Keble Women in STEM

Hannah Russell (1995 Biological Sciences) and Anne-Marie Imafidon (2006 Maths and Computer Science).

It is always great to see women who excel and champion STEM, and we could not be more proud of the two Keble alumnae, who became part of the Senior Management team of the British Science Association last year.

Anne-Marie Imafidon (2006 Maths and Computer Science) has been elected to serve as President of the society and started in her role in September, while Hannah Russell (1995 Biological Sciences) joined as Chief Executive a month later in October. We have asked Hannah and Anne-Marie how they felt when they learned about the news, and the fact that they get to work together as two Keble alumnae.

Hannah: “I feel incredibly fortunate to have studied at Keble, which gave me the grounding in and love for science that I've carried with me through my career. I’ve always been driven by a belief in the power of science and technology to transform people’s lives. Major global challenges for our time, such as climate change and COVID-19 have shone a spotlight on the need for everyone to be able to use science as a tool to ask questions, support understanding and be able to make informed decisions about its impact on our lives—as well as, of course, the need to secure a strong and more diverse pipeline of scientists, technicians, medics and engineers. I’m immensely proud to have joined the British Science Association (BSA) as their new CEO and delighted to be working with Anne-Marie as this year’s BSA President—she’s a fantastic role model, leader and inspiration for women in STEM.”

Anne-Marie: “As an honorary fellow, Keble continues to feel like home away from home. I had the best of times under the late Senior Fellow Stephen Cameron and continue to see principles of Artificial Intelligence and Intelligent Systems impact the world. Through 10 years of work on my nonprofit Stemettes, being a trustee at the Institute for the Future of Work and brief stint as Channel 4's Countdown arithmetician, my aim of ensuring that folks of all kinds can have problems solved by a breadth and diversity of people in STEM, rather than created through poor practice across the field, feels closer by the day. I'm honoured to have joined the British Science Association (BSA) and their new President and delighted to be working alongside a fellow Keblite to ensure Science is accessible for all.”