Ealing’s University of West London (UWL) has marked the 10th anniversary of a conference founded to support Black and minority ethnic early career researchers and help improve equality in academia.
The Black Minority and Ethnic Early Career Researchers Conference was founded in 2017 by Professor Bernadine Idowu, professor of biomedical sciences at UWL, and has since provided networking, mentoring and professional development opportunities for thousands of researchers.
This year’s conference, hosted jointly by UWL and King’s College London, also saw the launch of the inaugural BME Early Career Researcher Legacy Awards.
Professor Marcia Wilson received the Lifetime Contribution Award, while University of Cambridge Professor Jason Arday, who delivered the keynote address, received the Legacy Leadership Award. UWL and King’s College London received institutional Allyship in Action Awards.
Professor Idowu said: “When we held the first conference ten years ago, our ambition was simple – to create opportunities for Black Minority and Ethnic Early Career Researchers to build successful and fulfilling academic careers.
“Seeing how that vision has grown into a thriving community that has supported so many people is incredibly rewarding.”
