Don’t miss the next EARMA Happy Talk on 24 September 2025 (15:00–16:30 CET, online) with Cheryl Smythe (Altos Labs, UK) and Gemma Llaverias (IDIBAPS, Spain), exploring how research managers can make their workplaces more inclusive and resilient.
Organised by EARMA’s Equality, Culture, Diversity, and Inclusion (ECDI) Thematic Group. The Happy Talk is a quarterly online series that provides a supportive space for discussing key topics in research management, equality, diversity, inclusion, and research culture.
This session will highlight the Roving Researcher scheme, an innovative initiative that promotes gender equality and ensures research continuity during extended periods of leave. Recently featured in Nature, the scheme has also been piloted in European institutions in the UK, the Netherlands, and Spain. Cheryl Smythe will explain how it was designed at the Babraham Institute in 2020, sharing the challenges faced and opportunities created for more inclusive research environments. Gemma Llaverias will present IDIBAPS’ 2024 implementation, its integration with the institute’s Gender Equality Plan, and lessons learned from its first year of implementation.
This Happy Talk is a unique chance to learn actionable strategies that can be applied in your own organisation to foster a supportive, inclusive, and resilient research culture.
Speakers
Cheryl Smythe, Head of Scientific Engagement, Altos Labs, UK
Cheryl holds a PhD in Clinical Biochemistry from the University of Cambridge and postdoctoral experience at Imperial College London. She previously led strategic research development and equality initiatives at the Babraham Institute, where she developed the Roving Researcher Scheme. At Altos Labs, she focuses on culture, collaboration, policy, and process in scientific engagement.
Gemma Llaverias, Head of the Scientific Coordination Office, IDIBAPS, Spain
Gemma holds a Pharmacy degree and a PhD from the University of Barcelona, with postdoctoral training in the US and Spain. Since 2012, she has led the Scientific Coordination Office at IDIBAPS, managing evaluation processes, mentoring programmes, and institutional training activities. Gemma contributes to open science and gender equality policies, serving on the Gender Equality Committee, the HRS4R Working Group, and the Mentoring Committee for tenure-track researchers.
Join us to shape inclusive, diverse, and sustainable research together!
Registration
Register here via the registration form: The meeting link will be sent to registered participants at least one day before the event.
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