As a charity whose purpose is to help people from disadvantaged backgrounds enter and thrive in Stem professions (science, technology, engineering and maths) we strongly agree with Prof Dame Ottoline Leyser (“Science must ditch elitist image, says research chief”, Interview, March 4). We know that only 9 per cent of life science professionals have come from the 29 per cent of the population said to comprise the least advantaged families (and only 6 per cent of doctors, incidentally).
The obstacles that scientists from under-represented backgrounds need to overcome include the obvious financial one but also a lack of exposure, and far fewer opportunities to access connections, information and resources to understand the possibilities that exist within the broader Stem sector. Emphatically “not just people in white coats rattling test tubes”, as she puts it. By placing with mentors hundreds of aspiring scientists a year, we support social mobility for the individuals and help to achieve the kind of social justice and productivity gain that Dame Ottoline describes. By increasing the diversity of voices, scientific excellence and innovation is boosted, driving excellence for everyone.
Jonathan Flowers
Chair, In2scienceUK,
Harpenden, Herts, UK