Held on 30 April 2025 at Prince Philip House, London

The 2025 IGNITE Annual Event brought together 49 attendees for a vibrant hybrid gathering at Prince Philip House. The day began with a warm welcome from Professor Becky Lunn, IGNITE Director (University of Strathclyde), setting the stage for a day of insightful discussions and knowledge sharing.

The opening keynote was delivered by Alasdair Henderson (BAM), who shared valuable insights into BAM’s Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) initiatives—highlighting both the successes and the lessons learned. A lively Q&A session followed, engaging the audience in thoughtful dialogue.

The programme continued with presentations on IGNITE’s Prescribed Activities:

• Activity 1: Data Collection – Dr Marco Reggiani (University of Strathclyde)
• Activity 3: Diversity in Energy Publications – Azhar NNurgaliyeva (Imperial College London)
• Activity 5: Mentoring Circles – Dr Neha Chandarana (University of Bristol)

This session concluded with another engaging Q&A, chaired by Professor Lunn. A short coffee break and networking session followed, giving attendees the opportunity to connect and reflect.

After the break, Professor Mustafa Özbilgin, IGNITE Co-Investigator (Brunel University London) chaired the next session, beginning with:

• Activity 7: Working-Class Researchers – presented by Professor Aoife Foley (University of Manchester)

This was followed by presentations from IGNITE’s Flexible Funded Projects and the wider community, starting with the outcomes from the completed EDI Challenges Round 1. These concluded projects shared their findings and ended with a Q&A:

• Energising Equity: Co-developing a Framework for the inclusion of neurodivergent energy researchers - Dr Vanda Papafilippou (University of the West of England)
• PEERS - Pathways for Equal access to the Energy Research Sector /  IPERSUADE – Inclusive Paths to Energy Research through Understanding Apprentice’s Degree Experience - Dr Stewart Beattie (University of Strathclyde)

We then moved on to the flash presentations which showcased a diverse range of projects being undertaken from the EDI challenges, round 2 projects and an EDI project from our organisational member C-DICE:

• Enhancing Inclusion: Evaluating, Co-Creating, and Implementing Effective Practices to Address Barriers for LGBTQ+ Researchers in STEM and Energy - Dr Fabio Fasoli (University of Surrey)
• Bridging the Gap: Collaborative Solutions for Racial Equity in Chemical and Engineering Sciences (remote presentation) - Dr Litka Milian (Durham University) & Dr Dominika Zabiegaj  (Northumbria University)
• Navigating EDI Complexity: Addressing Challenges in Energy Research Sector - Dr Mennan Guder (Cranfield University)
• Understanding barriers to participation in energy sector career pathways for disabled young people: not seen and not heard - Dr Josh Lait (University of Sussex)
• Anticipating Delegate Needs: Reflections on Inclusive Practices at The National Postdoc Conference (remote presentation) - Karishma Joshi (C-DICE)

After lunch, Professor Scott Heath (University of Manchester) delivered the second keynote: "Widening Participation: Our Attempts to Enhance Diversity in PGR Recruitment", which set the tone for the afternoon breakout discussions.  

Prof Becky Lunn presented data from EPSRC studentships data over a 10-year period, highlighting key demographics such as gender, age, disability, and ethnicity.  The breakout groups—both in-person and online—then explored two key questions:

• How can IGNITE+ help increase PGR diversity in energy research at your institution?
• How can we practically implement this idea within the Network?

These lively discussions led into a final summary session, closing the day on a collaborative and forward-looking note. 

�� [View Programme Book]

�� [View Photographs from the Day]

�� Presentations are available on the IGNITE YouTube channel. Slides can also be accessed below.

A heartfelt thank you to the staff at Prince Philip House for their support—especially Marta Dejka and Nima Chatrizeh—for helping make the event a success.