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Research has a diversity problem. Many groups are underrepresented in research including women, ethnic minorities, people with disabilities and socially disadvantaged populations. Attention to the issue is growing, and some institutions and scientific communities are actively seeking to increase diversity. But far more needs to be done.
This collection of articles, a collaboration between Nature Research and Scientific American, focuses on the barriers faced by women and how they might be overcome, but also includes articles about the challenges encountered by other underrepresented groups in science. The collection highlights our long-standing commitment to covering gender-related issues and other aspects of diversity. We hope that this collection will stimulate discussion and build support for greater diversity in research and beyond.
Anne Charmantier reveals how she has learnt to be vulnerable and to share her experience of her chronic health problem with research colleagues and collaborators.
The UK BBSTEM initiative hopes that helping Black researchers to connect and support one another professionally will boost their representation in academia and industry.
Luciana Leite and Luisa M. Diele-Viegas are using their own negative experiences to research the impact of societal and family expectations on women’s career choices.
A childhood diagnosis of type 1 diabetes taught Olivia Favor about the importance of meticulous record-keeping and other skills that proved useful in the lab.
Many institutions publicly pledged their commitment to inclusion after Black Lives Matter protests this year. And researchers emphasize the need to maintain momentum.
Naheda Sahtout says being legally blind doesn’t fundamentally affect her skills, and argues that science needs to start a conversation to attract and empower more researchers like her.
Universities and those who work there must reimagine spaces, behaviour and processes to promote a sense of belonging for everyone, say Danielle McCullough and Ruth Gotian.
Diversity initiatives applaud role models but academics who are carers can have trouble relinquishing family privacy to share their experiences, says Sascha K. Hooker
Cheryl Watkins-Moore moved from medicine to business before she launched an initiative to help women, minority ethnic groups and immigrants to enter the STEM start-up community.
After the First World War, female scientists gained footholds in academia as well as industrial and government research, despite facing prejudice and many other barriers.
Aref Kyyaly fled the Syrian civil war to the United Kingdom with his family in 2014. Since leaving the country, Kyyaly has joined the University of Southampton, where he now researches the early detection of allergies. Nature speaks to him about his experiences.
Nature Research and The Estée Lauder Companies honour two initiatives to encourage girls and young women in the United States, Ghana, Nigeria and Pakistan.
Riley Black, who came out as transgender and non-binary this year, describes the challenges of cultivating diversity in a discipline with an ‘Indiana Jones’ image.
When ecologist Rachel Katz was offered a government job in a region with few academic options for her partner, herpetologist Sean Sterrett, a decision-analysis tool helped to solve their ‘two-body problem’.
American Institute of Physics study finds women gaining higher proportions of PhDs and faculty positions, but identifies a leak in the pipeline at undergraduate level.
Isobel Williams has an autoimmune disease. The support network that she co-founded is helping to improve life in academia for people with long-term health conditions.
Task force hopes that a report on boosting participation by under-represented groups will ‘pull the alarm cord to say we can’t continue doing things the way we have been’.
Scientists in areas that lack basic provisions — including dependable electricity, water supplies and funding — do research that has a high societal impact. Five people describe the challenges they face.