Published: August 28, 2024; Aithor: Julia Sonrisa
Led by the University of Nottingham BBSRC DTP, in collaboration with the SWBio DTP and funded by the BBSRC, this exciting one-day event has been designed to equip neurodivergent students and academics with the essential tools and strategies for career success.
Experts in the field of academia and neurodiversity will cover key topics including; accessibility, well-being, self-advocacy, leadership skills, career planning, and transitioning from academia to the workplace. We also have an exclusive pre-recorded talk from Temple Grandin which will be shared with registered attendees following the event.
This inclusive event is suitable for neurodivergent students, faculty members, postgraduate researchers in biological sciences and academia, and their allies and supporters.
Join us to gain insights into the strengths and challenges of neurodiversity in academia and how to empower yourself and others, in academic and professional environments.
Register for free today! Join us on our quest to make academia more neuro-inclusive.
09:00 — 09:15
Opening comments and event overview
Nat Hawley MSc — Founder Divergent Thinking and Neurodiversity Consultant
09:15 — 10:15
Interactive Talk — Navigating Academia as a Neurodivergent Student
Tumi Sotire — Health Economist Newcastle University, Founder The Black Dyspraxic
10:15 — 10:30
Comfort break
10:30 — 11:30
Interactive Talk — Fostering Leadership Skills in Neurodivergent Researchers
Dr. Tiffany Jameson — Founder of Grit & Flow
11:45 — 12:45
Workshop — Rethinking Neuroinclusion — From Reaction to Inclusion
Professor Nancy Doyle — Chief Science Officer, Visiting Professor Birkbeck
12:45 — 13:45
Lunch break
13:45 — 14:45
Workshop — Wellbeing for Neuro-Inclusive Research Teams
Jessica Dark — Founder of ND Perspective, Associate Lecturer Arden
15:00 — 16:00
Q&A: Navigating a Career in Biological Sciences as a Neurodivergent Researcher
Professor Sara Rankin — Professor of Leukocyte and Stem Cell Biology Imperial College
16:00 — 16:15
Comfort break
16:15 — 16:45
Access to Work and Assistive Technology
Dr. Deborah Leveroy — Head of Consultancy & Research, Neurobox
16:45 — 17:00
Closing comments
Nat Hawley MSc — Founder Divergent Thinking and Neurodiversity Consultant
09:00 — 09:15
Opening comments and event overview
Nat Hawley is a passionate public speaker and advocate for individuals with learning differences, such as autism. He holds a Master of Science in Applied Neuroscience and has received numerous accolades, including a Pride of Britain award nomination and inclusion in the Bournemouth University 30 under 30 list. Nat has also been recognised by HRH King Charles III for his heroism and international fundraising efforts.
09:15 — 10:15
Interactive Talk — Navigating Academia as a Neurodivergent Student
Tumi is a British-born Nigerian Dyspraxic who founded The Black Dyspraxic to highlight intersectionality in neurodiversity.
Tumi holds the Dyspraxia Foundation Mary Colley Award for advocacy, and is an advisor to; The Centre for Neurodiversity at Work Birkbeck University, Neurodiversity in Business, Diverse Creative CIC Future Leaders, Noetic’s Community, and is a resident judge for the Genius Within Neurodiversity Awards.
Tumi actively promotes inclusion and empowerment within neurodiverse communities and is driven by his personal experiences and dedication to fostering understanding and support.
Navigating Academia as a Neurodivergent Student — Interactive Talk Details
10:30 — 11:30
Interactive Talk — Fostering Leadership Skills in Neurodivergent Researchers
Dr. Jameson is an organizational psychologist using her multi-disciplinary education and experience as the Managing Partner for Grit & Flow™, a purpose-driven consultancy providing a gateway to inclusive workplaces and sustainable talent retention.
Dr. Jameson was voted a Top 50 Neurodiversity Global Evangelist, is a LinkedIn learning instructor on neurodiversity, ADHD, and autism in the workplace, and speaks internationally on the topic of neurodiversity and mental health in the workplace.
Identifying as neurodivergent herself with bipolar 2, apraxia, and learning differences, and married to a neurodivergent partner and the mother of neurodivergent children, this topic is a passion for Dr. Jameson.
Fostering Leadership Skills in Neurodivergent Researchers — Interactive Talk Details
11:45 — 12:45
Workshop — Rethinking neuro inclusion — From Reaction to Inclusion
As well as founding the social enterprise Genius Within, Professor Nancy Doyle is a Chartered Occupational and Coaching Psychologist, Co-Director of the Centre for Neurodiversity at Work Birkbeck University, a lecturer, author, and writer.
Nancy co-authored ‘Neurodiversity Coaching: A Psychological Approach to Supporting Neurodivergent Talent and Career Potential’, frequently writes for Forbes magazine, and edits The Sage Neurodiversity Journal and The PLOS Mental Health Journal.
An active advocate, Nancy is an Associate Fellow of The British Psychological Society and The Society of Industrial and Organizational Psychology in the USA, a member of the Committee for Testing Standards, and volunteers for the British Psychological Society.
Rethinking Neuro-Inclusion — from Reaction to Inclusion — Workshop Details
Current neuro-inclusion activities are currently based on flawed descriptions of pseudo-medical labels.
In this session, we will explore the latest neuroscientific research which indicates three defined clusters and an entirely new approach to understanding neurodiversity.
Focused on practical, tangible performance, Transdiagnostic Mapping research orientates us away from the medical model of services towards a more scalable, environmental-based delivery.
13:45 — 14:45
Workshop — Wellbeing for Neuro-Inclusive Research Teams
Jessica Dark is the Founder of ND Perspective, an online community learning platform and training provider, and a longstanding neurodiversity advocate. She is completing her PhD at Birkbeck University on Autistic Women’s Experiences of Diagnosis Disclosure in the Workplace.
Jessica is also an Associate Lecturer at Arden University in the Neurodiversity PgCert program. In her spare time, she voluntarily supports the Educational Psychology Research and Practice Periodical at the University of East London as their Communications Editor.
Wellbeing for Neuro-Inclusive Research Teams — Workshop Details
Inclusive research has grown in popularity; however, the needs of neurodivergent researchers are often not considered. This session will explore the value of broadening inclusive research to include all people throughout the research process, including neurodivergent people who lead research, neurodivergent co-researchers as well as neurodivergent participants.
This session we will cover:
15:00 — 16:00
Q&A: Navigating a Career in Biological Sciences as a Neurodivergent Researcher
Sara has a BSc and PhD in Pharmacology from Kings College London, postdocs from The University of California, San Diego, and ICRF (Imperial College Research Fellowships) London, where she joined Imperial with a Wellcome Trust Fellowship, where she is now a Professor.
Sara’s research focuses on the role of the bone marrow in inflammation and tissue regeneration. She is an interdisciplinary scientist, working with physicists, material scientists, clinicians, and artists.
Sara is passionate about Diversity in STEM. She led her department’s Athena Silver Award in 2021 and is director of the Black Inclusivity Catalyst at Imperial. Sara is dyslexic and dyspraxic and is an advocate for neurodiversity in STEM. She set up cacti.org.UK, supported by the RSC, RSB, and BPS, to promote neuroinclusion in STEM Education and Careers.
Navigating a Career in Biological Sciences as a Neurodivergent Researcher — Q&A Details
In this session, Prof Rankin will discuss how she has navigated her career as a dyslexic and dyspraxic academic. She will give examples of how she has leaned into her ND strengths for career success, but also discuss some of her challenges- past and present. She will advise on career paths for ND researchers.
16:15 — 16:45
Interactive Talk: Access to Work and Assistive Technology
Deborah is a neuro-inclusion practitioner and academic, with 15 years of experience researching and working in the field. Her work has been published in several Routledge peer-reviewed journals, the British Dyslexia Handbook, and People Management Magazine.
Deborah has a PhD in Dyslexia and Inclusion from the University of Kent. She brings her varied background to her role at Neurobox, having worked as a workplace assessor and strategy coach, study skills tutor, university lecturer, and theatre practitioner. Deborah is also an advisory board member on several academic research projects, contributing to research in areas such as remote working and inclusive recruitment.
Access to Work and Assistive Technology — Talk Details
The transition from university to the workplace can be daunting, especially for neurodivergent students and academics. This session will explore what support is available for postgraduate students and post-docs transitioning into the workplace, either inside or outside academia.
Deborah will provide an overview of Access to Work, a government-funded scheme that provides funding for support for disabled and ND people, the different types of support available, how to apply, and strategies to support the transition to the workplace.
16:45 — 17:00
Closing Comments
Nat Hawley MSc — Founder Divergent Thinking and Neurodiversity Consultant
Once you have registered you will receive a Zoom diary invite and notifications leading up to the event. Following the event all registered attendees will receive recordings of the sessions and any follow-up materials provided by the speakers.
These are interactive Zoom sessions where you will have the opportunity to engage and turn your camera on. You are also welcome to keep your camera off if you feel more comfortable. Please stay on mute unless you are asked to speak by the facilitator to speak. Thank you.
We have allowed for closed captions. Please make sure you have activated closed captions on your Zoom account if you require them.
If you have any additional needs or questions please contact us
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This event has been funded by the BBSRC and is led by the University of Nottingham BBSRC DTP, a fully funded PhD training program in the biosciences.
Detailed information and discussion of the event.