From Awareness to Action: Creating Authentic Neurodiversity Support in STEM Workplaces

Leah Milner-Campbell helps leaders understand and leverage diversity and difference, creating inclusive charity and research workplace cultures. As an experienced Neurodiversity trainer, coach and consultant, with past roles as a Research Fellow and charity CEO, she brings both lived experience of Neurodivergence and extensive training expertise to her work.  

In 2024, Leah joined the John Innes Centre (JIC), an international centre for research in plant science and microbiology, to deliver the Understanding, Valuing and Celebrating Neurodiversity Project. This project, conceived and championed by Head of Science Coordination and Research Culture Dr Clare Stevenson, and funded by BBSRC’s Connecting Culture fund, ran over 2024-2025 across the BBSRC family of Institutes.

Leah spearheaded the project's development and implementation, taking the initial idea and expanding the objectives to deliver real impact, demonstrating how authentic, lived-experience-led approaches can help inform institutional strategies. 

For this blog - part of a series on EDI strategies hosted by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Diversity & Inclusion in STEM - we asked Leah to share insights on how research institutions can move beyond awareness to create meaningful change for Neurodivergent staff and students. 

Why did you develop bespoke Neurodiversity resources rather than using existing training providers? 

When I began my role, the brief seemed straightforward: coordinate external training providers and procure existing resources. However, I quickly recognised that generic corporate training simply doesn't address the unique culture and challenges of research environments. The options available on were generic, corporate and outdated. 

Too many research institutions remain stuck delivering surface-level awareness sessions that fail to create meaningful change for Neurodivergent staff and students that fundamentally miss the mark, leaving them unable to properly support Neurodivergent talent or leverage their unique contributions. 

So, I created a bespoke set of resources including two e-learning courses and three in-person courses. 

What results did your bespoke approach achieve? 

The data speaks for itself. Our e-learning courses, featuring real staff experiences and scientific workplace analogies, reached over 400 participants in the first two months - double our original target. 75% had never received any Neurodiversity training before. Participants showed a 33% increase in understanding and 35% boost in confidence discussing Neurodiversity. 

Face-to-face training delivered even more dramatic results: Neurodivergent participants felt 72% more confident advocating for their workplace needs, whilst managers reported 35% increased knowledge in supporting diverse communication styles. These are the kinds of measurable improvements that research institutions are missing when they fail to invest in specialist Neurodiversity expertise. 

How did you ensure the training was relevant to research environments? 

As someone who is Neurodivergent myself, with extensive experience as both a trainer and researcher, I recognised that effective Neurodiversity strategies require authentic voices and practical solutions grounded in real workplace challenges. We filmed 24 interviews with staff and students across the career spectrum, from PhD researchers to senior scientists, capturing diverse experiences within research environments. 

This approach yielded insights that external providers simply couldn't offer: the specific challenges of open-plan laboratories for sensory-sensitive individuals, the impact of uncertain project timelines on those who thrive with structure, and the unique strengths that Neurodivergent thinking brings to scientific problem-solving. 

What evidence did you gather to inform institutional strategy? 

Our comprehensive engagement with diverse voices - student representatives, post-doctoral researchers, and support staff - generated insights that directly informed institutional recommendations. This wasn't tokenistic consultation; it was genuine listening designed to understand experiences and co-create practical solutions within research culture. 

The reality is that institutional change takes time. The project’s focus was on training, awareness-raising and network building – but it has also generated a wealth of new ideas and energy and I know I am leaving these ideas in good hands with Clare and other colleagues who will continue to drive change at JIC and across BBSRC. 

What impact has the project had beyond training delivery? 

The project was designed to support the formation and development of organic support networks, in order to embed learning across existing and emerging staff groups. I worked with existing staff groups at JIC such as Accessibility Advocates and the Race and Ethnicity Equality and Diversity (REED) group, and the project inspired new networks to emerge, such as a new parent group at Quadram Institute. Activities such as a webinar series about Neurodivergent children attended by 78 parents and carers across BBSRC Institutes helped to bring people together with common experiences. 

These self-sustaining communities represent the gold standard for EDI initiatives: interventions that catalyse ongoing transformation rather than delivering one-off awareness moments. The commercial interest our resources, spearheaded by Clare, have generated demonstrates a broader interest and demand for Neurodiversity insight in research and academic environments.  

The project's success has highlighted a critical gap in the market for specialist Neurodiversity support within research settings. Academic institutions often struggle to find consultants who understand both Neurodiversity and the specific nuances of research culture, leaving them unable to properly support Neurodivergent staff or leverage their contributions effectively. 

What are your plans for continuing this work? 

The project's success led me to establish Neurodiversity in Science, offering specialist coaching, training, and consultancy services designed specifically for academic and research environments. Working with institutions to develop tailored reasonable adjustment policies, deliver Neurodiversity-informed workplace needs assessments, and create bespoke training programmes represents the natural evolution of what we began at JIC. 

The evidence from our project demonstrates that when Neurodiversity initiatives are designed with research culture in mind, they don't just improve inclusion - they enhance scientific productivity and innovation in measurable ways. 

What would you say to research institutions that haven't yet prioritised Neurodiversity? 

Institutions that fail to prioritise Neurodiversity risk losing talented researchers to more inclusive competitors and missing out on the innovation benefits that diverse thinking styles provide. As research institutions increasingly recognise Neurodiversity as both an inclusion imperative and an innovation opportunity, those that move quickly to implement evidence-based strategies will gain significant competitive advantage. 

The reality is that scientific workplaces are Neurodiverse – and some research suggests the sector might be home to an even higher percentage of Neurodivergent colleagues than broader society, as science provides an ideal working environment for individuals with Neurodivergent strengths of pattern recognition, problem solving and creativity. 

Academic institutions that continue operating without proper Neurodiversity strategies are leaving talent untapped and innovation unrealised. For institutions ready to move beyond awareness towards authentic transformation, investing in specialist Neurodiversity expertise pays dividends in staff satisfaction, retention, and research excellence. The time for action is now. 

Leah Milner-Campbell is a Neurodiversity trainer, coach, and consultant specialising in research environments. More information about tailored Neurodiversity support for academic institutions is available at www.Neurodiversityinscience.co.uk

Details about the JIC’s work on Neurodiversity can be found at Understanding, Valuing and Celebrating Neurodiversity | John Innes Centre

Last year, the APPG launched its new project on Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) strategies in STEM. As part of the project, we are inviting EDI experts and network leaders to share their ideas on how EDI strategies can better reflect the lived experience of groups underrepresented in STEM.    

 

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