Welcome back to the STEMMing the Leaky Pipeline blog series! This series aims to amplify the voices of academics, researchers, and students who have traditionally been underrepresented in the STEM subjects, whilst exploring some of the barriers and misconceptions that can remain hidden from view.

I’m Ellie, and I’ve just completed my PhD in LEC, and I’m now working as a Research and Engagement Assistant for FST. One of the best parts of this job has been taking over this blog series and having the opportunity to meet all the incredible researchers and students who make up the faculty, all with diverse experiences and perspectives.

This week, I had the pleasure of speaking with Nicholas Bramah, a final-year PhD student in the School of Engineering. Nick is part of the UTGARD (Uranium Thorium beta/Gamma Active Research and Development) lab, where his research focuses on nuclear fuel reprocessing and closing the nuclear fuel cycle. As he explained, most of the fuel that comes out of nuclear reactors can still be reused. In fact, around 97-98% remains potentially recyclable! Despite this, much of it is currently destined for permanent disposal due to the technical challenges involved in reprocessing spent fuel. This is where Nick’s research comes in – he’s seeking to overcome said technical challenges!

Alongside his work, Nick is also open about being autistic. During our conversation, he reflected on how being autistic has shaped his experiences of mainstream education, the challenges of navigating environments that are not always designed with neurodivergent people in mind, and the support that has helped him grow from a secondary school student who was told he might never succeed in science, to someone helping tackle some of the biggest challenges facing society today.

Early expectations

Nick's story was one I was particularly keen to feature in this series because his journey through education was far from straightforward. He explained that “he was diagnosed with autism relatively late, not because there wasn’t a need for it, but because nobody fully understood what was happening with me.”

Everything changed “when a psychologist carried out an IQ assessment and recognised that my experiences aligned with autism spectrum disorder.” At the age of 11, he finally received a diagnosis and was able to move to a school with dedicated support.

With the right support in place, autism could be explained to Nick in a patient and understanding way as, as Nick told me, “There is not necessarily a different way of approaching autistic people, but there is a different logic."

He often “hears autism explained through the computer analogy that autistic people are running on Windows while everyone else is running on Mac”. While he understands the sentiment, he is quick to point out “that neurotypical or neurodivergent people do not all think in the same way either. The key is understanding the specific person.”

Within a few years, Nick went from being a student that people "didn't know what to do with", to someone who “had a much better understanding of himself and how he processed the world.”

Nick’s story is such a privilege to tell because, despite the low expectations others had of him, he never let them become a barrier. He told me that he once saw his autism as a “black mark”, particularly after his school told him that he “would never be able to hold a full-time job or progress to higher education”. Looking at where he is now, they could not have been more wrong!

Nick turned those doubts around and used them as his motivation. As he put it, “if they think I won’t be able to do any of that, then anything I can do is an achievement!”

Finding his place in STEM

With his methodical nature and ability to “focus on the same task for a long time”, Nick was drawn to logical, problem-solving subjects from an early age. As he progressed through STEM - and particularly at Lancaster - he has found an environment where these qualities could really come into their own. Rather than viewing his autism as something that he needed to overcome, he “began to see it as a genuine asset” to his work as a scientist and engineer.

Nick is keen to stress that autism is a broad spectrum, and that his experiences will not necessarily reflect those of every autistic person. Yet, for him, finding a place where his differences are valued has led to a huge growth in self-confidence.

Hidden hurdles: perceptions and stigma

However, Nick’s journey has not been without its challenges.

One of his biggest barriers within higher education “has not been autism itself, but the way it is perceived by others”. He believes that some academics “still choose not to disclose their neurodivergence because they fear it could affect their careers or colour people’s perception of them”. In many cases, he feels these concerns are justified.

Although Nick is open about being autistic, he says “he would never put it on his CV”, particularly given the growing use of AI in recruitment. He worries that “automated screening could disproportionately disadvantage neurodivergent applicants”, leading people to be judged on a diagnosis rather than their abilities.

For Nick, this is all rooted in misunderstandings. As he says, “there is a tendency for people to focus on the visible or supposedly negative autistics traits, particularly sensory overloads. This is what people often think autism is, yet they don’t consider the external stimuli that can be overwhelming in the first place. This can create an assumption that autistic people are inherently disruptive or unable to cope in certain environments. So, for example, someone could decide that it’s not safe for an autistic person to do nuclear research.”

Instead, Nick believes we need to listen to autistic people and take the time to understand how they experience different situations. As he puts it, autism “deserves the respect of being a disability but also the respect of knowing that someone with autism is capable.”

Those two things are not contradictory. You can recognise the challenges that someone might face, but that should never mean you underestimate what they are capable of doing.

Nick’s advice for finding your feet in STEM

One of the most valuable forms of support Nick has received at Lancaster has come from the Scientific Writing Centre, particularly the learning developers. He strongly encourages other neurodivergent students to make the most of this support when they arrive.

He says; “one of the biggest benefits is knowing exactly who to turn to if you need help, rather than having that initial worry of ‘I don’t know who to contact’. The learning developers can connect students with the right people, which is particularly valuable for people who struggle with organisation of thought.”

Nick finished our conversation with three main pieces of advice for fellow neurodivergent students:

First, build your support network early.

Nick recommends that students “immediately look around and figure out how you can develop a good support network for yourself. Simply knowing that someone is there can take a lot of stress away, because you don't have to face the additional challenge of approaching a stranger when you're struggling with your wellbeing.”

Second, don't underestimate time management.

University can get very busy, very quickly! Nick stresses that “it’s not a failure to admit that you can’t do everything at once but learning to prioritise tasks is an essential skill to develop.”

Finally, learn how to look after your mental health.

Nick believes that “we don't talk about mental health as openly as we should” and encourages students to understand their own challenges. For him, he “recognises that his autism can manifest is a tendency to get stuck into things”, and that means he tends to “overwork sometimes; not knowing when to stop and realise I am a human who needs to rest!”

Whatever the challenge, Nick encourages students to understand how their own neurodivergence affects them and find ways of managing it. That might mean taking up a hobby or simply making more time for the things you enjoy outside of research.

And what about advice for staff? For Nick, that advice is relatively simple. They should create an environment where students feel heard and “never feel like a burden for asking for support”.

Yet, Nick’s main takeaway from our conversation is perhaps the simplest of all. It genuinely does matter to ask people how they are. As he says, “I want people to know they can speak to people with autism, you can be friends with them, just be patient with them.” Rather than making assumptions about someone, what they need, or what their capable of, sometimes the most meaningful thing we can do is simply to ask them.

Nick’s journey is a reminder to us to look beyond labels and assumptions and instead focus on the individual standing in front of us.

Related Blogs

• 

  STEMMing the Leaky Pipeline: What the certificate doesn't show - completing a PhD with a hidden disability in an academic culture of constant productivity

• 

  STEMMing the Leaky Pipeline: ADHD and academia

• 

  STEMMing the Leaky Pipeline: putting the spotlight on women in engineering and technology and their contributions to society

Disclaimer

The opinions expressed by our bloggers and those providing comments are personal, and may not necessarily reflect the opinions of Lancaster University. Responsibility for the accuracy of any of the information contained within blog posts belongs to the blogger.