Role models are an important part of educational and career development. As part of wider EDI strategies, they can serve to support & motivate young people into a broader range of careers than they might have otherwise selected. To ensure that careers in STEM appeal to minoritised members of the population, and to support role models themselves, the development of interventions must be inclusive.

On 22 April, Professor Chrissie Douglass and Professor Dame Heather McGregor showcased the methodology employed in a role model intervention that formed part of the diversity and inclusion strategy of IDRIC, a four-year project in the area of industrial carbonisation. The project invited volunteers from the community of researchers in IDRIC to make a series of 48 films designed for use in schools, seeking to establish role models in STEM, and especially in decarbonisation. (Click here to view the videos.) In developing the project, the researchers sought to create a replicable methodology for inclusive science communication, at the same time as seeking to influence the decarbonisation talent of the future.

Professor Dame Heather J. McGregor is the Provost and Vice Principal of Heriot-Watt University Dubai. Professor McGregor was previously the Executive Dean of the Edinburgh Business School, having held the post since 2016. Her earlier career was in investment banking, and she has spent 17 years as an entrepreneur leading her own executive search firm prior to her move into higher education. Professor Dame McGregor is an experienced writer and broadcaster, including writing for the Financial Times for 17 years. She was the founder of the Taylor Bennett Foundation, which works to promote diversity in the communications industry, and a founding member of the steering committee of the 30% Club, which works to raise the representation of women at senior levels within publicly listed companies.

Professor Christine (Chrissie) Douglass is a Visiting Professor at Heriot-Watt University. She has spent 8 years at the British Medical Association and is currently a representative to the BMA’s MASC (Medical Academic Staff Committee) and the WAM (Women in Academic Medicine) committees. From October ’20 to October ’24 Prof Douglass was Chair of the Patient Liaison Group. She currently works at HWU on IDRIC (the Industrial Decarbonisation Research & Innovation Centre), which is one of EDICa’s project partners, and is led by HWU’s Prof Mercedes Maroto-Valer.

Chaired by Prof Jemina Napier, Chair of Intercultural Communication and Associate Principal for Research Culture & People at Heriot-Watt University at the time of recording.