Dr Sope Wolffs is a lecturer in Biomedical science at Cardiff University. With a diverse career background spanning basic and clinical research, trial management and teaching, she is driven by a commitment to people-centred research and inclusive science. On this episode, we discuss Sope’s career trajectory, namely how her personal experience of severe asthma as a child and later experiences engaging with patients with rare condition called IPF, led her to pursue to a PhD in respiratory physiology. Sope tells us about the Equal Breath Priority Setting Partnership (PSP) which seeks to address disparities in lung and respiratory health among Black communities. We discuss the issues of funding in the respiratory health space, limited societal awareness of these issues and the psychological impact of living with these conditions. Sope’s hope is that patient centred research will work towards the goal of helping people breath better.
Host: Tulela Pea, from Black Women Science Network
Guest: Dr Sope Wolffs
Discussed in episode:
Equal Breath PSP Project website
Children and Young People Survey (closes early December 2025)
Adult Survey (closes early December 2025)
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Olympia Amoo, senior research nurse for NIHR BioResource, joins us on this episode. She works on Improving Black Health Outcomes Study in London as part of the NiHR BioResource. She has over 10 years of nursing experience where she eventually qualified in paediatric nursing and struck interest in Sickle Cell Disease and other red cell diseases. Olympia shares with us her story of being diagnosed with a rare condition (TTP) that would eventually shape her career journey into pursuing and advocating for patient centred research. We discuss what research nursing entails, why there continues to be a gap between healthcare and Black communities, the systemic nature of racism and ongoing work that is being done to improve health outcomes. Olympia shares with us what Improving Black Health Outcome study entails, some of the emerging findings from this study and how everyone, including healthy people, can get involved.
Host: Tulela Pea, from Black Women Science Network
Guest: Ms Olympia Amoo
Improving Black Health Outcomes Study
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Dr Sophie Martin is a Research Fellow at University College London, having completed her PhD in Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Medical Imaging in 2025 where her research explored the use of AI models for predicting dementia from brain scans. On this episode, we discuss Sophie’s experience of academia, progressing from bachelors to doctorate in one-go. She also tells us about dementia, the challenges within dementia research and how AI can be used to resolve some of these difficulties. We discuss ongoing questions around AI use in healthcare such as patients safety and privacy concerns and recruitment biases. Outside of her research, Sophie is one of the founding directors of The Blackett Lab Family, a network dedicated to connecting, representing and inspiring the next generation of UK based Black physicists.
Host: Tulela Pea, from Black Women Science Network
Guest: Dr Sophie Martin
Sophie's LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophmrtn/
The Blackett Lab Family - https://theblackettlabfamily.com
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What are chemicals of concern and how do they disproportionately affect minoritised communities. On a previous episode with Simone (X) Braithwaite, we discussed the use of toxic chemicals in beauty and personal care products. Dr Esohe Irabor who is an APHL Public Health Laboratory Fellow with a PhD in Biology from Howard University. She completed doctoral research focused on the impact of psychosocial stress on cardiometabolic disease outcomes in African American communities. On this episode, Dr Irabor joins us in continuation of this discussion with a focus on mercury as a chemical of concern. Dr Irabor outlines what mercury is, its harmful effects and why its harms disproportionately affects Black and brown women. We discuss the ongoing challenges in stopping the use of and access to mercury, as well as the importance of racial representation and inclusivity in engaging affected communities in a factual yet sensitive manner.
Host: Tulela Pea, from Black Women Science Network
Guest: Dr Esohe Irabor, contact her on LinkedIn
Resources mentioned in episode:
1. The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics: https://www.safecosmetics.org
2. The Equity & Wellness Collaborative: https://www.equitywellness.org
3. EWG’s Skin Deep: https://www.ewg.org/skindeep/
4. Black Women For Wellness: https://bwwla.org
5. WeAct for Environmental Justice: https://weact.org
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Just how safe are your cosmetics? Simone (X) Braithwaite works as an Environmental Justice Organizer for Clean Water Action in Newark, New Jersey. On this episode, Simone discusses one of her campaigns called Tea on Toxic Beauty. She introduces us to the concept of beauty justice, which looks at the disproportionate use of toxic chemicals in products marketed to black women and the subsequent adverse health outcomes Black women face as a result. We talk about the ongoing challenges with changing cosmetic legislation and regulation, why companies appear reluctant to move towards non-toxic product formulations and the importance of storytelling to empower and redeem narratives in Black and brown communities.
Host: Tulela Pea, from Black Women Science Network
Information mentioned in episode:
Tea on Toxic Beauty Resources
Boston University Hair Relaxer Study: https://www.bu.edu/ctsi/2023/10/12/first-large-study-of-hair-relaxers-among-black-women-finds-increased-risk-of-uterine-cancer/
Harvard School of Public Health:
Uncovering the dangers of hair products marketed to Black women, girls
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Have you ever wondered whether arts and science can combined? Dwaynica Greaves, a PhD candidate at UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, joins us on this episode to show us how this is possible. Neuroaesthetics seeks to understand the complexities of human behaviour from another lens. Dwaynica’s doctoral thesis explores the effects of theatre training on actor’s sense of self. We discuss the implications of neuroaesthetics research in the development of prosocial behaviours. Dwaynica also shares her experiences of being in academia, the challenges of funding and the great benefit of having supportive supervisors. She has also contributed a chapter to the Black PhD Experience.
Host: Tulela Pea, from Black Women Science Network
Contact Dwaynica Greaves on her website!
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Laila Fadli Dokkali works at Mercedes High Performance Powertrains as a Simulation Engineer for their Formula One Team. Her love for engines and races as a child, led her to pursuing a career in Motorsports where she gained an Aerospace Engineering degree. Laila tells us some of challenges she experienced as a Black autistic child in the education system growing up in Spain. She shares how gaining supportive adjustments in university allowed her to flourish and excel in academics. Laila tells us about the lack of diversity and representation within Motorsports and how she is working to change this through being an D&EI advocate and her work at Motives.
Host: Tulela Pea, from Black Women Science Network
Contact Laila Fadli Dokkali
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April is National autism Awareness Month. Yet, research on Black autistic people remains elusive even today. On this episode, Dr Shereen Everett, a recently qualified clinical psychologist, takes through her doctoral research project exploring Black autistic women’s experiences. Dr Everett shares her experience of getting onto the clinical psychology doctorate, including the challenges. She then explains her research methodology and findings in-depth. Her research highlights the importance of representation and diversity in how society views and identifies autism in the Black community. Dr Everett looks forward to publishing her research to increase awareness and empower Black women to embrace their autistic identity.
(Please note: this episode was recorded in October 2024 when Shereen was still completing her training)
Host: Tulela Pea, from Black Women Science Network
**Clarification: At 50min 23s, Tulela makes a comment that “we do have a particular idea of what autism looks like, a little white boy throwing a tantrum”. To be clear, she was referring to how this is society’s stereotypical idea of what autism entails.
Contact Shereen Everett:
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2024 was a busy year for the podcast. Tomi Akingbade, BWiS Founder, and Tulela, Podcast Host, go through the stats for the fan favourites, recap some episodes and discuss their goals and hopes for the podcast in 2025.
Host: Tulela Pea, from Black Women Science Network
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Jaylene Kunaoye, a cosmetic scientist working in the compliance area of the industry where products are rigorously tested for effectiveness and safety. On this episode, she defines what cosmetics are, their function and how they are made. We discuss the increasing ant-chemical culture when it comes to products and how the consumers can give ingredients, like parabens and SLS, bad reps without understanding the chemical structures involved. Jaylene offers helpful insight into reading product labels and some beauty tips for Black women.
Host: Tulela Pea, from Black Women Science Network
Get in touch with Jaylene!
YouTube Channel - Jaylenekunaoye
Instagram - @jaykuns._
TikTok - @jaykuns
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Dr Jade Bleau is a plant scientist looking at molecular interactions between plants and aphids. On this episode, she takes us through what aphids are, how they affect plant immune systems and, consequently, affect food crop plants. Dr Bleau tells us about the benefit of plants having genetic resistance to aphids versus relying on external measures like insecticides. She briefly explains the strict legislation around gene-edited and/or genetically modified foods. Dr Bleau ends with her volunteering work for Black Botanists Week and Black In Plant Science.
Host: Tulela Pea, from Black Women Science Network
***Black in Plant Science Inaugural Conference (Tuesday, 22 October 2024) - Click here to sign up!
Check out Black in Plant Science UK:
@blackinplantsci - X (formerly known as 'Twitter')
@blackinplantsci - BlueSky
@blackinplantscienceuk - LinkedIn
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Working as an Oxford-trained virologist and science journalist, Dr Layal Liverpool exposes how racism pervades across healthcare and society in her first ever book. She posits that the systemic presence of racism drives racial health disparities globally. She explains how racism negatively influences medical methodologies, screening tools and medical practices, and how this, consequently, results in poorer health outcomes for people of colour. We talk about some of the topics and research in her book, including mental healthcare access, environmental justice, missing data in research and the collective responsibility we all have to dismantle racism and foster health equity.
Host: Tulela Pea, from Black Women Science Network
To buy Dr Liverpool's book and find out more about her work, click here!
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Michelle Jima is the CMO and co-founder of MM Dating, which is a dating and events tech app for Black people. Their mission is to build lasting relationships and connections within the Black community to foster a sense of togetherness. We talk about what dating is like in the UK and how other dating apps often lack specific insight into cultural nuances and experiences of the African and Caribbean community, such as tribes, language and even Sickle Cell Anaemia. Michelle explains the differences between online dating, having a personal matchmaker and real-life events. She gives her perspective on how technology affects our perception of choice and how our impatient society affects our ability to be patient and give people a chance to redeem themselves from awkward messages.
Host: Tulela Pea, from Black Women Science Network
Download the MM Dating App here:
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Dr Amani Zarroug is a Clinical Psychologist and Relationship and Psychosexual Therapist with over 20 years experience in this field. She tells us how she got into psychology and the relationship side of her role. We talk about whether psychology is a science o not, the meaning of ‘evidence based practice’ in therapeutic settings, different psychological models, the role of the brain in sexual interactions, the negative side to love languages, how to manage conflict and the growing use of therapeutic language online.
Host: Tulela Pea, from Black Women Science Network
Contact Dr Zarroug - https://www.dramanizarroug.com
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Juliana Eniraiyetan, a data analyst at a pharmaceutical company, explains her interest in the data space, how she got involved, the impact of data driven decision making and the differences between data analysis and data science. Juliana takes through her career journey and shares how the importance of pivoting and adapting throughout your science career as well as the underrated importance of enhancing your soft skills on top of your technical skills.
Host: Tulela Pea, from Black Women Science Network
Contact Juliana:
juliana@bwisnetwork.com
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Dr Nicola Patron and Dr Mikhaela Neequaye are plant scientists. They explain what plant science is and how plants have a broad role in society from ecology to pharmaceuticals to cosmetics (like fragrances and creams) to agricultural crops. They each tell us how they got into plant science and their current research interests. Dr Patron looks at various engineering approaches, including synthetic biology. Dr Neequaye is a chemical ecologist with specific interests in pollination. As one of the founders of Black in Plant Science, Dr Patron explains why they created this network and what they hope to achieve for existing and aspiring plant scientists. Dr Neequaye explains how she got involved in the network, the colonial history of botany and how its glorified botanists, such as Carl Linnaeus, have complicated histories. They explain how they have navigated racism and microagressions within their fields, and how connecting, celebrating and cultivating Black plant scientists changes the narrative.
Host: Tulela Pea, from Black Women Science Network
Get in touch with Black in Plant Science!
Website - blackinplantscience.org
Twitter - @blackinplantsci
BlueSky - @blackinplantsci
LinkedIn - @blackinplantscienceuk
Email - info@blackinplantscience.org
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Bushra Schuitemaker joins us once again for a deeper dive into her PhD looking at poultry welfare and agricultural sustainability. As a Black woman in the agricultural space, Bushra gives an overview of the industry: the complexity of sustainability in how it intersects with animal health/welfare, economic sustainability and biodiversity; The food insecurity problem in the UK; the long-debated question of going vegan to save the planet; How to make food fashionable and working together with other disciplines to give a holistic solution to the global problem of climate change and sustainability.
Host: Tulela Pea, from Black Women Science Network
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Is there a science to Black hair? Rachel Marcelin and Samantha Stewart, are two of three co-founders for CURLiD, an online trichology (hair science) platform that provides a hair analysis service and various resources and salon training. They explain how science can help us understand how our curly hair works; the different follicles and hair types it produces, different curly hair growth rates and why kinkier hair strands have specific characteristics of fragility and dryness. We talk about the effect of texturism has had on Black women's self-esteem and self-acceptance and how we place unrealistic expectations on our hair to behave a particular way. We bust some natural hair myths and trends, such as using the infamous 'float test' for hair porosity, the curl categories we use (Type 1a - Type 4c, not spoiler alert: that's not scientific!) and the difference between dry and damaged hair. Rachel and Samantha tell us that understanding our unique hair profile means that we can pick the best products for our natural hair and make navigating the store aisle much easier.
Host: Tulela Pea, from Black Women Science Network
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Check our other episodes on hair:
Black Hair with Dr Sharon Belmo (dermatologist)
The Issue of Hair Discrimination with Jane Iwo (co-founder of the Halo Code)
Celebrating World Afro Day with Michelle De Leon (CEO and Founder of World Afro Day)
Isabel Overton created inu, a restaurant discovery and reviewing platform birthed out a negative dining experience at restaurant in London. We talk about how racism can affect Black diners’ experiences at restaurants. Isabel gives us insight into her plans to make inu an app no-code, the role technology and data play in the development of inu, how to network, build a community around your vision and have a strong sense of purpose.
Host: Tulela Pea, from Black Women Science Network
For information about inu:
Instagram: @inudining
Website: https://www.inudining.com/
Isabel's LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/isabel-overton-104669100
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Jessica Johnson is an astrogeophysicist with an interest in planetary science and medicine within the field of aerospace medicine. On this episode, we take a deeper dive into her experiences as a Black woman within the field; enduring racism in Antartica, the importance of following your dreams, and her own future plans as she progresses in her career.
Host: Tulela Pea, from Black Women Science Network
Contact Jessica via email: jessica.te.johnson@gmail.com
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