Audrey Low | Race Against Dementia Research Fellow | University of Cambridge
I am a dementia researcher studying the early risk factors of dementia to inform dementia prevention targets.
I completed my PhD at the University of Cambridge in 2022, and have since been awarded a research fellowship from Race Against Dementia to advance my ongoing research. Prior to my PhD, I studied Psychology at the National University of Singapore, where I developed a deep appreciation of brain health. After my undergraduate studies, I worked in the Singapore government for several years conducting healthcare policy research, which gave me insights into how policies are developed, evaluated, and communicated to the public. Through this role, I grew to see how our ability to make good policy decisions was inherently limited by how little we knew about dementia. After much thought, I realised that returning to my love of neuroscience to do dementia research was effectively how I could contribute most meaningfully. So, I left my role and reinvented my career path, starting as a research assistant, a PhD student, and now a postdoctoral researcher. Looking ahead, I am hopeful that my years of experience working in the government will help me communicate effectively with policymakers to translate our research into real-world changes in policy.
Dr Bo Kelestyn | Associate Professor | Warwick Business School
Dr Bozhena (Bo) Kelestyn is a design thinking academic and practitioner with a diverse teaching and consulting portfolio.
She works as an Associate Professor and Course Director for the MSc in Management of Information Systems and Digital Innovation (which Bo is also an alumna of) at the Warwick Business School (WBS). Bo is passionate about democratising design thinking. Outside of academia, Bo worked with The Guardian Masterclasses as their lead design thinking masterclass tutor. Bo also partnered with Warwick School to co-found the first in the UK school design thinking award, which has been completed by 200+ pupils. In May 2022, shortly after the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Bo leveraged her design thinking expertise to develop a vision for an educational leadership programme. Partnering with the Ukrainian Leadership Academy, with support from Ukraines Ministry of Education and Science and Ministry of Digital Transformation, Bo founded the first and only of its kind Masters level programme, Leadership for Educational Transformation (LET), aimed at supporting the rebuilding and transformation of education in Ukraine. In 2024, 40+ educators from 25+ institutions in Ukraine completed the programme at Warwick, impacting individual careers and strengthening Ukraines educational leadership cadre. Bo holds several awards for her contribution to teaching and learning. Bo is the youngest at Warwick and only second at WBS to hold the Principal Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (PFHEA), first at WBS and only one of three at Warwick to hold the Fellowship of Enterprise Educators UK (FEEUK).
Harriet Benbow | Principal Teacher of Raising Attainment & Digital Learning | Perth & Kinross Council
I started my career as a Primary Teacher, I have been a teacher for 12 years now. I was asked to lead Digital Learning within my school.
It was a challenge to start with as we had poor WiFi, lack of resources and anxious staff, but we started small. I established a set of Digital Leaders (pupil age) who developed their own Digital Skills and then cascaded the information they learned to others. I also delivered training during collegiate and In- Service time. This is where I realised I had a real passion for helping others, particularly when it came to Digital Learning. I then became an Education Support Officer, working in the central team with all Early Years, Primary and Secondary settings (over 100 settings in total). I helped them prove outcomes for young people through use of Digital. In this role I was responsible for the Education Digital Strategy and also helping each Education Setting create their own Digital Strategy and manageable action plan. To date I have helped over 40 settings achieve their Digital Schools Award. I am a big believer in preparing our young people for their uncertain future, I think a big part of this is providing them with adaptable skills for their uncertain future. These skills include Digital Literacy, Digital Well-being, Cyber Resilience and Internet Safety. Through my work as an Education Support Officer I have delivered a variety of of professional development sessions for Educators to help them develop skills within EdTech.
Joanne Kenney | Research Fellow | University of Edinburgh
I am a Research Fellow at the Hub for Metabolic Psychiatry, University of Edinburgh, where I investigate the complex interactions between neuroimaging, genetics, and immunometabolic dysfunction in psychiatric disorders.
My work integrates AI and data science techniques to uncover novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets in mental illness. With over 15 years of experience in academic research, I have held positions at Trinity College Dublin and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. My academic background spans Electronic & Computer Engineering, Psychology, Cognitive & Clinical Neuroscience, and Clinical Neuroimaging. I have authored over 40 peer-reviewed publications and received multiple research awards, including the Schizophrenia International Research Society Early Career Award (2021) and Royal Academy of Medicine in Ireland Research Awards. Having personally experienced bullying and harassment in my scientific career, I co-founded Women in Research, a network supporting women and underrepresented groups in academia. I am deeply concerned about recent DEI policy changes, particularly in the US, where funding cuts have threatened essential research in mental health equity. In response, I co-founded the International Consortium for Equity in Neuroscience (ICEN) with Harvard University, a global initiative committed to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in science. We have published papers on global trends in academic DEI. I am passionate about using cutting-edge technology to improve mental health research and clinical practice while ensuring that science is inclusive, diverse, and representative.
Khadijat Olorunlambe | Assistant Professor in Mechanical Engineering | University of Birmingham
Dr. Khadijat Abiola Olorunlambe is an award-winning educator and researcher dedicated to using digital engineering to address complex medical challenges.
She has a passion for engineering educational excellence with a wealth of teaching and supervision experience in higher education teaching, teaching overseas and online teaching. Her current research focuses on using acoustic emission (AE) testing to monitor and interpret tribological phenomena in natural and artificial joints, aiming to provide dynamic and intuitive diagnostic tools for joint pathologies. Khadijat holds a first-class MEng (Hons) in Mechanical Engineering (Biomedical) and a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Birmingham. Her doctoral research explored the use of AE signals to diagnose tribological phenomena in artificial joint materials, employing machine learning techniques to predict joint degeneration and failure. She was previously a Teaching Fellow and Postgraduate Teaching Associate at the University of Birmingham, enhancing her skills in module development, lecturing, and project supervision. Currently, as an Assistant Professor and Head of Education for Mechanical Engineering, she collaborates with colleagues to enhance teaching and learning by leveraging digital technologies to improve student engagement and academic excellence. She has published in high-impact journals and presented at international conferences. She is an active member of professional organisations such as the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and the Higher Education Academy. She is also committed to public engagement through outreach activities, mentoring, and STEM education initiatives.
Nisha Menon | Lecturer of Business Skills | London Southbank University
Nisha Menon is a Lecturer at LSBU Business School, where she plays a pivotal role in guiding Postgraduate students through their internships, helping them identify career opportunities aligned with their strengths and aspirations.
With over 15 years of entrepreneurial experience importing her 2 Food brands into the UK, she brings practical business insights into the classroom, equipping students with real-world entrepreneurial skills. As a passionate advocate for student employability, she has spearheaded initiatives at the university to connect international PG students with employers, creating more job opportunities in this tough market. Her dedication has led to consecutive nominations for LSBU’s Employability Enhancement Awards in 2023 and 2024. As part of the university’s Help to Grow scheme, she has delivered modules and also shared industry insights as a Guest Speaker. She also mentors both Postgraduate and Undergraduate students in starting an Import/Export business in the UK. Beyond academia, she actively supports small businesses through mentoring. In 2023, she served as a mentor for the Boxpark Croydon competition, where her mentee won a pop-up space. In 2020, she launched her You Tube channel (now over 450K views) to support & educate aspiring entrepreneurs with importing goods into the UK. Recognised as a three-time finalist in the Croydon Business Awards, she has also been featured by BBC News, BBC Radio, and various podcasts. She has spoken on various industry panels, including LSBU’s Earth Day event on sustainability and AGCAS’s International Graduate Roundtable on discussing employment prospects for international students.
Elena Brake | Trainee Engineer | Fishtek
I am a trainee engineer at Fishtek Ltd and current Mechanical Engineering Student with the University of Plymouth.
I am a recipient of the Engineering Leaders Scholarship from the Royal Academy of Engineering. I am currently pursuing a career change from a successful career within the arts. I earned a First Class degree in Fine Art in 2016 and built a career as a nationally recognised artist, exhibiting work, securing grants and mentoring young creatives as an art technician. However, a life-changing diagnosis in 2020 led to me becoming disabled, and ultimately inspired me to pursue a career change to engineering, a field with far-reaching societal impact. I have been actively sharing the story of my career change, becoming a chair of trustees for a new up and coming charity ”Construct Ability” which is dedicated to reducing barriers in engineering and construction roles for disabled people, and I frequently collaborate on practical solutions which help create better accessibility in my university and also the wider engineering industry. Overall, my mission is to increase the number of disabled people in engineering, because engineering people can bring with them a unique perspective as well as resilience, courage, and fantastic problem solving abilities. I hope that I can act as a role model for people considering engineering who might not think engineering is for them.
Sherry Gardner | Events Coordinator, RBC Capital Markets | Royal Bank of Canada
Sherry Gardner is a dynamic professional with a strong background in project management, corporate events and diversity initiatives.
Currently, working at the Royal Bank of Canada’s London office as an Events Coordinator in the Capital Markets division, managing high-profile corporate events, across Europe, internal employee engagement events and works as part of the team organising the RBC sponsored charity partnership, Race for the Kids event taking place in every year in Hyde Park which attracts over 2,000 RBC employees along with thousands of general supporters raising money for Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital. Before transitioning to financial services, Sherry worked full-time as an Executive Assistant to Managing Partners at a top City law firm while earning her law degree. Sherry studied for 4 years on a part-time basis as a mature student at Birkbeck University, demonstrating exceptional dedication and resilience. Passionate about fostering an inclusive workplace, Sherry is also an active member of Mosaic the Diversity Committee at RBC. This employee resource group, drives initiatives that promote inclusion and belonging across RBC regardless of ethnic background or religion.
Christina Taylor | Inclusion, Diversity & Equity Assistant Manager | KPMG LLP
Christina has worked at KPMG LLP for the past two years in the Inclusion, Diversity and Equity team, implementing an organisation-wide domestic abuse strategy in her first year at the firm.
Prior to KPMG, she worked in roles in Corporate Responsibility, DEI, Vulnerable Customer Strategy and Medical Underwriting. She previously co-chaired the Disability network at Aviva, increasing membership by 200% in her first year as co-chair. She is a passionate advocate for speaking openly about mental health and has volunteered as one of Beat's Ambassadors for the last 10 years. This role included recently featuring as the face of their corporate awareness campaign, and speaking on BBC News and at the House of Lords to raise awareness of chronic and enduring eating disorders, as well as training medical students and supporting carers. In 2022, she secured funding of over £80,000 for community charitable causes nationwide and in her hometown of Norwich. She also volunteers as a governor at two local schools, chairing one board and vice chairing another. She leads on SEND and DEI strategy for over 2000 local students in these educational settings, as well as mentoring local talent with neurodiversities and eating disorders.
Fabienne Palmer | Head of Equity and Inclusion | Smart About Health
I am Clinical Psychologist, Cancer Transformation Programme Lead, and Head of Equity and Inclusion.
I also serve as a Clinical and Research Supervisor and an Associate Clinical Tutor on London-based clinical psychology doctoral programmes, supporting and mentoring aspiring psychologists to develop their core professional competences, and also widening access to the profession. As Director of Wise Mynd, I have prioritised training, content creation and therapeutic approaches that name and address systemic and cultural barriers to well-being for underserved communities. I have also worked with forward thinking organisations who are keen to dismantle systemic and institutional injustices within the creative industries, and VCSE sectors. One of the programmes I lead on focuses on the wellbeing of HR, DEI, and wellbeing practitioners; groups often overlooked despite their vital role in supporting others. Combining trauma-informed methods with equity-driven strategies, this initiative blends clinical theories, practice and research to create more inclusive and sustainable workplace environments and practices for all. Drawing on liberation, community and systemic psychology approaches, I am passionate about working closely with communities and people with lived experiences. I also prioritise showcasing the multiple ways clinical psychologists can inspire change both within and beyond the therapy room, harnessing data-driven insights, community partnerships, and reflective practice to create inclusive, transformative solutions across industries.