Siobhán Dorai-Raj

I am the Inclusion, Diversity, Equality and Accessibility (IDEA) Manager at the Earlham Institute.

I started working in Norwich Research Park in 2015, at the John Innes Centre initially, where I was a Daphne Jackson Fellow and then a postdoctoral research scientist in the Molecular Microbiology Department. 

While working as a postdoc I founded the NBI’s Parent and Carer Group and joined the Inclusivity & Diversity (I&D) committee, where I learned about the gender equality charter Athena Swan. I was so interested in the Athena Swan charter and EDI work in general, that I decided on a complete career change and left research in 2018 to work in UEA’s Science Faculty as their Athena Swan and EDI project coordinator. 

I returned to the John Innes Centre in 2022 as their new EDI Advisor and lead on the renewal of their Athena Swan Gold award in June 2023. I moved to the Earlham Institute, to take up my role as IDEA manager, in November 2023.

In essence, my role as IDEA manager is focussed around ensuring that the Earlham Institute is an inclusive and supportive place to work, where people’s differences are valued and celebrated. There are many aspects to my role, including supporting the work of our IDEA committee, champions, implementing and monitoring the impact of our Athena Swan and Technician Commitment action plans, analysing our equality data and driving or championing new Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) initiatives.