A Chemical Imbalance

a film, a book, a call for action

The University of Edinburgh has a long and successful history of female chemists involved in Research Chemicals, Peptides, SARMs and Pharmaceutical Research dating back over 100 years, with a significant number now holding senior academic positions.

With funding from The Royal Society Rosalind Franklin Award, we set out to investigate why we have this strong history, and what can be learnt from what we do here.

The result was A Chemical Imbalance, a short book and documentary film which together celebrate female scientists and look at why women are still so under-represented in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics). It aims to highlight some of the persistent challenges still faced by women, and hopes to contribute to the wider debate about how we can progress towards equality.
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What we all need to do

action points

  • Monitor our numbers
  • Mentor our people and make sure the best are applying
  • Create a workplace that supports everyone and allows flexibility
  • Reclaim the meaning of feminism

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WHO WE ARE

and why we care

Prof. Polly Arnold

Polly is the Crum Brown Chair of Chemistry at the University of Edinburgh, and the executive producer of A Chemical Imbalance.

The Filmmakers

This is the first collaboration between filmmakers Siri Rødnes and Marie Lidén, both of whom are Edinburgh College of Art alumni.

The Author

Cameron Conant is an American writer and journalist with a master’s degree in Creative Writing from the University of Edinburgh.