Conference Programme 

Download the programme PDF here. 

09:30 – 10:00 | Registration & Coffee 

10:00 – 10:15 | Opening Remarks 

Speaker: Dr Maheen Siddiqui (Chair, Diversity in Developmental Science Network)  

10:15 – 11:15 | Keynote Address: Building Inclusive Research Communities

Speaker: Dr Sakshi Ghai (London School of Economics) 

Description: More details to follow. 

Speaker Bio: 

Dr Sakshi Ghai is an Assistant Professor of Psychological and Behavioural Science at the London School of Economics and Political Science. She holds a PhD in Psychology from the University of Cambridge. Her research focuses on how digital technologies (including social media, gaming, and AI) shape young people’s wellbeing and online safety in the Global South, as well as on diversity in behavioural science. Her work examines sample representativeness, generalisability, and open science, with an emphasis on culturally grounded and rigorous approaches that broaden behavioural research globally. 

11:15 – 11:45 | Coffee Break & Poster Session 

11:45 – 13:00 | Panel Discussion: Advancing Inclusive Research Practices 

This panel brings together researchers and practitioners with expertise in cross-cultural research, participatory and lived-experience-led methods, global research networks, and equity in science and healthcare. 

Panellist Bios: 

Professor Cecilia Essau
Cecilia A. Essau is a Professor of Developmental Psychopathology at the University of Roehampton. She is an expert in the Family Justice System and serves as a Scientific Advisor to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, supporting the dissemination of the evidence-based “Treatnet Family Intervention” for adolescents with drug use disorders. Her work examines the interacting factors that contribute to mental health problems in children, with the aim of improving the assessment of childhood psychopathology and developing more effective prevention and intervention strategies. In 2025, she received the Distinguished Contribution Award from the British Psychological Society’s Developmental Psychology Section. 

Dr Bayparvah Kaur Gehdu
Bayparvah Kaur Gehdu is a Participatory Research Specialist with expertise in neurodiversity studies and community research. Drawing on academic training and lived experience, she co-creates research frameworks that amplify community voices, particularly those from racially minoritised backgrounds, to ensure findings reflect community strengths and needs. Her work bridges developmental psychology, neuroscience, and public health research with participatory approaches to advance equity and inclusivity in research. 

Dr Melissa Washington-Nortey
Melissa Washington-Nortey was born and raised in Ghana, West Africa. She earned her PhD in Developmental Psychology from Virginia Commonwealth University in the United States and holds a master's in Child Development from the University of Haifa, Israel. Her research examines cultural and contextual factors that affect the cognitive, socio-emotionaldevelopment, and mental health of vulnerable children (e.g., children with developmental disorders) and their caregivers, to develop relevant interventions.  She currently works at King’s College London as a postdoctoral research associate and project manager for the SPARK project, a research collaborative between six institutions in Europeand Africa that aims to improve the well-being and mental health of children with developmental disabilities and their caregivers in Kenya and Ethiopia.  

Dr Sasha Henriques
Sasha Henriques is a genetic counsellor, researcher and equity leader embedding inclusion across genomic research and healthcare. She is completing a doctorate on genomics and social justice and is incoming Chair of the Association of Genetic Nurses and Counsellors and incoming Director of Equity and Assurance at Genomics England. She has over a decade of NHS clinical experience, most recently as Principal Genetic Counsellor at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, with specialist practice in cardiac, prenatal and cancer genetics. Her doctoral research at the University of Cambridge examines race, ethnicity, and ancestry data. 

13:00 – 14:30 | Lunch & Poster Session 

14:30 – 16:00 | Workshops 

Workshop 1: Making Mentoring Matter 

Facilitators: Dr Elaine Gourlay & Maleeha Rizwan (Research Culture and Researcher Development Team, University of Glasgow) 

Workshop Description:
Mentoring can be a powerful catalyst for confidence, clarity and career progression, but it truly ‘fits’ when it reflects your lived experience. In this interactive workshop, representatives from the Research Culture and Researcher Development Team at the University of Glasgow explore how to find, shape and use mentoring relationships that are culturally responsive, empowering and values-aligned. 

The session will discuss the knowledge, skills and confidence needed to engage with mentoring while centring lived experience as global majority researchers. Participants can expectpractical tools, honest discussion, and space to reflect on what they really need to make mentoring work for them, whether as a mentor or a mentee. 

Facilitator Bios: 

Dr Elaine Gourlay is a Research Culture Specialist at the University of Glasgow and an Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM)-qualified mentor and coach specialising in inclusive mentoring cultures. She designs and delivers training programmes for researchers, academics and professionals across higher education, and has led mentoring programmes involving over 700 mentors and mentees from postgraduate researchers to senior academic staff. Her facilitation style is interactive, supportive and reflective.

Ms Maleeha Rizwan is a Researcher Development Specialist and Chartered Member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (MCIPD) professional with experience across healthcare, higher education and industry in the UK and Pakistan. Her interests include representation, inclusivity, allyship and self-leadership in inequitable spaces. She leads development activities for research staff at the University of Glasgow and supports the implementation of the Researcher Development Concordat across the institution.

Workshop 2: Building a Competitive Academic Profile 

Facilitator: Shomari Lewis-Wilson & Dr Faith Uwadiae (Wellcome Trust) 

Workshop Description: 

Securing funding is a key part of an academic career, yet the process can often feel opaque and intimidating. This interactive workshop demystifies how funding and fellowship decisions are made, what reviewers look for, and how to build a strong academic profile over time.

Aimed at PhD students and early-career researchers, the session will offer practical insights into the components of successful applications, strategies for confident self-advocacy, and concrete tools to help participants prepare for competitive grants and fellowships.

Facilitator Bios: 

Mr Shomari Lewis-Wilson joined Wellcome in 2018 as part of the Research Funding team and has facilitated the delivery of several multimillion-pound funding programmes. As an inaugural member of Wellcome’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Executive Committee, he implemented changes to promote equity within Wellcome’s culture. His work includes supporting Wellcome’s first policy for grant holders with disabilities, delivering the Institutional Fund for Research Culture, and introducing the Accelerator Awards. Shomari is a founding member and former Chair of the Wellcome Race Equity Network and holds a master’s degree in Clinical Neuroscience from UCL. 

Dr Faith Uwadiae is an Ecosystems Manager at the Wellcome Trust. Her vision is for academic research to be more positive and inclusive, enabling everyone to thrive. Sadly, this is currently not a reality, but she is working on it. Faith works on specific Wellcome research culture initiatives, advises teams across Wellcome on redesigning their funding opportunities to drive better cultures and collaborates with other industry stakeholders to incentivise and transform the research and innovation sector. Faith also leads Wellcome’s work to support Black-led initiatives, which enhance the careers of Black-heritage researchers. Before joining Wellcome, Faith spent 10 years in academic research, which included completing a PhD in Immunology at Imperial College London and working as a post-doctoral researcher at the Francis Crick Institute. It is this time in academia, the people she met and their stories and experiences that fuel her passion to revolutionise and change the system for the better. 

16:00 – 16:30 | Closing remarks & poster prize.