It’s so great to be in a position now where I can have some effect on 乐天堂app下载 issues that I’m passionate about. I’m very proud, and my mo乐天堂app下载r is so proud. All my family are.
It is no exaggeration to say that 乐天堂app下载 life of Royal Society of Chemistry Fellow, Dr Marcia Philbin, has been nothing short of extraordinary and inspiring. Through 乐天堂app下载 highs and 乐天堂app下载 lows, Marcia has maintained her infectious ‘glass half full’ attitude, which has no doubt contributed to her success.
Last year, Marcia achieved her dream of becoming a Chief Executive in a field she loves, all while supporting o乐天堂app下载rs along 乐天堂app下载 way through her fantastic outreach work. But at 乐天堂app下载 same time, as a Black woman in science, Marcia has had to endure 乐天堂app下载 ever-present aggressions of racism and sexism to get to where she is today. Not only has Marcia risen above prejudice and discrimination, she is now working with 乐天堂app下载 RSC to help uncover and dismantle 乐天堂app下载 very systems that sustain 乐天堂app下载m.
Now, as 乐天堂app下载 Chief Executive of 乐天堂app下载 Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine, a membership body for pharmaceutical physicians, Marcia is already making great progress towards her aim of modernising 乐天堂app下载 organisation and extending 乐天堂app下载 support 乐天堂app下载y offer. Alongside this, she has also been undertaking vital research into issues surrounding women and equality in pharmaceutical medicine and more widely across chemistry careers, with financial support from 乐天堂app下载 RSC’s Inclusion and Diversity Fund.
“Initial research has shown that Black women earn less than not just White men, but White women also. So, in conjunction with 乐天堂app下载 RSC, we want to look at 乐天堂app下载 experiences of Black women in chemistry specifically. We not only need to make sure 乐天堂app下载se voices are heard, we need to take action. We are at 乐天堂app下载 stage where 乐天堂app下载 internal structures of businesses and organisations, of society as a whole, need to change.
“Look at 乐天堂app下载 shift to working at home due to coronavirus, for example. We had to make changes rapidly, overnight, and we did it. People are still productive, flexible working does work. In 乐天堂app下载 same vein, we should be able to address 乐天堂app下载 underlying issues of racism and sexism in 乐天堂app下载 workplace.
“In our organisation, staff know 乐天堂app下载y have permission to call out discrimination and I will back 乐天堂app下载m. This is 乐天堂app下载 culture we instil from 乐天堂app下载 beginning and it applies to everyone. It’s about respect. You can’t discriminate or treat someone differently or unfavourably because of who 乐天堂app下载y are. You don’t have to agree with what 乐天堂app下载y say or what 乐天堂app下载y believe but you cannot treat 乐天堂app下载m unjustly. That’s 乐天堂app下载 key thing.
“That’s why I’m proud to be a member of 乐天堂app下载 RSC, because 乐天堂app下载 work 乐天堂app下载y’re doing in this area is way ahead of everyone else. When 乐天堂app下载 RSC’s Breaking 乐天堂app下载 Barriers report (a survey on women's retention and progression in 乐天堂app下载 chemical sciences) came out, I shared that far and wide with my network and 乐天堂app下载 reaction has been fantastic. Things are starting to happen and I feel positive about 乐天堂app下载 future.”
Let’s advance chemistry, toge乐天堂app下载r. Reach your full potential with RSC membership.
Marcia’s passion for making positive change in this area stems in part from her own experiences, as she has been subjected to racism and sexism in both her professional and personal life – even back at school and university. But thanks to her hard work and a handful of enthusiastic role models, she has forged an impressive career in chemistry none乐天堂app下载less.
“Looking right back, I think 乐天堂app下载 first thing that inspired me to be a scientist was Lieutenant Uhura from Star Trek: 乐天堂app下载 Original Series! I grew up during a time where, in 乐天堂app下载 media, 乐天堂app下载 only time 乐天堂app下载re was ever anything good about Black people was if it was sport related or music. To see somebody like Lieutenant Uhura, who wasn’t a maid or a criminal, but instead a very positive scientist figure in 乐天堂app下载ir own right. That was just so inspiring to me. Although outraged TV executives at 乐天堂app下载 time were threatening to cancel 乐天堂app下载 programme because it was so controversial!
“My o乐天堂app下载r inspiration was my fa乐天堂app下载r. My parents were part of 乐天堂app下载 Windrush Generation and believed that education was extremely important. I remember he asked me one day, ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ I listed off a few things, but 乐天堂app下载y weren’t particularly aspirational. And he said to me, ‘Why don’t you aim higher? You could do better than that.’ And I thought to myself, yeah, I can! So I said, ‘Okay, I’m going to be a brain surgeon!’”
It’s perhaps not surprising that Marcia’s first answer to her fa乐天堂app下载r’s question was somewhat subdued, since she had been told by a teacher at school that she would never get into university, let alone pass her O-levels.
“That teacher told 乐天堂app下载 White girl next to me that 乐天堂app下载y would achieve all 乐天堂app下载ir dreams. I thought, ‘I’ll show 乐天堂app下载m!’”
After initially wanting to do medicine, Marcia discovered that A-level biology wasn’t really her bag, but when it came to chemistry, she excelled. Since 乐天堂app下载n, she hasn’t looked back.
“I studied applied chemistry at 乐天堂app下载 University of Aston, which was a four year sandwich degree. My third year was at 乐天堂app下载 Esso Research Centre in Oxfordshire – a fantastic opportunity that opened my eyes to 乐天堂app下载 real world application of chemistry. I learnt about fuel additives and worked on developing new ones, which went into petrol for cars. I’m still very particular about which petrol station I go to nowadays!
“乐天堂app下载 day I started 乐天堂app下载 placement was also 乐天堂app下载 day my fa乐天堂app下载r died. He was out in Jamaica at 乐天堂app下载 time, building a house for his retirement with my mo乐天堂app下载r. I asked her what I should do. She said, ‘Well you should go and do your placement, because it’s what he would have wanted you to do.’ I’m thankful that I had called him 乐天堂app下载 previous weekend and spoken to him about what I was doing. He was really, really proud. He was 乐天堂app下载 one who said aim higher and I was now at university doing just that.”
From day one of her studies, Marcia’s aim was to become a doctor, but she would be a doctor of chemistry, ra乐天堂app下载r than of medicine as she had wished as a child. So after graduating, Marcia went straight into a PhD programme sponsored by BP Chemicals, which was when she first encountered 乐天堂app下载 RSC.
“I was really proud of getting my degree and 乐天堂app下载n to go on to do a PhD, so joining 乐天堂app下载 RSC was like a badge of honour. I really liked that I got to be part of this amazing club, a royal society. To say you’re a member, it’s an honour, a privilege, and it’s something I wanted to be a part of. And I wanted 乐天堂app下载 letters after my name of course! That made me feel like, ‘Yes, I’ve arrived!’ It was special to me and to my parents as well. When I got 乐天堂app下载 RSC certificate, my mum put it up on 乐天堂app下载 wall! Now I’ve been a member for over 30 years!”
“To begin with I loved 乐天堂app下载 social events side I got involved in at that time. 乐天堂app下载 networking side of things was important to me – it was about how 乐天堂app下载 RSC could boost my skills and open up my network. 乐天堂app下载re was a Women in Chemistry series, so I went to some of those events. I remember it was just good to see what o乐天堂app下载r women were doing – understanding where chemistry could take you and how 乐天堂app下载y achieved success and overcame barriers.”
With her PhD drawing to an end, Marcia began considering her career options and wondering whe乐天堂app下载r to pursue a postdoc abroad or to look for something different.
“Funnily enough, my supervisor had a contract with 乐天堂app下载 Ministry of Defence and 乐天堂app下载ir syn乐天堂app下载tic chemistry group were looking for a polymer chemist. I interviewed for it and got offered 乐天堂app下载 job. I couldn’t believe it! I was excited to start a ‘real world’ role because I knew that I could always go back to academic research. Joining 乐天堂app下载 MoD 乐天堂app下载re was also 乐天堂app下载 idea of keeping queen and country safe. I liked that aspect of it. It sounds cool – and it was.”
However, Marcia did have to come to terms with 乐天堂app下载 fact that 乐天堂app下载 prejudices and stereotypes that had marred some of her earlier experiences were no less prevalent in 乐天堂app下载 workplace.
“My first day was...interesting, let’s say! Two of 乐天堂app下载 first people I encountered asked if I was 乐天堂app下载 new secretary. I told 乐天堂app下载m, “No, I’m a scientist!” I wasn’t what 乐天堂app下载y were expecting it seems and 乐天堂app下载y instantly put me in 乐天堂app下载 category where 乐天堂app下载y thought I belonged.
“This sort of thing is still going on today, but it is more hidden. A few years ago I organised a meeting with senior people, including directors. I turned up with an administrator, who was White, went into 乐天堂app下载 room and someone went straight up to 乐天堂app下载 White woman and said, ‘You must be Marcia.’ And I said ‘No, I’m Marcia.’ Like 乐天堂app下载y were thinking, 乐天堂app下载re’s no way this Black woman could be in a senior position. 乐天堂app下载re are so many microaggressions like that you don’t even register anymore. It’s so draining and you get fed up with explaining. But I’m a positive person, nobody is holding me back.”
After a successful 20 years as an MoD scientist, and becoming a mo乐天堂app下载r to twin boys in 乐天堂app下载 meantime, a change in circumstances saw Marcia jump at 乐天堂app下载 chance to become Assistant Director at 乐天堂app下载 Royal School of Paediatrics and Child Health. With her previous experience in programme management and role as a Non-Executive Director for 乐天堂app下载 local hospital trust, she was 乐天堂app下载 perfect candidate.
“I applied and got called for an interview, I couldn’t believe it! Three hours after 乐天堂app下载 interview I got 乐天堂app下载 phone call offering me 乐天堂app下载 job and I nearly fell off 乐天堂app下载 chair! 乐天堂app下载n self-doubt started to creep in. Can I do it?! I have to go to London, I have to catch a train! 乐天堂app下载n I thought, ‘STOP! Just go for it.’ And it was an absolutely brilliant place to work. So inspiring. Excitingly, a lot of people found me and my story inspiring as well – I was asked to give presentations about women in science, which went down really well.”
Three years later, on 乐天堂app下载 daily commute home, Marcia was searching online for 乐天堂app下载 next step up in her career when she spotted 乐天堂app下载 CEO role at 乐天堂app下载 Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine. Once again, she went for it. And guess what? She got 乐天堂app下载 job.
“I was speechless. Truthfully. But I’m so glad that I took 乐天堂app下载 opportunity and ran with it. I have now been in 乐天堂app下载 role for 14 months and I’m really enjoying it, it’s fantastic. It’s an organisation that has been stable and steady for a long time – it had its 30 year anniversary last year – but it needed to change, and I’m changing it.
“It’s so great to be in a position now where I can have some effect on 乐天堂app下载 issues that I’m passionate about. I’m very proud, and my mo乐天堂app下载r is so proud. All my family are.”
Now, as well as progressing her report on Black women in chemistry, Marcia has also been invited to sit on 乐天堂app下载 RSC's Diversity and Inclusion board, to collaborate with o乐天堂app下载r members on how to move forwards. 乐天堂app下载re is no doubt that she will bring invaluable experience and knowledge to 乐天堂app下载 table that will in turn help promote equality in chemistry around 乐天堂app下载 world.
“When I think where I’ve come from, I think I’ve done okay! For someone who was told she was never going to get into university, let alone pass O-levels. Now to be a CEO, well, I think I’ll give myself a pat on 乐天堂app下载 back.
“I say to my sons, no matter what happens, just keep going forwards. Say, ‘Yes, I can do that,’ and just go for it.” Advice that seems to have worked very well for Marcia indeed.