THE DIVERSITY IN DEVELOPMENTAL SCIENCE CONFERENCE

The first Diversity in Developmental Science Conference took place on the 23rd of April 2026 at Birkbeck, University of London. The conference explored inclusive research practices, strategies for broadening representation in developmental science samples, and ways of fostering a more equitable and supportive research culture.

Conference Summary

The day featured a keynote from Dr Sakshi Ghai (London School of Economics) on building inclusive research communities, a panel discussion bringing together researchers and practitioners working across cross-cultural research, participatory methods, global research networks, and equity in science and healthcare, and two interactive workshops — one on culturally responsive mentoring delivered by Dr Elaine Gourlay & Maleeha Rizwan from the Research Culture and Researcher Development Team (University of Glasgow), and one on building a competitive academic profile and navigating funding applications delivered by Shomari Lewis-Wilson & Dr Faith Uwadiae from the Wellcome Trust. Two poster sessions ran alongside the programme, showcasing work on any topic within developmental science.

You can find the full programme here.

Click here for a summary of the panel discussion.

Attendee Feedback

See below for a breakdown of attendance and attendee feedback for the conference.

Feedback_summary_FINAL2.pdf

Awards and Photos

Congratulations to the travel award winners, Gina Chan, Kate Fryer, Mohini Fowlader and Sarah Meyer, and to the poster prize winners Gina Chan (Leher Singh Award), Antonia Jordan-Barros, Zinnatun Nahar and Bethan Grimes for their outstanding contributions to the conference.