• Question: Do you think that the Science Industry is fair?

    Asked by anon-224973 to Simon, Selen, Paul, Nawapat, Natalie, Katy on 14 Nov 2019.
    • Photo: Simon Brown

      Simon Brown answered on 14 Nov 2019:

      Sometimes not. There are some amazing people out there with natural skills across the sciences who might not get the chance to contribute to the world. Maybe financial, social or political obstacles will stop it.
      But have determination and believe in yourself. You can make a difference.

    • Photo: Paul Laurance-Young

      Paul Laurance-Young answered on 14 Nov 2019:

      No. Not all the time. That is a sad fact of life: some brilliant people will be ignored while lazy ones thrive. I have a pet bugbear about women in science – there aren’t enough of them!

    • Photo: Nawapat Kaweeyanun

      Nawapat Kaweeyanun answered on 16 Nov 2019:

      I agree with Simon and Paul. Unfortunately scientists are humans like the rest of our society, so we have our own biases. One example in my experience is that academic staff prefers to find research students/professionals if they had previous experience in the same research area. This leaves outsiders at a disadvantage even if they may have the same ability, however I also know and work with people who came from the outside, so everyone still have a chance!

    • Photo: Katy Bruce

      Katy Bruce answered on 17 Nov 2019:

      Personally I have no experience of *working* in the science industry as I have only ever *studied* science thus far (eternal student!) but my experiences in academia suggest that it isn’t, unfortunately. However, these issues are currently being addressed and I’m confident the industry is moving in the right direction. I’m a student representative on my school’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity committee so hopefully I can make a difference too!

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