Guest speaker

Professor Stacy Johnson MBE

Associate Professor at the University of Nottingham in the School of Health Sciences.

Stacy Johnson, an Associate Professor in the School of Health Sciences, University of Nottingham is an emerging international thought leader in critical inclusive leadership. She is founder and Chief Scientific Officer of the spin out company, The Reverse Mentoring Practice Ltd, a company part owned by the University of Nottingham. In the start-up, she uses her ground breaking reverse mentoring framework to develop the cultural humility of leaders and enhance diversity and inclusion so that people and organisations thrive. She created the award-winning National and European Junior Leadership Academies for student nurses and midwives.

Stacy was made a Member of the British Empire in the 2019 New Year’s Honours list for services to healthcare and higher education equality, diversity and inclusion.

X: @missdjohnson

Professor Rebecca Oakey

Professor of Epigenetics
Department of Medical & Molecular Genetics
King’s College London

Rebecca Oakey is Professor of Epigenetics in the Medical and Molecular Genetics Department at King’s College London. Rebecca was awarded her DPhil in Biochemistry from the University of Oxford before travelling to Duke University and the University of Pennsylvania for post-doctoral training.

Rebecca established her research group at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and remained there for a number of years before returning to the UK to take up an academic post at King’s to lead a research program training PhD students and post-doctoral fellows. Her research focuses on understanding gene expression in the context of normal mammalian development and in human disease including rare disorders and cancer.

Rebecca currently holds the role of Dean for Doctoral studies through which she has developed a strong interest in early career researcher training and development.

Rebecca led the Innovation Scholars Program in data science training in health and bioscience and is the training lead for the King’s Health Partners Digital Health Hub, roles which seek to make accessible open-source skills in big data available to all.

Dr Josefien Breedvelt

Prudence Trust Research Fellow
Department of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
King’s College London

Josefien Breedvelt is a Prudence Trust Research Fellow at the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience. Josefien leads the Prevention Matters Lab, which focuses on preventing the onset and relapse of common mental health conditions.

Josefien uniquely combines academic and third-sector research experience, having transitioned into academia after holding third-sector senior research leadership posts in top UK research charities at the National Centre for Social Research and the Mental Health Foundation.

Josefien holds a PhD from the University of Amsterdam (Department of Psychiatry). She holds an MSc in Mental Health Sciences from King’s College London and a BSc in Psychology from the University of Groningen (cum-laude). She worked as a post-doc and assistant director at the University of Amsterdam's Centre for Urban Mental Health and still maintains affiliated with the Centre as Research Fellow.

Lily Gregory

Final-year Engineering Student at King's College London & President of KCL Womxn in STEM.

Lily is a final-year Engineering student at King's and the president of KCL Womxn in STEM. As an advocate for diversity and inclusion in STEM, she leads initiatives aimed at creating more opportunities for underrepresented groups in the field. Lily has been involved in numerous projects, including a mentorship scheme for undergraduates and a school outreach program designed to inspire the next generation of STEM leaders.

Lily’s undergraduate research focuses on the underrepresentation of women in UK engineering degrees, investigating gendered choices in STEM education. She is collaborating with fellow researchers to explore ways to improve STEM education and encourage diversity in engineering.

Lily has also been recognised as the Undergraduate Engineer of the Year 2024 by Target Jobs, and she has gained industry experience through work with companies such as BAE Systems. Her academic interests include promoting sustainable practices within the engineering sector, and she is eager to make a positive impact in the future.

Meléa Sinclair

Computational Biology PhD student
University of Nottingham

Meléa Sinclair is a Computational Biology PhD student at the University of Nottingham, researching gene evolution in reproductive health. In partnership with University of Bristol she helped set up a nationwide BAME PhD Network and is also the founder of the Black PhD Collective, a network dedicated to supporting underrepresented doctoral students and addressing the low retention rates of Black individuals in academia.

Driven by a desire to be the representation she once lacked, Meléa shares her PhD journey through social media, aiming to empower, inspire, and educate others by providing an honest and engaging insight into postgraduate education and promoting social mobility.

X: @phdmelea

Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meléa-s-6631811a7/