POC:STEM

The POC:STEM initiative aims to give a voice to unheard and unseen people of colour undertaking a career in Science, Technology, Engineering or Maths, in an effort to show that the white man in a lab coat isn’t the only one who contributes to the pursuit of knowledge.

“The Black Girl”… At one of Europe’s leading scientific institutions, a black female PhD student was informed that some members of staff were referring to her as “The Black Girl”. Although shocking, you could say it was a seemingly logical thing to do, as even with billions of euros in funding and hundreds of staff, she was the only black female in the institution.

By showcasing the incredible work these people do, SUM hopes to inspire a new generation of STEM peers, while shining a light on the hurdles POC must overcome in order to be successful in their field.


  • Hillary Juma

    Hillary Juma

    A South-Londener born and raised, Hillary started off in politics working as a parliamentary assistant to an MP. After learning how to code and helping out charities such as the Brixton Soup Kitchen, Hillary ventured into the world of technology and now works for the Mozilla Foundation; an organisation built on the belief that the…

  • Grace Esia

    Grace Esia

    Born in Italy to Ghanaian parents, sound engineer Grace Esia is in her words a “Unicorn”. From dreaming of Beyonce to single handedly running the tech at the recent Bottle Factory event, Grace is force of nature who lights up whatever room she’s in. We sat down with her for a coffee to decompress after…

  • Deji Ijishakin

    Deji Ijishakin

    The self-styled Philosopher King, Deji is a multi-talented Neuroscientist with interests in the bridge between neuroscience, computing and theoretical physics. Starting on Deji’s interests in his field, our conversation soon turned to theoretical neuroscience and consciousness, all without an old white man in sight… What are you up to at the moment? Right now I’ve…

  • Axel Bah

    Axel Bah

    Currently working as a Data scientist for a company that provides Covid-19 screening services, Axel is a biomedical scientist whose past research includes studies on bacteria involved in cystic fibrosis, and anti-microbial products. After touching on his work, Axel speaks on his experiences in science, imposter syndrome, and the lack of POC representation in the…

  • POC:STEM / Kemi Oloyede

    POC:STEM / Kemi Oloyede

    Our first interview for the POC:STEM project is with analytical chemist and toxicologist …, Kemi Oloyede. Kemi first studied at Coventry and Kings College … London Universities before pursuing their work in research and industry. Since the start of the pandemic, they have also struck out a …