News

Queen Mary University of London welcomed researchers from across the UK and beyond on 6 November 2026 for LGBTQ+ STEMinar, a one-day conference celebrating scientific excellence, diversity and collaboration across STEM disciplines.

Returning after a hiatus, LGBTQ+ STEMinar brought together researchers working in science, technology, engineering and mathematics to share their research, exchange ideas and build connections across disciplines and institutions.

Hosted by Queen Mary's Faculty of Science and Engineering at the Mile End campus, the event featured an exciting programme of plenary lectures, contributed talks and poster presentations, showcasing the breadth and quality of research undertaken by LGBTQ+ scientists.

The two plenary speakers were Dr Alex Bond, Principal Curator and Curator in Charge of Birds at the Natural History Museum, and Dr Priya Silverstein, a researcher at the University of Coimbra specialising in metascience and open science. Their contributions reflected the diversity of scientific research represented at the event.

The contributed talks covered an impressive range of subjects, from artificial intelligence, mathematics and astrophysics to neuroscience, ecology, microbiology and engineering. Speakers included Dori Grijseels (Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior), Greg Slabaugh (Queen Mary University of London), Charles Eldrid (University of Manchester), Catherine Tonry (University of Greenwich), Sara Wren Sorkhabi (University of Cambridge), Hope Duncan (University of Leeds), Shaun Keegan (University of Strathclyde), Kate Mowbray (Northeastern University London), Victor Drummond (Loughborough University London) and Jacqueline Taylor (Missouri State University).

Ahead of the conference, speakers also had the opportunity to take part in a science communication training session led by Dom Galliano. Held the day before the STEMinar, the session offered participants an opportunity to develop their communication skills and explore ways of presenting their research effectively to audiences beyond their own disciplines.

The poster session provided further opportunities for researchers to present their work, discuss new ideas and develop connections across different scientific fields.

Beyond the scientific programme, the STEMinar provided a welcoming environment for LGBTQ+ researchers to share their work, exchange ideas and build new connections. The event highlighted the importance of creating opportunities for researchers across disciplines and career stages to come together, both scientifically and socially.

The conference was organised by a team of academics from across Queen Mary's Faculty of Science and Engineering: Ioanna Bechlivanidi, Alex Fink, Claudia Garetto, Tyler Kelly, Nadine Lavan, Anthony Phillips, Charalampos Saitis and Stefaan Verbruggen.

The event was made possible thanks to the generous support of several learned societies, Queen Mary's Research Culture Fund, and Schools across the Faculty of Science and Engineering.

The success of LGBTQ+ STEMinar 2026 reflects Queen Mary's commitment to promoting an inclusive research culture and supporting collaboration across the STEM community.

For more information about the conference and its programme, visit the LGBTQ+ STEMinar 2026 website.