Written Evidence Submitted by The Blackett Lab Family C.I.C
(DIV0075)
Submitted by Dr Mark Richards, Founder and Director of The Blackett Lab Family C.I.C[1], Senior Teaching Fellow, Department of Physics, Imperial College London
1. Executive summary
1.1. It is widely accepted that the government can take more of a leading role in addressing diversity issues in STEM. It is important that all such resulting Policy and Strategy in this area is evidence-based, particularly given the culturally sensitive environment in which we operate.
1.2. Outlined below are first-hand responses to a series of specific questions (modelled on those in the Inquiry) put to members of The Blackett Lab Family as part of a survey. The intention was to gather the collective voices, and make an impactful submission, highlighting the range of views and experiences, and summarising common issues faced by Black physicists studying or working within STEM.
1.3. Although the focus is specific, the responses comprise of quantitative, qualitative and anecdotal evidence of the lived experiences of Black students and professionals in this field. As such, it provides a richer, deeper insight that might otherwise be missing from an inquiry of this nature. Furthermore, many of the issues highlighted clearly allude to issues in STEM more widely.
1.4. This submission is presented with the aim of amplifying the voices of a highly underrepresented group within STEM, and ensuring that these voices are heard as part of this inquiry. Only then can effective policy emerge.
2. As a Black STEM qualifier, what challenges have you had to overcome in your STEM journey so far?
2.01 Black Caribbean, working-class background compounded certain barriers in STEM. Especially the security that I found many of my peers had at university - e.g. financial security which meant they could be much more 'daring' with potential career paths and exploring opportunities.
2.02 Lack of quality preparation at secondary level for the 'hard' sciences, e.g. independent study skills, a broader (and challenging) curriculum outside of the national/standard exam boards, as well as and general social skills, e.g. language, culture and social capital, means the stark contrast in all of those things between students from the state and private education sector make the transition to STEM, especially at the very 'elite' institutions, extremely difficult.
2.03 I am a Black female scientist, and when I tell anyone what job I do, it’s always met with surprise. While this could be seen as flattering, I find it frustrating that people can't seem to believe that someone who looks like I do could be doing the job that I do. I have worked hard to get to where I am. My family has struggled financially, as my parents brought up three children on a single salary.
2.04 During all my studies (undergraduate and postgraduate) I’ve always had a part time job in order to support myself financially. This has been an added stress, particularly while trying to juggle revision and deadlines.
2.05 When I was studying for a master’s degree in Europe, I shared an office with a senior lecturer (who wasn't my supervisor). On a weekly basis he would ask me "what are you doing here? why are you here?" when he knew that I was abroad, studying for my degree. Such questioning feeds doubt and will affect confidence – reinforcing the message that you do not belong in this space.
2.06 During my postgraduate studies I started a STEM network for minorities and organised two symposia. I had to obtain permission to secure funding for one of the events. One of my supervisors was extremely hostile towards me for using my time to put on this event. He said that I was far behind in my work (which wasn't true) and that I wouldn't be able to juggle this event alongside my research and said, 'don't come crying to me when it all fails'.
2.07 As a Black female scientist, I sometimes find it hard to work with male colleagues when they attempt to micromanage my work and occasionally pass off some of my ideas as their own. There have been many instances when these sorts of microaggressions that occur can ruin my day.
2.08 I am a first-generation Black African male and I come from a working-class background. My most significant barrier stems from the circumstance that I was the first in my family to attend university and that I am one of relatively few Black people pursuing a career in physics.
2.09 The insufficient guidance and support that I have had during most of my STEM journey makes it difficult to be confident in the career decisions that I am making now and the decisions that I made as a student at university. It can also hinder my capabilities to make good decisions.
2.10 As a student, I was not aware of what opportunities were available and what I could and should be doing to improve my career prospects in science.
2.11 As a STEM professional, there is essentially no Black representation in my field, which makes it difficult to find adequate support and guidance at times.
2.12 As a Black (Caribbean) woman there has always been a constant battle with feeling alone both in terms of my ethnicity and gender due to being in predominantly white-male spaces.
2.13 Growing with few close relatives or friends who had experienced careers in higher education meant that I felt like I was disadvantaged at times. I couldn't ask for help from friends and family in the same way some of my peers could. This has played into also not feeling comfortable asking my peers for support when I probably would benefit from doing so.
2.14 The main barrier was overcoming other people’s perceptions of who I am and what I’m capable of, as opposed to my own perception of me – largely shaped by an inspirational Jamaican mother.
3. Representation: In the STEM environments that you've studied/worked in so far, how large was your class, research group, team or department?
3.01 In my year group, of maybe 200-250 students, I'd say less than 1% Black
3.02 There were no Black women in my year group.
3.03 I was the only Black student in my year.
3.04 There was one Black lecturer in my department.
3.05 During my PhD CDT course, there were approximately 30 postgraduate students; two were Black.
3.06 I have rarely met other Black early career researcher scientists at conferences etc.
3.07 I have been to 10+ national and international conferences and there are usually only a few other Black people present, even when there are over 5000 attendees.
3.08 I was the only Black student remaining on my course for the master’s component. There was one Black lecturer in the department during my time at the university.
3.09 My research group at the time consisted of approximately 20 people of which I was the only Black person.
3.10 I currently work at another STEM research facility in London. The group I work in is made up of approximately 50 people, of which I am the only Black person.
3.11 During my undergraduate studies, my cohort was composed of roughly 250 students of which 3 identified as Black.
3.12 There were no Caribbean women at all in my department, nor did I encounter any across my university campus, which was based in London.
3.13 In 2 of my internship placements there were no Black employees in my Departments (and less than a handful that I encountered across the company). In both cases the Departments consisted of at least 50 people.
3.14 During an internship in London, there were 2 other Black employees, the team was made up of about 20 people.
3.15 At university, I am undertaking a PhD and I haven't met any Black supervisors. There are two other Black men across the entire 4-year cohort and no other Black female students.
3.16 There were 120 students in the class. Three are Black – one man and two women -- all have Nigerian heritage. None of my lecturers were Black.
3.17 When I did my PhD, I didn't see any other Black researchers, at any stage of their career,
3.18 The department that I was in in a tech company near London had about 50 employees, and the only other Black employee in the department was there on a short-term contract.
3.19 During my 9 years at an e-commerce company, I saw/met hundreds of people in the technology department. Of these people, about 11 were Black. Around half were women with only one of them having a software background.
3.20 There does not seem to have been a comprehensive survey of the racial demographics of the most common roles in the UK's tech industry. But hired.com's 2019 survey of tech job applicants (https://hired.com/uk/uk-tech-workplace-report/), most of whom live in London, found that only 3% of them are Black.
4. Why are Black people underrepresented in STEM in the UK?
4.01 For Black Caribbean people, there are internal cultural barriers, e.g. lack of understanding/awareness (i.e. what is Physics? What's the point? Can it make you a lot of money?) These internal and cultural barriers are symptoms of wider societal, race and class issues.
4.02 Black Caribbean students are disproportionately excluded from school or barred from quality exposure to education, especially in the sciences which traditionally have very few positive Black (UK) role models. Consider where Black (Caribbean) people are well represented and are portrayed as doing well for themselves: music, entertainment, sport.
4.03 The lack of role models. The lack of support from friends and family to pursue certain careers. The financial burden of university courses and the supposed financial instability of certain careers.
4.04 There are a multitude of factors that contribute to the reasons for Black underrepresentation in STEM. I think that they can be broadly divided into matters related to money, skill, exposure and image.
4.05 Because income and finance are often critical factors to those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, as many Black people are, STEM degrees do not attract many Black candidates. This was the main reason my family and I were divided over my decision to study physics at university and the reason I was torn in making course decisions at university and career choice afterward.
4.06 The perceived level of skill required to succeed in STEM compared to other fields often dissuades people who do not have access to high quality education from pursuing the career, which is more common among those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.
4.07 Black people generally have less exposure to STEM (access to people who have STEM jobs, science events, books, films etc.) which makes it less likely that an individual might develop an interest in STEM and choose to pursue a career in STEM.
4.08 STEM already has an image that is unrepresentative of Black people. It’s essential that just as in your social life that in your work life there are people that share your values and experiences, and the sparsity of Black people in STEM makes it appear to be an unattractive career prospect.
4.09 There is a perceived elitism associated with academia which my friends have suggested has made them feel that studying STEM subjects is unattainable but also it isn't desirable.
4.10 Many friends who showed interest in STEM during school, did not see it as a lucrative avenue or fruitful career choice.
4.11 Since starting my PhD some of my friends have told me that if they had known that post-graduate studies were paid roles, they would've approached school differently and considered it more strongly.
4.12 For Black women specifically, I think that a lot of the existing Black women in science are not visible enough. There is a strong whitewash in media, teaching and other science related fields and those that exist are not seen. I think that in terms of Black ethnic groups the problem is multi-faceted.
4.13 From a Caribbean perspective, the focus and emphasis on education is culturally different to what I saw and heard from African friends. There is less pressure to be academically strong and pursue subjects such as maths and a much stronger emphasis on earning a good job and being financially stable.
4.14 Factors such as the history of diaspora for each ethnic group and time over which migration has occurred is important when thinking about the experiences of different communities.
4.15 While the issue of Black underrepresentation in the physical and mathematical sciences seems to start before university, it seems that Black school students have a healthy interest in studying computing at university, compared to their White peers. This suggests that for the tech industry at least, the Black underrepresentation issue is more to do with what universities Black students attend, what experiences they have during their degrees, what results they get, what opportunities they are offered after graduation or what they are interested in doing after graduation.
4.16 Structural bias.
4.17 Lack of clear (academic) career path in STEM.
4.18 Lack of role models in elite spaces.
4.19 Lack of support of Black staff and students to further outreach/engagement work to address underrepresentation.
5. What impact does underrepresentation in STEM have?
5.01 Long term, there are no concerted efforts within the community (yet) or from outside the community (education bodies, government) to address this in a cohesive way, so the lack of positive role models and positive stories will continue.
5.02 The lack of diversity of thought. A less inclusive environment.
5.03 The effect is cyclic: Underrepresentation causes more underrepresentation. Conversely, fair representation will become self-sustaining as and when it becomes the norm.
5.04 Lack of desire or interest for school students, imposter syndrome for those that choose to pursue STEM, increased attainment gap, increased withdrawal rates.
5.05 Racism and microaggressions experienced by those that remain in the field.
5.06 In 2016, Inside Careers reported that STEM graduates earned nearly 20% more than their peers on average (https://www.insidecareers.co.uk/2016/07/uk-stem-graduates-earn-nearly-20-more-than-their-peers/), so it is certainly financially detrimental to both the Black community and the British economy for Black people to be underrepresented in STEM.
5.07 Black people are also underrepresented in STEM leadership/entrepreneurship and hence are rarely involved in the process of setting STEM agendas. The lack of Black input to these agendas means a lack of consideration of the needs and interests of Black people. In addition to the many ways in which this is detrimental to the Black community (e.g. racial healthcare inequalities), it also leads to suboptimal products and services.
5.08 Reduced productivity, losing out on innovative solutions to problems through lack of diversity of thought and input.
5.09 Reduced social mobility for marginalised groups.
6. What initiatives to address this underrepresentation have you been involved with or supported, and what impact have they had?
6.01 A few schools I work with are designing teacher qualification courses, aimed at attracting students/early careers teachers from the Global Majority, with a focus on Leadership training, to directly address the problem with underrepresentation of Global Majority teachers in schools, but even more specifically of retention and progression to leadership and management positions. These schools have taken the time to understand the *unique* challenges that Global Majority teachers face in education - e.g. racism, stereotyping, microaggressions, lack of mentorship/support, pay gaps, etc - and have made specific efforts to communicate the need for such programs and design a bespoke program to address these issues.
6.02 BBC Expert Voices - BAME. Minorities in STEM network. BBSTEM. CUWIP. Prosper - unlocking the potential for postdoctoral researchers
6.03 The Blackett Lab Family C.I.C who are both a large membership of Black UK-based physicists and a company addressing the underrepresentation of Black people in physics through a variety of initiatives. Their work has connected me with Black physicists with shared backgrounds and experiences and is providing Black people with the much needed representation to make this field more accessible and attractive.
6.04 The Blackett Lab Family - I met like-minded students and have been able to express my feelings.
6.05 OP Limitless Campaign - They allowed me to engage and network with members of the physics community as well as giving me a platform.
6.06 BBSTEM - I have followed their promotion of opportunities.
6.07 STEM Outreach, Diversity Committees, IoP, Media, Community Engagement etc. All of these have increased aspirations amongst the next generation as well as galvanised others into ‘giving back’ to the community through outreach.
7. What should government, research funding bodies, industry or academia do to improve participation, retention, and progression of Back people at each level in STEM?
7.01 Provide specific funding aimed at training, retention and progression of teachers from the Global Majority, and partner with the right and willing organisations and schools who are turning their attention to this work.
7.02 The government is the missing key to uniting the efforts of such disparate programs and initiatives into a cohesive movement to address the plethora of challenges faced by Black people (and other underrepresented groups) in STEM.
7.03 The government should modernise and decolonise the National Curriculum, especially in science.
7.04 School students need more exposure to people working in STEM fields.
7.05 At the undergraduate level, the government should help with grants to cover living costs and private tuition for Black students during their degree to help with the grade gap.
7.06 At the postgraduate level, the government should help to provide good mentors that can give academic career guidance to postgrads.
7.07 Funding bodies should have specific fellowships/ grants for minority groups
7.08 At the postgraduate level there should be coaching so that researchers do not sell themselves and their ideas short.
7.09 Senior panels should be more diverse when making top-level decisions.
7.10 Make a career in STEM more lucrative by increasing access to funding (scholarships, research grants, etc.).
7.11 Increase the number of entry level positions so there is a clear pathway into STEM.
7.12 Create more pathways into STEM from school-level e.g. via apprenticeships and industry sponsored degrees.
7.13 Increase student exposure to STEM by increasing the funding for grassroot science initiatives. Support groups who are addressing underrepresentation.
7.14 Invest in initiatives that aim to highlight and raise awareness of existing members of underrepresented groups in STEM and also encourage more to engage with it from an early age (science related trips for children, lower-income schools, diversifying experiences of young adults and those who may not have had some opportunities before).
7.15 Provide additional funding, bursaries and financial support to prospective graduates to encourage more to pursue STEM beyond undergraduate level, addressing the perceived lack of financial security for careers in academia.
7.16 Ensure that the environments being entered can accommodate the needs of members from different communities and also one that groups feel welcomed into by demonstrating an awareness for different cultures and backgrounds - not a sea of ignorance.
7.17 Actively recruit people based on their approach and treatment of members from different groups to foster a welcoming community. There's no point recruiting lots of underrepresented people if they will just be left out, made to feel like they don't fit in or excluded (intentionally or not) by others.
7.18 More detailed data about the rates at which Black people exit each stage of the STEM career pipelines, and more data about why Black people exit at higher rates than others at certain stages.
7.19 Data that reflects the diversity of the Black population; lumping all under the label "Black", or "BAME/Ethnic Minority", makes it much harder to see where the problems are. For example, most data provides little insight into whether Black female students are as well-represented in any given STEM degree as Black male students, or into what happens if you add "African" or "Caribbean" to those intersecting identities.
7.20 For many years, a great deal of effort has been made to compile statistics on gender inequalities in the UK's STEM industries, and to address the causes of these inequalities. Nowhere near as much effort has been made to measure and address racial inequalities in specific roles and at specific levels of seniority in these industries.
7.21 The lack of measurement makes it far easier for people in leadership positions to overlook/ignore the problem and be held accountable. The data we do have, such as that discussed in the Royal Society reports[2] , should be used to highlight the severity of the problem.
7.22 They need to provide more financial support for organisations that are working to address it (especially those that were founded by Black STEM professionals, as they generally have more insight into the issue).
7.23 All STEM-pipeline organisations, from secondary schools through to universities, companies, etc. should take a more critical look at the ways in which their processes and practices might perpetuate the problem.
7.24 Invest in removing barriers through supporting those individuals, groups and organisations that are invoking real change with tangible outcomes with respect to diversity in STEM.
(January 2022)
[1] The Blackett Lab Family C.I.C. is a collective of UK-based Black physicists (www.theblackettlabfamily.com)
[2] https://royalsociety.org/news/2021/03/stem-ethnicity-report/