuring
we can achieve zero-emissions transport. We’re developing
materials that could be used in next-generation batteries
and also catalysts for synthesizing sustainable fuels like
hydrogen and ammonia. Sustainable fuels are a really
interesting piece in the puzzle, as they may offer a way for
connecting areas with attractive wind and solar potential
with areas that have high-cost renewable electricity. This
could unlock a global trade in renewable energy.
Q: What do you enjoy most about working in
STEMM and how did your interest in science
originate?
A: I love working in chemistry because it combines the
thrill of discovering something new or making a new
material with the ability to contribute to new technologies
that might help address the climate crisis. I’ve always loved
finding out about how things work and thinking creatively
to solve puzzles, and the exciting experiments really drew
me to chemistry specifically.
Q: Have you faced any obstacles in your
career due to identifying as LGBTQIA+?
A: I’ve been very fortunate to have been shown a lot of
support by colleagues in my workplace, so the main thing
I would view as an obstacle was the lack of obvious role
models when I was starting out in my career. It took a long
time before I knew anyone in academia who was out, and
so it was hard to see myself as belonging, or that I would
ever fully be “myself” at work. Things have improved in
recent years with initiatives like LGBTQIA+ STEMM
day, but I think we still have a long way to go to foster
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that sense of belonging in the workplace more broadly.
I’m in a relatively privileged position but other sections
of the LGBTQIA+ community still face very active
discrimination.
Q: If you could give one piece of advice to
young LGBTQIA+ researchers beginning their
career, what would it be?
A: I would say that there is a community of LGBTQIA+
researchers out there, you might just have to look for
them! Social media can be a great way to connect with
researchers around the world and share experiences. It’s
important to see that there are people out there like you
doing STEMM research and making their mark!
Dr. Josh Makepeace was speaking to Kate Robinson,
Assistant Editor for Technology Networks.
30 TECHNOLOGYNETWORKS.COM
Jui-Lin Chen, PhD
Dr. Jui-Lin Chen is a postdoctoral research associate at Weill Cornell Medicine and identifies as
a cisgender gay man.
Lucy Lawrence
Originally from Taiwan, Chen pursued a PhD in genetics
and microbiology at Duke University. His doctoral
research aimed to enhance immune responses to HIV
vaccines by incorporating nanomaterials. Presently, Chen’s
research centers on studying children’s immune reactions
to SARS-CoV-2 infection and/or immunization.
During this interview, we had the privilege of discussing
Chen’s research, the challenges faced by LGBTQIA+
researchers and his personal experience working in
STEMM.
Q: Can you tell us about your research
interests?
A: My major scientific interest is developing better vaccines
for different diseases. During my PhD, I collaborated
with the Department of Biomedical Engineering at
Duke to incorporate novel nanomaterials to HIV vaccine
designs. Now, at Weill Cornell Medicine, I lead a project
to understand how children’s immune systems respond to
SARS-CoV-2 infection and/or vaccination. Because the
immune system is still developing in children, they tend to
have different immune responses. This project will provide
information that guides scientist on how to design vaccines
to protect children.
Q: What do you enjoy most about working in
STEMM? What would you say are your proudest
achievements?
A: I love working with people who can come up with
incredible scientific ideas that solve the problems we have
in the real world.
Coming from outside of the U.S. to pursue science wasn’t
an easy journey, during my PhD I had to cope with the
language barrier, cultural difference on top of all the
stress from being a PhD student. But I have overcome all
the difficulties and defended my PhD in 4.5 years with six
publications. I am proud of how much and how fast I have
grown in a high-stress environment!
Q: What are the main barriers for LGBTQIA+
people entering and progressing in STEMM,
and what could be done to support them?
A: In STEMM, it is common that people don’t talk about
issues like sexuality, gender identity, etc. Therefore, it is
hard to gauge whether a new work environment is friendly
to LGBTQIA+ individuals. Sometimes we have to put
ourselves back in the closet until we can safely come out
again.
During the first year of my PhD, I didn’t tell any of my
co-workers in the research team about my sexuality until
someone who is also gay approached me and told me about
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the LGBTQIA+ student organization he was running.
Now, as a more senior researcher among other scientists in
the institution, I’m open about my sexuality. That way, any
newcomer who identifies themselves as LGBTQIA+ would
feel more comfortable with being open about their identity.
So, it is important to set an example within the workplace.
It may seem insignificant, but it sends a strong message to
people that being different is okay and that you’re safe with
being your true self.
Q: Have you faced any obstacles in your
career due to identifying as LGBTQIA+?
A: I have been very lucky that ever since I started my PhD
at Duke, the work environment has been friendly and
inclusive with people from different backgrounds and
sexual orientations. But I have had people, including my
parents, question my decision to pursue HIV research.
Even nowadays, a lot of people still think HIV is a “gay”
disease or a disease associated with promiscuity. So as an
HIV researcher, I sometimes find myself having to educate
people that we should treat disease as a disease regardless
of who is affected by it or how it is transmitted.
Q: If you could give one piece of advice to
young LGBTQIA+ researchers beginning their
career, what would it be?
A: I would say don’t hesitate to pursue the type of research
important to you or to the community you belong to.
When I first started my research on HIV vaccines, I was
afraid that people would judge me for choosing to research
a disease that affects me and the community I belong. But
over the years contributing to HIV vaccine development,
I find it is the source that motivates me to keep going, and
I am proud of being able to make societal impact with my
research.
Dr. Jui-Lin Chen was speaking to Lucy Lawrence, Digital
Content Producer for Technology Networks.
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Justin C. Luong, PhD
Dr. Justin Luong is a postdoctoral fellow at University of California, Davis
and identifies as a gay man.
Kate Robinson
He completed his PhD at the University of California
Santa Cruz where he focused understanding restoration
outcomes across the state using a combination of plant
surveys and management surveys to understand how
decision making and lived experiences contribute to
vegetation community dynamics. Luong specializes in the
use of functional traits, phylogenetics and ecophysiology
to assess how plant responses will change with changing
climates in an effort to determine how to adjust restoration
practices and maximize success during drought and plant
invasion.
In this interview, we spoke to Luong to learn more about
his research into ecological restoration and experiences
working in STEMM.
Q: Your current research focuses on
ecological restoration. Can you tell us more
about this work and why you decided to focus
your research in this area?
A: I chose to work in ecological restoration because I
believe we all have a connection with the land and working
to improve this connection brings me fulfillment. Before
becoming a researcher, I was a restoration practitioner that
restored grasslands and seasonal wetlands, but during my
work, I became dismayed that restoration science often
didn’t consider on the ground issues and perspectives. In
my work, I focus on not just how to improve restoration
given future global change, but also on how to better
incorporate the working experiences of land managers
who have a wealth of natural history knowledge that can
improve restoration efforts but may be unpublished. I
also hope to reach more people with my research and
perspective and expand the community-based support for
restoration, locally, regionally and globally. To do so I often
work with artists to depict layman’s graphical illustration
of my published research.
Q: What do you enjoy most about working in
STEMM?
A: I enjoy being able to ask important questions about
environmental management and the opportunity to train
our next generation of professionals and scientists through
a restoration ecology ivnternship program I created and
have hosted since 2018, supporting over 300 students. I
also enjoy getting to explore and experience breathtakingly
beautiful landscapes which I would have never seen
without my research.
Q: Have you faced any obstacles in your
career, and if so, how did you overcome them?
A: Yes, being a queer person of color, I have often faced
obstacles related to the intersectionality of my identities.
In the past, my language skills have been questioned and
in other cases I was harassed during field work. Although
these are not easy obstacles to immediately surmount,
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I slowly overcame these issues by creating a supportive
network consisting of folks with similar identities.
I also now plan for field work ahead of time to chart
out unexpected circumstances and how they could be
approached before they occur.
Q: What are the main barriers for LGBTQIA+
people entering and progressing in STEMM,
and what could be done to support them?
A: In my opinion, one of the biggest barriers for
LGBTQIA+ people entering STEMM is that there is
often little to no representation, and it is hard to pursue
a career path where you have never seen someone like
yourself. Another barrier is explicit and implicit biases that
LGBTQIA+ people have to face from their colleagues,
students and supervisors. Representation can be addressed
slowly by building visibility of our community and
contributing to networks such as 500QueerScientists and
connecting with like-identified individuals within their
field on social media platforms. Implicit and explicit biases
are hard to address because that will require institutional
and structural change which will help reduce biases. In the
short term, allies could work with LGBTQIA+ colleagues
to ensure they feel supported in their department.
Furthermore, when someone repeats falsehoods or biases
that are harmful to LGBTQIA+ people, their colleagues
should take initiative and action to ensure that those biases
are not acted upon.
Q: If you could give one piece of advice to
young LGBTQIA+ researchers beginning their
career, what would it be?
A: It will get better, although things seem hard now, as
you get older and start to develop a true community of
supporters you will be able to succeed and reach goals and
overcome obstacles you never would have dreamed to be
possible.
Dr. Justin Luong was speaking to Kate Robinson, Assistant
Editor for Technology Networks.
34 TECHNOLOGYNETWORKS.COM
Kristal Cain, PhD
Dr. Kristal Cain is a senior lecturer in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of
Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand and identifies as queer and non-gender conforming.
Mariana Gil, PhD
Cain grew up in rural East Texas and is a first-generation
university graduate. After obtaining a PhD from
Indiana University, Cain moved to Australia to work as
a postdoctoral research fellow at Australian National
University and then as a faculty member at the University
of Auckland.
In this interview, we spoke to Cain to learn more about
their research and experience as a queer and gender
nonconforming scientist.
Q: You run your own lab on behavioral
ecology, can you tell us more about your
research?
A: My research group is interested in animal behavior and
appearance variation and the evolution of complex social
traits. We are particularly interested in sex differences; we
examine entrenched assumptions about sex differences
that have been poorly tested. I like to use an assortment of
approaches, incorporating tools from behavior, physiology,
ecology and genetics. Most of my work focuses on birds.
Q: What do you enjoy most about your work
and what would you say is your proudest
achievement?
A: I love that my work is driven by curiosity and that I get
to choose my amazing collaborators and students. Equally
important is that I can generally avoid working with
underwhelming people.
A lot of my work has focused on female behavior. In
particular, I’ve focused on aspects that have historically
been ignored in females (e.g., aggression, singing,
hormones). As a result, I’m a part of a new generation of
behavioral ecologists that have changed the landscape and
forced the field to look at sex differences and sex-roles in a
new way. My hope is this will shift society’s perspectives
more generally, to expand how we view people and their
behaviors – moving away from binary categories and
allowing people to exist along spectrums.
Q: In your opinion, what are the main barriers
for LGBTQIA+ people entering and progressing
in STEMM?
A: I think the issues in STEMM are just mirrors of issues
in the world at large. Sadly, some STEMM folks are overly
confident in what they think they know, and we all know
what happens when you try to tell biology to follow the
rules.
Q: Have you faced any obstacles in your
career due to identifying as LGBTQIA+?
A: Many of the barriers I have faced were quite early
on and due to being rural or in Texas. We like to think
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scientists are not bigots – as bigotry is not based on facts
– but the reality is that scientists are people and people
are often scared and ignorant. We all have biases and must
work to identify them and unlearn them. Working in the
field of sex differences and sex-role variation, I’ve received
some flack because I am queer and non-gender-conforming
and I am asking biased questions. However, this ignores
the fact that scientists always ask biased questions. There
are lots of incorrect assumptions built into behavioral
ecology that are based on Western and heteronormative
perspectives, that are only now being tested. Biases and
worldviews always influence the research we conduct
– which is why we need diverse people asking diverse
questions.
Q: Which piece of advice would you give to
young LGBTQIA+ researchers beginning their
careers?
A: The world has changed so much in the last few decades;
it is truly astounding. It will keep changing, so don’t
lose hope and know that we need you. Research is hard,
STEMM is hard, make sure there are things in your life
that are easy – friends, fun and fresh air help you pull back
and see the wider world in all its beauty.
Dr. Kristal Cain was speaking to Dr. Mariana Gil, Senior
Science Writer for Technology Networks.
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Sebastian Groh, PhD
Dr. Sebastian Groh is a research associate at University College London (UCL)
and identifies as bisexual and transmasculine, “somewhere between nonbinary and a trans man”, in his own words.
Kate Robinson
Groh completed his PhD in vertebrate palaeontology
in 2018 where he stayed on in his current role. He is the
head of the LGBT+ network at the department of Earth
Sciences at UCL, the co-founder of Trans in STEM (a
group for trans people studying & working in STEM) and a
member of the LGBT+ Equality Steering Group at UCL.
In this interview, we spoke to Groh to learn more about his
research and experiences working in STEMM.
Q: Your current research focuses on the
evolution of Crocodylomorpha. Can you tell us
more about this work and why you decided to
focus your research in this area?
A: I actually stumbled into this area completely by
accident! My PhD program was slightly different in that,
once you had secured a place, you had also secured funding
to do any PhD you wanted so you could pick whichever
project you preferred. I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to
do yet (I knew I wanted to do something paleo/evolution/
ecology related but my expertise thus far had mostly been
in invertebrates), so I chatted with several supervisors.
I talked to the one I ended up working with because he
was offering a paleo PhD, although I knew nothing about
vertebrates or crocodiles! We got along amazingly well and
by the end of the hour we had enough ideas to fill three
theses and I knew I wanted to work with him (this turned
out to be the best decision – having a supervisory team you
get along with well and who can motivate you is far more
important than getting your dream project). Long story
short, I learned all I could about Crocodylomorpha and
have stuck with the subject ever since!
They are an incredibly fascinating group, as old as the
dinosaurs, with hundreds of different species throughout
evolutionary history. These species used to be hugely
diverse – marine crocodiles, miniature crocodiles, even
plant-eating crocodiles! My research looks at how, when
and where this diversity evolved and how we can improve
the research methods in this area in general.
Q: What do you enjoy most about working in
STEMM? What would you say are your proudest
achievements?
A: I love learning and teaching myself new things and I
still get incredibly excited about science and research in
general. Every time I go on a literature search for a new
method/new insights, I feel that old excitement rise up
inside me again, that hunger for knowledge that I don’t
think will ever be quelled. I also very much enjoy academic
teaching and lecturing – my proudest moments will always
be when students come to me and tell me that they’ve
previously had no interest in paleontology, but now that
they’ve heard my lectures they love it and want to know
more about the field and potentially work in it! (Also, on a
more humorous side, I managed to publish a paper titled
Pride in Science
37 TECHNOLOGYNETWORKS.COM
Pride in Science
“How to date a crocodile” which I am still happy my coauthors and the editor agreed to)
Q: You are the cofounder of Trans in STEM. Can
you tell us more about the group, its aims and
impact? How important are groups such as
this to the LGBTQIA+ community?
A: I co-founded the group in 2018 with another
transgender scientist after we realized that there wasn’t
really a network for trans people who are studying or
working in STEM. We are very loosely organized, with a
Facebook group and Twitter account – the closed group
on FB is meant as a safe space for trans people to discuss
their experiences and ask for advice and we have over one
hundred members now! There’s more of us than you’d
think. On our Twitter account we try to spread awareness
about the issues faced by trans people in STEM and boost
the amazing science that is being done by us. It’s great to
see how many people have found others to connect to via
our little virtual network and are now feeling less isolated
and alone in their experiences.
Q: Have you faced any obstacles in your
career due to identifying as LGBTQIA+?
A: Of course, things are never easy – besides the usual
transphobia/queerphobia that I’ve experienced just like
everyone else (deadnaming, misgendering, slurs, insults,
etc.) and that weighs down your mental health, something
that will always sadden me a little is that there are quite a
few places I cannot safely travel to because of being queer,
be it for field work/museum work or conferences. It has
also proven a big challenge to have my name changed to
in journals where I published before I came out and began
transitioning. Transitioning itself also is a limiting factor
– hormone therapy for me requires GP visits at least every
ten weeks so if I were to do fieldwork or go somewhere
for a visiting semester, I could never stay away for longer
than that. Also, the lack of gender-neutral toilet facilities in
many buildings/conference venues is a problem. Of course,
these are things that you try to work around nonetheless
but they do make life a little harder!
Q: If you could give one piece of advice to
young LGBTQIA+ researchers beginning their
career, what would it be?
A: Find your people! Try and join organizations or groups
of people facing the same challenges at you, be it at your
institution or the wider academic world (e.g., Pride in
STEM, 500 Queer Scientists, your own local LGBTQIA+
staff or student groups, etc.). And remember to have a life
outside research and academia, the job isn’t everything!
Dr. Sebastian Groh was speaking to Kate Robinson,
Assistant Editor for Technology Networks.
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