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EMBL’s new Head of People and Culture Development brings a passion for equality, diversity, and inclusion, plus a love for unlikely inspirational sources, including Winnie the Pooh
A Formula One fan from a young age, Sarah Dickinson Hyams went to her high school career adviser hoping to parlay this interest into a potential career. Though she wasn’t optimistic about her chances as an F1 driver, she expected to explore related options, such as engineering or mechanics. Instead, the career adviser encouraged her to consider a career in childcare, and called university an ‘unlikely path’ for her.
This was a formative experience, which, combined with a special A-level sociology teacher who had a passion for social justice, fostered Dickinson-Hyams’s lifelong interest in equality. She went on to study social science and worked in a range of international organisations on initiatives focused on encouraging equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI). Earlier this year, Dickinson Hyams joined EMBL as its new Head of People and Culture Development, a role that combines professional development with strong EDI principles.
We had the chance to hear from Dickinson Hyams about her career journey, her thoughts on EDI in the context of academic organisations, and her traipses around town with Bear, her new puppy.
Tell us about your professional background.
I’ve worked in diversity and inclusion for over 20 years now. I have a BA (hons) in Social Science from the University of Brighton and an MSc in Gender, Sexuality, and Society from Birkbeck University. After university, I worked at the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC), where I started in a temp job in the press office. I went on to join the Science Policy team, first as Science Policy Assistant and later promoted to Science Policy and Diversity Specialist.
A substantial part of my role at RSC was working on projects that looked at diversity and good practice in science. I managed projects on good working practice in science departments, the gendered experience of chemistry and molecular biology PhDs, and the factors affecting A-level and undergraduate subject choices by ethnic groups.
After the RSC, I moved to the University of Cambridge, where I was part of the EDI team and managed the Women in Science, Engineering, and Technology Initiative, running events, projects, and data collection and analysis. My role also focused heavily on career development initiatives, especially for early-career women scientists, including skills-based career development seminars, a CV mentoring scheme, and a seminar series on science careers called ‘Cake and Careers’.
I then moved to a UK sector agency called the Equality Challenge Unit (ECU) to run the Athena Swan Charter, which was then a UK membership awards scheme to recognise universities’ contributions to improving the recruitment and retention of women in STEM. I grew the Athena Swan Charter into a scheme that was intersectional, covered more than gender and STEM, and operated outside of higher education to include research institutes, including those outside the UK – in Ireland, Australia, the US, Canada, India, Brazil, and Cyprus.
In 2017, ECU merged with two other sector agencies to form Advance HE, a new member-led charity for global higher education and research organisations, which focused on equality, diversity, and inclusion; teaching and learning; governance; and leadership development.
As part of the restructure during the merger, I became Assistant Director for International Charters and was responsible for growing the reputation, influence, and operations of the diversity charters globally. I got to work with a broad range of national and international partner organisations, including universities, research institutes, professional bodies, funders, national policymakers and government agencies.
Why do you believe EDI is important for academic or research institutions?
I believe that EDI is important for all organisations, but it’s especially important for academic and research institutions where creativity, collaboration, and innovation are key to successful and excellent research.
Science cannot reach its full potential unless it can benefit from the talents of everyone, and creating inclusive and safe environments where everyone can thrive is key to that. EDI is about creating work environments and cultures that are fair and equitable and where everyone, no matter who they are, or where they’re from, can succeed. It is well documented and researched that having a diverse workforce and diverse leadership is linked to greater social impact and staff satisfaction. EDI should not be considered as a nice-to-have, but an essential part of all successful organisations.
Your new role as Head of People and Culture Development at EMBL combines professional development with EDI principles. Could you tell us more about how these areas intersect and why it makes sense to focus on these together?
Sure! Career development and EDI actually go hand in hand. Diversity and inclusion are essential components of a thriving and innovative workplace and play a crucial role in shaping successful career development.
Access to good career development pathways, opportunities, and frameworks is fundamental for recruitment and retention, as well as career progression, and in today’s evolving work environments, career development requires an understanding of EDI.
The success of international and multilateral organisations depends on a supportive, diverse workplace that attracts, develops, engages, and retains people of the highest calibre. Equally important is the ability to develop a people-centred and values-based culture that fosters high performance, results focus, and agility, and encourages innovation to drive organisational effectiveness.
Anchoring EDI in professional development feels like the strongest way to ensure it is visible, relevant and embedded in every part of how people grow at EMBL. By aligning it directly with career and professional development, we can build a more powerful, joined-up story: investing in people and building an inclusive culture are not separate agendas, but two sides of the same vision at EMBL.
What are your priorities during your first year as Head of People and Culture Development at EMBL?
I think it’s really important when you’re new to an organisation – and your work relates to people and culture – to take some time to understand the organisation. That understanding is crucial to being able to gather the data and evidence that you need to design and implement the right initiatives that will have an impact.
EMBL already has an EDI strategy and action plan, so my team and I are currently going through that to see what has already been achieved, what still needs to be done, and taking an evidence-based approach to measure the impact of the action taken so far. From discussions I have had with staff across the organisation, there are two areas that seem to be important for our staff – career development (especially for non-research staff) and disabilities.
One thing that is at the top of my list is developing governance structures to support the work. Having support and input from across the organisation is crucial to getting the work right and understanding the organisation.
Tell us about your team.
I’m probably biased, but my team is great! We have a wonderful mix of backgrounds, expertise, experience, and working locations, as we all work across EMBL but are located in two locations, namely Heidelberg and Hinxton.
The team consists of Roné Pawson, People Development and Training Manager, Julia Vasquez, People and Culture Development Coordinator, and Merielli de Rosa, People and Culture Development Partner, who are all based in Heidelberg. Then there’s Alice Crowley, Culture Development Partner, Sally Vickers, our new People Development Lead, and me, based at EMBL-EBI. We will soon also be welcoming a new People Development Partner in Heidelberg.
What’s the best part of your work?
The people! I am a people person, and I have met some truly wonderful and inspiring people working in this field and already at EMBL. I also love making a difference. Sometimes, the smallest things can make a huge difference, and finding those things and implementing them is a rewarding experience.
What is your favourite thing to do outside of work? How do you recharge your batteries?
I think anyone who has met me knows within minutes how obsessed I am with my puppy! He’s a 10-month-old Border Collie called Bear, and he’s just the best! Most places around where I live are dog-friendly, so we visit the gym and the pub together, and go on amazing walks.
What is one thing about you that most folks don’t know?
I was going to say I’m a massive F1 fan, but you already know that!
I think maybe just how tenacious I am. If I start something, no matter how challenging, I never give up. I signed up to do my MSc at Birkbeck University full-time, while I was working at the Royal Society of Chemistry in London, and later changed jobs to work at the University of Cambridge. That meant that for a year, I worked in central Cambridge (getting there early so I could leave a bit early) and then rushed to the train station after work to go to London for class until 9.30 p.m., getting home around 11 p.m. I would then get up and do it all again the next day! It was an incredibly tough year, but with determination, good organisation, and lots of coffee, I got through it and did well (and I only missed one lecture due to trains being cancelled because of snow!)
What’s a book you are most likely to recommend to people you meet?
I really enjoy reading. It’s so hard to think of a book to recommend; reading is such a personal journey, and there are so many wonderful books in the world. I’m a real fan of Japanese fiction, and I really like Haruki Murakami. A couple of my favourites are 1Q84 and Colourless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage. I’ve also just finished Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi.
I also like books that relate to my degrees and whose papers and theories I would have studied, such as books like Women, Race and Class by Angela Davis. I love reading bedtime stories to the children in my life, and I have rediscovered my Winnie the Pooh books. They’re fun and witty books about life, difference, acceptance, growing up and friendship and full of the best quotes to live your life by! I reckon there’s a Winnie the Pooh quote for every life event! For example, starting a new job:
“What’s wrong with knowing what you know now and not knowing what you don’t know until later?”
—Winnie the Pooh
