Facilitating opportunities for Black bioscience students to see themselves belonging and reflected within the wider scientific community

Black students face significant disadvantages when it comes to achievement at university including differential degree awarding outcomes and poorer employment prospects than their white counterparts. These differences exist at every stage of the student life cycle and persist beyond higher education. Black students often report feeling excluded, not having relatable academics, or lack the soft skills, confidence, and professional networks crucial to their future employability. Consequently, I have taken action to tackle these injustices with proactive measures to not only enhance the student experience for all but cultivate the talent of our Black students. Grasping the importance of students seeing themselves belonging and reflected within the curriculum, I recognised the necessity for facilitating appropriate peer networks and mentors beyond into their wider scientific community. I have done this through establishing several school-wide initiatives affording students first-hand opportunities to interact more broadly with our researchers, external employers, and their own peers to help navigate, apply, and learn more about the prospects available to them. These have included establishing an annual 'Discover Research‘ event, where students can meet/socialise with the next generation of bioscientific researchers (PhD students/post-docs), who look more like them. Partnering with industry to provide year-long employability support packages targeted towards Black students to encourage embracing careers within the pharmaceutical industry. The development of a supportive peer learning network within our tutor scheme to encourage greater inclusivity/engagement through collaborative reflection, discussion, and debate. This presentation outlines these achievements through individual journeys, storytelling, and creation of vital role model networking opportunities.