Building an inclusive culture at scientific meetings: foundations for future progress

Kevin Maringer; Edward Cunningham-Oakes; Ffion Lane; Kirsty L. Jones; Bruno Francesco Rodrigues de Oliveira; Aisha Baba-Dikwa; Arindam Mitra; Blanca Perez-Sepulveda; Callie R. Chappell; Guerrino Macori; I’ah Donovan-Banfield; Prerna Vohra; Rowan Casey; Roshan Nepal; C. M. Anjam Khan

doi:10.1099/mic.0.001527

Building an inclusive culture at scientific meetings: foundations for future progress

Kevin Maringer¹, Edward Cunningham-Oakes^2,3, Ffion Lane⁴, Kirsty L. Jones⁵, Bruno Francesco Rodrigues de Oliveira⁶, Aisha Baba-Dikwa⁷, Arindam Mitra⁸, Blanca Perez-Sepulveda⁹, Callie R. Chappell¹⁰, Guerrino Macori¹¹, I’ah Donovan-Banfield^2,12, Prerna Vohra¹³, Rowan Casey¹⁴, Roshan Nepal¹⁵ and C. M. Anjam Khan¹⁶
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¹ The Pirbright Institute, Ash Road, Pirbright, UK ² Department of Infection Biology and Microbiomes, Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK ³ NIHR Health Protection Research Unit in Gastrointestinal Infections, Liverpool, UK ⁴ Microbiology Society, 14-16 Meredith Street, London, UK ⁵ Department of Sport and Science, School of Health, Education, Policing and Sciences, University of Staffordshire, College Road, University Quarter, Stoke-on-Trent, UK ⁶ Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Biomedical Institute, Fluminense Federal University, Niterói, Brazil ⁷ Specialist Medicine Non-Clinical Research, Renal Research, Manchester Royal Infirmary, Oxford Road, Manchester, UK ⁸ School of Allied and Healthcare Professions, RV University, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India ⁹ Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK ¹⁰ Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA ¹¹ School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland ¹² NIHR Health Protection Research Unit in Emerging and Zoonotic Infections, Liverpool, UK ¹³ Institute of Immunology and Infection Research, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Charlotte Auerbach Road, Edinburgh, UK ¹⁴ School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK ¹⁵ Agriculture and Food (Livestock and Aquaculture), The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Hobart, TAS, Australia ¹⁶ Biosciences Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, The Medical School, Newcastle University, Newcastle, UK
*Correspondence: C. M. Anjam Khan, [email protected] *Correspondence: Roshan Nepal, [email protected]
Published: 06 February 2025 https://doi.org/10.1099/mic.0.001527

Abstract

Scientific meetings and conferences are crucial in knowledge dissemination, fostering collaborations, professional development and inspiring innovative research. However, their traditional structure and organization have remained largely unchanged, perpetuating barriers that continue to exclude scientists from historically marginalized backgrounds. In response, the Microbiology Society has begun its journey to address these longstanding challenges, redesigning its meetings to create a more inclusive culture and a welcoming environment for all participants.

Received: 23/10/2024
Accepted: 17/01/2025
Published Online: 06/02/2025

Keyword(s): accessibility , conferences , DEI , diversity , EDI , equality , equity , inclusivity , marginalized scientists , Microbiology Society and scientific meetings

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. This article was made open access via a Publish and Read agreement between the Microbiology Society and the corresponding author’s institution.

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Building an inclusive culture at scientific meetings: foundations for future progress

Microbiology 171, 001527 (2025); https://doi.org/10.1099/mic.0.001527

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Building an inclusive culture at scientific meetings: foundations for future progress

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