Professor David K. Smith
Diversity work
Awards
- LGBT+ Trailblazer, Chemical and Engineering News, 2022
- Barbara Burford Award (Shortlisted), Gay Times, 2017
- Top 25 Chemists to Follow on Twitter, Chemical and Engineering News, 2017
- 175 Faces of Chemistry, Royal Society of Chemistry 2014
Positions of responsibility
- Member of Royal Society of Chemistry Inclusion and Diversity Committee, 2017-2023
- Academic Chair of University of York Widening Participation Initiatives, 2012-2021
Diversity activities
LGBT+ advocacy in STEM
As a gay scientist, I took the decision to be a vocal advocate for LGBT+ scientists.
One way I achieve this is that some of the longer term applications of our research connect with my husband’s illness (cystic fibrosis, lung transplant and eventual rejection) and untimely death. When delivering research lectures, or outreach talks to school students, I always talk about this inspiration behind our research. By explaining our science within this context, the audience are engaged within my personal story, and I can instantly bring my ‘whole self’ into a room full of strangers. I have watched this approach have a remarkable impact on audiences and believe it is a hugely powerful means of LGBT+ advocacy.
In 2014, I wrote an influential article in Chemistry World exploring the invisibility of LGBT+ scientists. This is a topic I have spoken on many times at universities across the world as well as in private sector companies. I revisited the topic in 2019, in an article published in Matter.
Within my own department I have advocated for LGBT+ students experiencing difficulties during their degree. I organised a survey of our undergraduates to find out more about the LGBT+ learning experience, which was in general very positive as a result of ‘out’ role models. As a result of this survey, the department introduced named LGBT+ contacts. We have also become a leading department with regard to the rights of transgender students and employees implementing a number of significant changes.
As a member of the Royal Society of Chemistry Diversity Committee, I have led initiatives on LGBT+ Diversity, in particular, a major survey of LGBT+ physical scientists working in the UK leading to the report ‘Exploring the Workplace for LGBT+ Physical Scientists’. This was followed up with a toolkit to encourage change.
Fathers in STEM
As an adoptive father, I have advocated for part-time and flexible working, and have taken advantage of both of these during my own career. As a bereaved single father, I am currently working part-time flexi so that I can align time off with school holidays.
I have written about the role of fatherhood in Chemistry World, exploring the differences in the ways mothers and fathers are treated, and the way in which cultural changes could radically change the landscape of STEM. Indeed, this is a subject on which I also wrote a blog. I have also explored this topic alongside the ‘Women in Supramolecular Chemistry (WiSC)’ network and we published an article in Nature Reviews Chemistry.
Widening participation
I am passionate about widening participation in Higher Education to under-represented groups. I was Academic Chair of the Next Step York and Realising Opportunities initiatives, which work with Year 12 and 13 students from underprivileged backgrounds. These schemes give students real experience of university study, support them through academic assignments, and ease the transition to a university setting. As a result of advocacy from our team and others, University of York decided to introduce contextualised entry offers for all students from disadvantaged backgrounds. I often speak to WP students about my experience going to university from a very mixed comprehensive school in Stockport.
Decolonisation and diversification of chemistry
I have been part of a team aiming to decolonise and diversify our teaching here in York. In particular, I developed some of the strategic approaches used to diversify teaching. Our approach has been published in a highly impactful Journal of Chemical Education article and was further discussed in a major Nature interview.
Logo for York Chemistry, decolonising chemistry project - a globe in a round-bottomed flask.
