Science is having a moment. STEM occupations in the US are projected to grow nearly three times faster than other jobs between 2024 and 2034. The world needs more scientists, engineers, and technologists — desperately. There's just one glaring problem: it keeps pushing the wrong people out.

Women account for less than a third of STEM employees in both the US and UK. LGBTQ+ professionals face higher rates of workplace harassment than their peers. Black computer science graduates are declining in number. These aren't fringe statistics — they represent a systemic failure hiding in plain sight inside some of the world's most prestigious institutions.

The barriers aren't just cultural. They're baked into admissions processes, lab environments, research cultures, and even how subjects are taught. Autistic students face overstimulation in lab settings. Mature women returners face structural disadvantages. Students with caring responsibilities are often forced into impossible choices.  

But here's what the research actually shows: every one of these barriers is fixable. From redesigning admissions criteria and embedding belonging into course design, to running school outreach programmes and building care-aware research cultures — the solutions exist.

STEM fields must be fuelled by diversity of talent and perspectives to work at their best.