A Diverse View of Science to Catalyse Change

Valuing diversity leads to scientific excellence, the progress of science and most importantly, it is simply the right thing to do. We can value diversity not only in words, but also in actions.

Science policy deals with creating the framework and codes of conduct that determine how science can best serve society. [4][5][6] Discussions around science policy are often accompanied by anecdotes of "good" and "bad" practices regarding the merits of diversity and inclusion. Excellence and truth, which flow inexorably from diversity and inclusion, are the bedrocks upon which science should influence political and economic outcomes.Avital area of science policy is to support the professional development of marginalized scientists,a no bjective that must be acted upon by scientific leaders and communicators.

Diversity 101
To paraphrase Zimmerman and Anastas, [7] on the topic of green chemistry,ifpeople are confused about what diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) are,i tis difficult to imagine that from confusion will arise ac lear path on how to implement them. If we want to achieve DEI in science,w en eed to be clear about the definitions of the following key terms.
Diversity. Theways in which people differ, encompassing all the characteristics that make one individual or group distinctive. [8] Thedimensions of diversity include,but are not limited to (i)ethnic or national origins,s kin colour or nationality,( ii)gender,g ender identity and gender expression, (iii)sexual orientation, (iv) background (socio-economic status,i mmigration status or class), (v) religion or belief (including absence of belief), (vi)civil or marital status, (vii)pregnancya nd maternity,p aternity,p arental leave and (viii)age and (ix) disability. [9] Equity. Thef air treatment, access and opportunity that leads to the advancement of all peoples.E quity is about striving to identify and remove barriers that have prevented the full participation of some groups.Improving equity means increasing justice and fairness within the processes of institutions or systems,aswell as communication and sharing of resources.A ddressing issues of equity require ad eep understanding of the sources of disparity in our society. [10] Inclusion. Thea ct of creating an environment in which any individual or group feels (i)welcomed, (ii)safe,( iii)supported, (iv) respected and (v) valued to participate.A n inclusive and welcoming culture embraces differences and offers respect in words and actions to all people.I ti s important to note that while an inclusive group is by definition diverse,adiverse group is not always inclusive. Increasingly,r ecognition of implicit bias helps organizations to be constructive about addressing issues of inclusion. [10] Implicit bias. People are not neutral in judgement and behaviour,b ut instead have experience-based associations and preferences or aversions without being consciously aware of them. [11] Microaggressions. These are often manifestations of implicit bias,typically in the form of comments or actions. [12] Marginalized scientists. Scientists who are at the periphery of social, economic and scientific discussions.
Thereason marginalized scientists leave science,technology,engineering and mathematics (STEM) is not an accident. It results from the historic expectations of how as cientist should be perceived. [13] Thep ursuit of equity will dismantle these beliefs,d riving policyd evelopment and creating equal access to positions of leadership and opportunities for all.
This article is am essage for (i)current and future scientists,( ii)students,m entors and educators,( iii)science communicators,(iv) publishers and (v) science policy makers. It has two purposes:( 1) Provide marginalized scientists and their allies as pace to talk about their approach towards scientific advancement, mentorship and how to challenge systemic injustice and (2) Provide actionable advice to implement equity in academia and related businesses and organizations.

Identifying and quantifying inequity
Science can only expand the research questions and problems defined as important with ab road pool of life experiences and knowledge.N on-diverse academic environments are closed communities that reinforce traditional stereotypes of who gets to be as cientist. This situation is analogous to the political science phenomena known as "echo chambers". [14] Each country has its own demographics,a nd consequently the make-up of marginalized populations may differ. Most well-represented scientists-that means scientists that conform to the cultural expectations of how scientists should look and behave-do not know or understand the challenges that exist for marginalized scientists.The first step towards beginning to understand these challenges is to listen to marginalized scientists.W em ust then follow by collecting reliable data, informed by the individual experiences of marginalized scientists. [15,16] Fore xample,i nt he UK, a2 018 report by the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) noted that the percentage of students from minority groups falls from 26 %a tt he undergraduate level to 14 %a tt he postgraduate level. [17] Unfortunately,t his study was not able to show the ethnicity data for staff in higher-education settings.T his incomplete dataset highlights the need for transparent and consistent reporting of DEI data from universities.T he RSC also shared that the percentage of minority ethnic chemical scientists in academia appears to drop significantly with increasing career stage. [17] Meanwhile,inthe US,astudy by C&EN found that 12.3 %of the US population is Black, yet only 1.6 %o fc hemistry professors at the top 50 US universities are Black. [18] Mapping the diversity landscape of academia across hierarchies is vital to understanding the severity of the underrepresentation of marginalized scientists.T his data should be collected and reported on ar egular basis so that progress can be monitored transparently.T his information gathering will give organizations aquantitative perspective of diversity in their communities,a nd provide context to create equitable policies and practices.

Supporting marginalized scientists
Discrimination and lack of social connections in the scientific community have an egative impact on the experiences and performance of marginalized scientists, [19][20][21] ranging from poor physical and mental health, to low selfesteem. [22][23][24] Thep sychological cost of not feeling socially or professionally connected is impactful, persistent and has as imilar effect as physical pain. [24,25] Regardless of minority status,marginalized populations experience ahigher amount of stress. [26] Every member of the scientific community has ad uty to act and create support structures that promote the career development of marginalized scientists.B elow are some examples of specific support systems,a nd how they play akey role in amarginalized scientistscareer.
Mentorship. Supporting the personal and professional growth, development, and success of scientists through the provision of career and mental-health advice. [27] Mentorship has an overall positive effect on retention and career success of mentees across STEM disciplines. [27] Despite current efforts in DEI, however, marginalized individuals enrolled in STEM degree programs typically receive less mentorship than their well-represented peers. [28,29] Research has shown that marginalized scientists already dedicate more hours of service engaging in invisible work, including mentorship,than their peers. [30,31] This imbalance reduces their available time to perform tasks that are deemed more valuable for career progression. Mentoring marginalized scientists should also be the responsibility of well-represented scientists.
Online peer communities.C ommunities such as #Scien-ceTwitter are free resources to build connections,learn about career opportunities,a nd share expert advice. [32] These platforms can increase the visibility and reach of scientific work. [33] Scientists can increase their visibility and use their platform to promote marginalized colleagues.
Financial support. Thebarriers for marginalized scientists pursuing and engaging in scientific careers can be reduced through financial support. [34] Scientists and scientific organizations need to create and promote equitable financial aid opportunities that support marginalized scientists in career development and be mindful of the costs of participating in networking events.
Effectivei nclusion and diversity support. These systems can identify,a nd address,t he negative experiences of marginalized researchers;t hey must be approachable,t rustworthy and accountable.Research suggests that such support is best provided through independent and impartial structures. [27] Recognizing the work of marginalized scientists. It is crucial that the achievements of marginalized scientists be valued, respected and credited appropriately. [35,36] This recognition involves (i)reading their work, (ii)engaging in their discoveries,( iii)cooperating in joint research projects,( iv) citing their work and (v) nominating them for leadership positions and awards.

Expanding and redefining excellence
Excellence in science is often equated to fundamental discoveries with broad societal impact. Theconventional view of excellence was historically shaped within non-diverse communities that celebrate heroes of science like Isaac Newton, Thomas Edison and Albert Einstein as pop-culture icons-geniuses isolated from societal context. [37] This narrow perception of excellence results in funnelling of resources into the hands of already recognized, established and wellrepresented scientists-the perceived heroes of tomorrow. Further,itlimits the progress of science and the development of fundamentally new ideas,a nd interdisciplinary fields of investigation. [38] Diversity in science has helped to bring forward advances in areas that the well-represented cannot fathom, because they do not share the problems and perspectives of marginalized scientists.F urthermore,t he technical and societal problems that marginalized scientists value are not weighted equally.I ti s, not only,t hat well-represented scientists have anarrower conception of what constitutes excellence,but also many of them will fail to attain the level of excellence that the achievements of marginalized scientists already have in contemporary society.
If we want to renew our understanding of excellence,w e must also renew the composition of the bodies that define it. This renewal could be achieved through the tenure and promotion process.I no rder for the promotion process to be equitable,a ll the achievements of scientists in research, teaching,a nd service must be included in the redefinition of excellence. [39] Academics should care about DEI because marginalized scientists matter.A cademia has been slower to embrace diversity than the private sector where diversity has been linked to the financial bottom line,i nt hat the more diverse the corporation, the more valuable and profitable is the company. [40] Ab road understanding of excellence embraces the diversity of the creators and beneficiaries of science.A s institutions redefine excellence to include all, the benefits for all will be tremendous. [40,41] Inclusion in the publishing space Scientific communication throughout the mass media and academic outlets remains the fundamental pillar of the relationship between scientists and society. [42] Participants in the publishing process,however,donot yet universally reflect the diversity of the scientific community,which itself does not reflect the diversity of society as aw hole. [43] This lack of diversity reduces the participation of marginalized groups when it comes to publishing. Their inclusion will not occur until stakeholders from all parts of the scientific community are represented at all levels of the publishing process.T his change means:( i) shaping journal policies,( ii)influencing daily operations,(iii)choosing reviewers,(iv) giving guidance to editorial staff and (v) hiring more diverse teams.M arginalized scientists need to play leadership roles in the establishment of advisory and editorial boards within publishing houses.
Journals can create am ore equitable and trustworthy publishing process by stating their mission initiatives clearly and making direct statements addressing any kind of bias against marginalized groups.T hese statements should be updated annually and be supported by data analysis on the diversity of (i)frontline editorial teams,( ii)reviewers,a nd (iii)authors both of submitted manuscripts and accepted articles.G iven this transparent information, publishers can identify biases and take steps to eliminate them. Alarger and equitable talent pool would also unburden the marginalized scientists who are currently stretched thin across editorial positions.

Conclusion
Theu ptake of DEI support structures has started to address shortcomings,a nd we see an upward-but often anecdotal-trend in the inclusion of some marginalized groups in STEM. These efforts,h owever, focus on dealing with the consequences,r ather than eliminating systemic discrimination and implicit bias in academia. [44] All scientists can contribute to reducing the impact of implicit bias by accepting,l earning, and identifying their own biases through active and continuous self-assessment. Fore xample,P roject Implicit, an on-profit organization, has developed as et of online tools for understanding attitudes,s tereotypes and other hidden biases that influence perception, judgment and action. [45] Reducing the inequalities in STEM requires adata-based, holistic approach to DEI. We all need to become advocates of marginalized scientists and give them equitable opportunities to advance their careers because it is ultimately the right thing to do.T he result will not only be ab roader pool of future talents,b ut also an unprecedented level of excellence that amore colorful and inclusive scientific community can attain.
We have collected statements from scientists that come from all walks of life to share how they value DEI initiatives (https://chemistrycommunity.nature.com/channels/diverseviews-in-science). These statements contain individual calls to action, as well as broader advice to the younger scientists.W e hope that you find them interesting and, in the words of Michael Polanyi, [46] to use them for a"coordination by mutual adjustment of independent initiatives." Let us use these statements to learn from each other as we do in science.