Dr Ola Thompson
Name:
Dr Ola Thomson
Job title:
Research Associate in Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
Place of work / study:
University of Bristol [1], the Elizabeth Blackwell Institute for Health Research
Area of Research:
My work area is at the intersection of equality, diversity and inclusion in knowledge work careers, in and outside of academia. I have a background in social sciences, particularly human resource management and organisational behaviour approached from critical perspectives. I combine research into (in)equalities with practice focused on institutional change through projects such as ACT and VOICES for gender equality and inclusion in academia and R&I.
How is your work funded?
My work is funded by the Institutional Strategic Support Fund provided by the Wellcome Trust to the Elizabeth Blackwell Institute, and the University of Bristol.
Tell us a little about yourself:
I am currently writing a book on nurturing equality, diversity and inclusion in health and biomedical research careers.
Tell us a fun fact about yourself:
I love snowboarding.
What single piece of advice would you give to an early career researcher?
Be open minded and flexible. Allow yourself to explore unexpected possibilities and opportunities. Experiment, gain experience, and discover what you really want to do, not what you think you should be doing.
What book are you reading right now? Would you recommend it?
Migration and the New Subjects of Work” by Banu Ozkazanc-Pan [2]. This book comprehensively deals with the challenges of researching people’s career mobility in an increasingly globalised world. I would recommend this book to any researcher who wants to move beyond static methodologies of viewing migrants as “coming into” supposedly unchanging, culturally stable countries and having to “integrate” into the local community.