Daphne Jackson Trust Conference 2019: a triumph for returners to research

06 November 2019 | News, Events, Daphne Jackson Trust Conference events
2019 Fellows, Trust staff and Trustees
2019 Fellows, Trust staff and Trustees

The Daphne Jackson Trust held its 5th biennial conference on 16 and 17 October at the Institute of Physics. The conference attracted over 170 delegates from across STEM subjects with inspirational stories about what we do, why we do it and how we do it. Finishing the day in style, we were treated to a rousing discussion from past and present Presidents of the Institute of Physics, Royal Society of Biology and Royal Society of Chemistry.

Institute of Physics
Institute of Physics

The roaring returners

The Daphne Jackson Trust holds a conference every two years and it’s therefore a special occasion to bring together past and current fellows to share their stories and learn from one another. The first day of the conference was focussed on training our current fellows and proving an opportunity to re-connect with old faces and forge new connections.

The second day – and formal part of the conference – was kick-started by an energising talk from former Fellow Dr Gillian Forrester. Gillian so eloquently described her return to research and articulated how a Daphne Jackson Fellowship combined with her determination and commitment was a winning combination bringing her to the forefront of her research field.

Dr Tzany Kokalova Wheldon
Dr Tzany Kokalova Wheldon

Six former Fellows took to the stage in our Five Minute Fellowship competition. Dr Tzany Kokalova Wheldon, Reader in Nuclear Physics at the University of Birmingham, was crowned winner in an incredibly close-run contest.

Building on the momentum, Isobel Stephen, Executive Director of Strategy at UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and Dr Karen Salt, Associate Professor and Strategic Lead for EDI Evidence, University of Nottingham and UKRI discussed the important role that funders play in creating opportunities and a supportive environment for returning researchers. Karen outlined the necessity of embedding inclusion in the research landscape to ensure the UK continues to punch above its weight in its research outputs.

We then heard a series of talks between Daphne Jackson Fellows, their Fellowship Advisors, supervisors, hosts, funders and learned societies about the role we all play in fostering a culture that embraces returners to research. In a broad and wide-ranging set of perspectives, one message rang loud and clear: we all have a role to play.

The three Dames

The Dames
The Dames

As an addendum to the conference – we were incredibly grateful to finish the day in conversation with three past and present Presidents: Dame Julia Goodfellow (Royal Society of Biology), Dame Julia Higgins (Institute of Physics) and Dame Carol Robinson (Royal Society of Chemistry), chaired by Daphne Jackson Trust Patron Dame Athene Donald. In a fascinating and at times moving conversation, we heard from each speaker about their careers, their challenges and successes.

Sponsorship and further information

The Conference was made possible from generous sponsorship from the Biochemical Society, British Pharmacological Society, the Institute of Physics, London Mathematical Society, Microbiology Society, the Royal Academy of Engineering, the Royal Society of Biology and the Royal Society of Chemistry.

Poster prizes - Dr Gillian Halket (overall winner - Group A category), Dr Lisa Mohebati (highly commended - Group A category), Dr Emma Hellawell (overall winner - Group B category), Dr Polly Couldrick and Dr Tim Tomkinson (both highly commended – Group B category).
Poster prizes – One of the winners, Dr Emma Hellawell (overall winner – Group B category) with our Patron, Professor Dame Athene Donald.

No conference would be complete without a poster competition and we express our congratulations to Dr Gillian Halket and Dr Emma Hellawell for their winning entries.

Photographs were taken on the day, a selection of which can be viewed in our Facebook album – bit.ly/2J9PCDq

The room was buzzing with tweets throughout the day using the hashtag #DJT2019, take a look at our Twitter @DaphneJacksonTr to view the social activities.

 

Related posts

12 January 2015 Link Image

Are you looking for an opportunity to return ...

Have you had a career break for family, caring or health reasons? Would you like to return to your research ...

12 January 2015 Link Image

Daphne Jackson Trust training courses are key to ...

A key element of the Daphne Jackson Fellowship is to help rebuild individuals' self-confidence, which can be lacking following a ...

12 January 2015 Link Image

Support the Daphne Jackson Trust in 2015

We rely on the generosity of sponsors and donors to support STEM professionals wishing to return to their careers with ...

12 February 2015 Link Image

Research carried out by Daphne Jackson Fellow identifies ...

Dr Frances Pearl, a Daphne Jackson Fellow 2011-2013, has analysed genetic data from 5000 cancerous tumours to identify potential new ...

12 March 2015 Link Image

Teresa Anderson MBE, to chair Daphne Jackson Trust’s ...

The Daphne Jackson Trust is delighted to announce that Dr Teresa Anderson, Director of the Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre, University ...

12 April 2015 Link Image

Interview with Daphne Jackson Fellow in The Biochemist ...

Dr Marjorie Gibbons is returning to research at the University of Bath with a Daphne Jackson Fellowship sponsored by the ...