Congratulations to Mary Flood, University College Dublin, Wiktoria Brytan, University of Limerick, Francesca Adami, University College Dublin, and Almudena Moreno Borrallo, Trinity College Dublin, on winning the award on behalf of the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) committee of the Institute of Chemistry of Ireland Young Chemists’ Network (ICI-YCN).
Extensive efforts were carried out by the EDI committee of the ICI-YCN in both advocating and advancing EDI. The committee consists of postgraduate students from various institutions across Ireland who are passionate about the cultivation of a welcoming, diverse and inclusive community within the chemical sciences.
In 2023 they obtained highly prestigious Inclusion and Diversity funding from the Royal Society of Chemistry, equating to £5000 towards the organisation of an EDI-focused, student-led event. Through this award, the very first ‘Young Chemists for Change (YCFC)’ conference was successfully held in UCD in May 2024, hosting over 80 attendees and speakers from diverse backgrounds and expertise. Postgraduate students, post-doctoral researchers and academic staff from seven universities across Ireland and the UK were represented at the event, alongside the support of several industry and academic sponsors.
In 2024, the committee were extremely dedicated to promoting EDI within the following evaluation criteria:
- Demonstrating a high-level of employee engagement to identify sustainable approaches to embedding EDI.
- Acting as a visible role model providing inspiration to members of under-represented groups both within and beyond their organisation.
In summary, the committee is confident that the achievements of our committee have significantly contributed towards the current perspective of EDI amongst early career researchers, and through the organisation of Young Chemists for Change, have further enriched the research culture and core values of the Irish chemistry community moving forward.
Pictured: Dr Wiktoria Brytan, University of Limerick, and, Mary Flood, University College Dublin, receiving the SSPC EDI award from Professor Damien Thompson.
