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Paul Walton obtained his PhD in 1990, followed by two years as a NATO/SERC postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, Berkeley, USA. He joined the Department of ÉîÒ¹¸£Àû¹ú²ú¾«Æ· at York as a faculty member in 1993. Between 2004 and 2010, he was chair of department. His main research area is bioinorganic chemistry, in which he has made contributions to the understanding of copper oxidases, including the discovery of the histidine brace, the bioinformatic method of signal-strapping, and anglerase metalloproteins. Paul is an internationally known advocate of equality in sciences and lectures widely on the subject.

He is the recipient of multiple national and international awards, including:

Teaching: RSC's Higher Education Teaching Award, Vice-Chancellor's Teaching Award.

Research: Gertrude Cropper Award, RSC's Joseph Chatt Award, IChemE's Global Energy Award, RSC's Rita and John Cornforth Award, University of Chalmers Jubilee Professor 2020.

Equality: RSC Inclusion and Diversity Prize 2025, Royal Society's inaugural Athena Prize (runner-up), WISE Man of the Year shortlist.

He has also been Editor of Dalton Transactions (2004-2008), Chair of Heads of ÉîÒ¹¸£Àû¹ú²ú¾«Æ· UK, Chair of the Royal Society of ÉîÒ¹¸£Àû¹ú²ú¾«Æ·'s Diversity Committee, was named as a 'Person of Influence' by the University of Toronto's Women in ÉîÒ¹¸£Àû¹ú²ú¾«Æ· Group, and is one of the RSC's 175 Faces of ÉîÒ¹¸£Àû¹ú²ú¾«Æ·.

Professor Jennifer Leigh MRSC is a chemist turned interdisciplinary sociologist using embodied, reflective, and creative practices for social justice. Her research addresses experiences of marginalisation in academia, science, and society due to intersectional factors.

Jennifer has pioneered publications of empirical qualitative and creative social science approaches within top-ranked science journals, including Angewandte Chemie International, Nature ÉîÒ¹¸£Àû¹ú²ú¾«Æ·, Nature Reviews ÉîÒ¹¸£Àû¹ú²ú¾«Æ·, eLife, and Chemical Science, on subjects such as Pregnancy in the Lab and Listening to Fathers in STEM.

She developed Embodied Inquiry, a transformative approach for capturing robust data whilst facilitating trust, creativity, and community. Her embodied perspective has enabled her to challenge ableist and exclusionary assumptions and change inclusion practices by raising awareness of intersectional marginalisation. She was lead author on the National Association for Disabled Staff Networks' STEMM Action Group white paper 'Towards an inclusive environment for disabled researchers in STEMM'.

Jennifer was recognised as a Shaw Trust Disability Power 100 member and was recently invited to Westminster to celebrate Disability History Month. She developed SupraLab, a SciComm channel showcasing equality, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility work. Her documentaries Women in Africa and Disability and Inclusion have been screened internationally.

She sits on multiple boards including Vice-Chair (Research) of Women in Supramolecular ÉîÒ¹¸£Àû¹ú²ú¾«Æ· (WISC), Co-Lead of the NADSN STEMM Action Group, Athena Forum Disability Champion, Women in Academia Support Network (#WiASN) Board Member and Trustee, and Empowering Female Minds in STEMM (EFeMS) Advisory and Strategy Boards.

Dr Danielle (Dani) Pearson is an Assistant Professor and Deputy Director of Teaching Laboratories at the University of Warwick. She is committed to improving the way students learn chemistry in University laboratories by creating supportive, inclusive, and accessible environments. Her work combines research-informed teaching with innovative learning resources to help students build confidence and succeed in laboratory settings.
 
Dani is widely recognised for her leadership in Women in ÉîÒ¹¸£Àû¹ú²ú¾«Æ· initiatives. She plays a key role in shaping Warwick’s Women in ÉîÒ¹¸£Àû¹ú²ú¾«Æ· community, particularly through leading the department’s annual Women in ÉîÒ¹¸£Àû¹ú²ú¾«Æ· Alumni Event, now in its seventh year. This event connects students with alumnae working across academia and industry, offering open conversations about careers, confidence, and experiences in the chemical sciences. Feedback highlights how valuable this event is for students’ development and sense of belonging. Dani also runs an active Women in ÉîÒ¹¸£Àû¹ú²ú¾«Æ· digital outreach presence that shares welcoming, relatable content and highlights diverse chemists and career paths.
 
Beyond gender-focused work, Dani is committed to wider EDI and disability inclusion. As the departmental Disabled Student Champion, she has co-led University-wide improvements to reasonable adjustments in teaching laboratories, helping to strengthen equitable practice across Warwick