Uploaded April 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 days ago
How do you tackle the chronic underrepresentation of Black and minority ethnic researchers in UK science, and change who gets seen as an “expert” in the media?
In this episode of the PRCA Fuse podcast, Adrian Ma speaks with Maxine Myers, Communications Manager at Imperial College London, who helped set up Imperial as one of the Media Academies.
The Media Academy is a three‑month programme for BME researchers from Imperial and partner institutions such as the Francis Crick Institute and the Institute of Cancer Research. It offers training in:
- Media interviews and broadcast appearances
- Social media and video storytelling
- Public engagement and communicating with diverse audiences
- Writing opinion pieces and blogs
- Public affairs and policy – including how to get research in front of decision‑makers
Since launching, the Academy has:
- Trained over 130 researchers
- Supported graduates to appear in 700+ national, international and industry media pieces
- Seen participants present at the House of Lords
- Helped secure funding for life‑saving research, from sickle cell care to rapid HIV diagnostics in sub‑Saharan Africa
We discuss:
00:00 – Introduction
01:19 – The stats that reveal the scale of underrepresentation
02:46 – Why visibility and representation in science media matters
04:50 – How the Imperial As One Media Academy works
06:53 – Building community and psychological safety for BME researchers
08:28 – How the course content has evolved over time
10:04 – Success stories: from labs to global media and the House of Lords
11:52 – Why the policy and public affairs module changes perspectives
13:20 – Expanding beyond Imperial and across the sector
15:38 – The impact on Maxine’s own leadership and career
18:05 – The dream: scaling across STEM and into the arts
19:57 – Inspiring the next generation – the power of role models like Big Manny
21:18 – Where to find out more about the Media Academy
How do you tackle the chronic underrepresentation of Black and minority ethnic researchers in UK science, and change who gets seen as an “expert” in the media?
In this episode of the PRCA Fuse podcast, Adrian Ma speaks with Maxine Myers, Communications Manager at Imperial College London, who helped set up Imperial as one of the Media Academies.
The Media Academy is a three‑month programme for BME researchers from Imperial and partner institutions such as the Francis Crick Institute and the Institute of Cancer Research. It offers training in:
- Media interviews and broadcast appearances
- Social media and video storytelling
- Public engagement and communicating with diverse audiences
- Writing opinion pieces and blogs
- Public affairs and policy – including how to get research in front of decision‑makers
Since launching, the Academy has:
- Trained over 130 researchers
- Supported graduates to appear in 700+ national, international and industry media pieces
- Seen participants present at the House of Lords
- Helped secure funding for life‑saving research, from sickle cell care to rapid HIV diagnostics in sub‑Saharan Africa
We discuss:
00:00 – Introduction
01:19 – The stats that reveal the scale of underrepresentation
02:46 – Why visibility and representation in science media matters
04:50 – How the Imperial As One Media Academy works
06:53 – Building community and psychological safety for BME researchers
08:28 – How the course content has evolved over time
10:04 – Success stories: from labs to global media and the House of Lords
11:52 – Why the policy and public affairs module changes perspectives
13:20 – Expanding beyond Imperial and across the sector
15:38 – The impact on Maxine’s own leadership and career
18:05 – The dream: scaling across STEM and into the arts
19:57 – Inspiring the next generation – the power of role models like Big Manny
21:18 – Where to find out more about the Media Academy
