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Imperial 600 is Imperial College London’s LGBTQ+ network for staff and postgraduate students, and as part of the programming the network offers at Imperial, we host an annual event that puts the spotlight on STEM and the LGBTQ+ community, and this year’s themes are vaccines and volcanoes! While we provide provide more details on the event format, speakers and organisers below, what you need to know and can expect from this event are as follows:
- Learn about world-leading research being done at Imperial, in the STEM field, that is focused on vaccine trials for HIV, which will include insights on the use of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) in the prevention of HIV/AIDS.
- All you wanted to know about geoscience and volcanology – something that feels particularly of the moment given recent eruptions on La Palma (Canary Islands, Spain), from an expert who has been recognized by the Geographic Society for her work.
- Thoughts on the lived experience of LGBTQ+ STEM professionals, and tips on how to encourage inclusivity more broadly.
This event includes not only LGBTQ+ professionals in Higher Education (HE), but also straight allies, EDI leaders, and members of the BAME community.
So join us for a great event, that brings together an unexpected pairing of very interesting content, all from the comfort of your own home!
Event Format
- 12:00-12:02 | Welcome from Imperial 600 Co-Chair Joël McConnell
- 12:02-12:30 | Key Note Address: A talk with Professor Jonathan Weber on European HIV vaccine efficacy trial in Uganda, Tanzania, Mozambique and South Africa.
- 12:30-12:55 | Featured LGBTQ+ Scientific Expert: Dr. Jazmin Scarlett will then speak on Geoscience, Volanoes, and the lived experience of an LGBTQ+, BAME, and STEM expert.
- 12:55-13:00 | Closing with Kani Kamara, Head of the EDI Centre at Imperial College London.
There will be a book giveaway as well, as part of the event, so bring your best questions, and don’t hesitate to engage in the conversation!
About the Speakers
Professor Jonathan Weber, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine (Imperial College)
A clinician by training, Jonathan Weber was also the Jefferiss Professor of Communicable Diseases and Genitourinary (GU) Medicine from 1991-2017. Professor Weber began working on HIV in 1982 and since 2001 he has focused on biomedical prevention of HIV infection. More recently, he has been working on HIV vaccine development, leading the UK HIV Vaccine Consortium, a Wellcome Trust-funded collaboration. Since 2001, he has been running active research projects in Uganda, Tanzania, Mozambique and South Africa. Professor Weber is currently leading the first ever European HIV vaccine efficacy trial in these four African countries, trialling a novel prime-boost immunisation strategy, using experimental HIV vaccine products developed at Imperial, and this most recent work will be the focus of his intervention.
To learn more about Professor Weber here.
Dr. Jazmin Scarlett, Volcanologist (University of Hull)
Dr Jazmin Scarlett is a historical and social volcanologist, combining disciplines in STEM, the social sciences and humanities to understand how people have lived in the past and the present with volcanic landscapes, to inform what it may look like in the future. Research interests include hazard analysis, heritage studies and pedagogy in disaster studies, outreach and science communication. Alongside Jazmin’s academic journey, has been her journey as someone part of the LGBTQ+ community. The two journeys have helped reaffirm her direction as a researcher and who she is as a person. In her session, she’ll be talking about her research, expertise in geoscience, and experience as an LGBTQ+ person in STEM.
Learn more about her recent winning of the Geological Society Award here.
About the Organisers
Imperial 600 was established in 2006 to support lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender staff at the College. The group’s name reflects the estimation that around 10% of the UK’s population is LGBT – in 2006 this equalled 600 of Imperial’s 6,000 staff. Today the network remains an active staff network, welcoming LGBTQ+ staff and postgraduate students and straight allies.
Imperial College London is one of the world’s leading universities, and the College’s 20,000 students and 8,000 staff are working to solve the biggest challenges in science, medicine, engineering and business. Imperial has nearly two thousand key workers, and is at the forefront of coronavirus epidemiology, virology, vaccine development and diagnostics. More than one thousand Imperial staff and students are volunteering to support the NHS.