New Head of EDIS appointed

The British Science Association is delighted to announce that Karen Blake has been appointed as the new Head of EDIS.

EDIS (Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in Science and Health) is a unique coalition of organisations working to improve equality, diversity and inclusion within the science and health research sector. Earlier this year, the British Science Association was selected as the future host of EDIS, working in close partnership with the Francis Crick Institute and supported by Wellcome.

Karen is a systems change leader, inclusion specialist and policy strategist, awarded an MBE for services to diversity and technology.

As former Co-CEO of the Tech Talent Charter, Karen co-led a network of more than 800 organisations working together to improve equality, diversity and inclusion across the tech sector. Transforming how organisations work and building more inclusive, resilient workforces has been at the centre of her career, and she helped the Charter become a trusted, sector-wide voice, with its annual Diversity in Tech report providing member organisations with a shared evidence base to measure themselves against and an engaged community to learn from.

Karen is also co-author of the Lovelace Report, an economic study of women leaving the tech workforce, and led a major landscape study on skills and the workforce commissioned by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. She holds a number of advisory roles, sitting on the DSIT Women in Tech Taskforce and the City of London Pivoting to Digital taskforce, and serving on the advisory boards of an accessibility organisation and a FemTech Venture Fund.

Alongside this national work, Karen has a long record of working closely with communities, including co-founding Active Inclusion: Equity in Employment, which supports disabled people to shape their own routes into and through employment. She holds an Honorary Fellowship with the British Science Association and continues to advise industry and policymakers alike.
Karen Blake said:

“I am delighted to be leading EDIS at such an important moment. There is strong work to build on, and my priority is to develop those foundations by engaging directly with our members and the wider sector, providing the support, evidence and accountability to drive real progress on equity, diversity and inclusion. As the way society draws on data and research evolves, EDIS matters more than ever, because these are questions of research quality, not only fairness. Working closely with our members, the British Science Association, the Francis Crick Institute and Wellcome, I look forward to helping EDIS grow into an even stronger voice for the sector.”

Hannah Russell, CEO of the British Science Association said:

“I’m absolutely delighted to welcome Karen as our new Head of EDIS. She brings a wealth of experience, insight and genuine commitment to advancing equity, diversity and inclusion across the STEM sector. As EDIS moves into its new phase, Karen’s leadership will be key to building on the coalition’s strong foundations and driving forward a renewed, practical and collaborative approach. I’m very much looking forward to working with her as we progress this important work.”

Karen will take up her new role as Head of EDIS from 30 June 2026 and her appointment is an important first step in recruiting a dedicated EDIS team as part of initial ambitious plans to continue to build and grow the EDIS community and support an even more connected and collaborative approach to advancing inclusion in science.