From finding a "universal language" in science, to comedy, conferences and following her passion, Prof Dame Ijeoma Uchegbu @ucllifesciences.bsky.social tells BBC World Service about her fascinating path to becoming a pioneer of pharmaceutical nanoscience and champion for race equality

On National Poetry Day, the greatest poem I have ever read

One of my favourite things in the world is sitting down to write a letter. It starts with so much possibility and elements of theatre (selecting the pen/paper, considering the story to tell) and then slowly centres on the person you write to. Given I upgraded to wax seals, the final act is 🔥 too.

This prefix caused much entertainment when we did 'Project M'. No, no I did not name a project after myself. It is M FOR THE THOUSAND SAMPLES!!! Speaking of which, our school and teacher scientists are AWESOME and you can read about our work @crystengcomm.rsc.org 🧪 pubs.rsc.org/en/content/a...

Dodgy/Predatory conferences get a direct delete in my inbox, but they do get a special side eye for being in such exciting places that I have not been to. A beautiful island in Greece! Japan! Singapore! They know full well the only reason we would even consider going is because of the location 🧪.

Happy Pride month, all! Way back in 2018 I made these galaxy pride flags. They were shared many thousands of times, featured on Vice, and even made their way onto book covers and into video games. Here are the original ones I created (in no particular order!) so Bluesky can have them too. 💙

10 years ago, Ireland voted YES. 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ A landslide 62% stood for love, dignity, and equality, making us the first country in the world to legalise same-sex marriage by vote 🌈 Marking that moment with #WikiLovesPride 🌈10 days to go til the photo contest that documents queer life tinyurl.com/msx48sbx

Today is #IDAHOBIT2025. The theme this year is "The Power of Communities". Here it is in Irish:

Today's protest is an important one. Berliners are out on the streets supporting the classification of the right wing party AFD as extremist by the German spy agency BfV. Here's to democracy and to inclusion that unite us rather than divide us 💚 #AFDVerbot

This was today's absolute highlight from the #DarkRooms. Called 'Tentacle' by @ausgangstudio.bsky.social, it's a reflection on whether the technology that now drives us brings us further away from being human. The combined light and sound installation was incredible, and I spent ages watching it.

I can't buy all the beautiful things I want to, but we have a small rotating gallery with A3 prints/paintings and smaller that I joyfully buy things for. The rotations are one of my favourite things to do and can align with seasons but also with my mood or feelings! Art is wonderful and so important

I’m glad so many people have found my “capybara method” for how to write alt text and image descriptions helpful! However, I know conflicting access needs exist and not everyone can write their own #AltText, so here’s an ongoing thread of tools that can help. Inclusion in thread ≠ endorsement

We want everyone in the chemical sciences community to feel welcome, supported and valued, so we're sad to see some people seize on yesterday's supreme court ruling with anti-trans messages. Today, we're highlighting our resources on allyship for trans colleagues and friends ➡ rsc.li/4j6lojs

📣 We're teaming up with @nationalgalleryirl.bsky.social for an #ArtAndFeminism Edit-a-thon! 📅 April 30 | 🕙 10am–1pm |📍 Nat. Gallery of Ireland Help amplify the voices of underrepresented womxn artists on Wikipedia 🎨✨ 🔗 Sign up info: wikimedia.ie/2025/04/16/w... #artandfeminism #wikimedia

fucking hell. so much love and solidarity to my trans friends and community in the UK.

I am due to do a presentation on AI for parents of secondary school students next week and am curious, what do parents want to know about?

Today was a great day. I got to listen to Florence Horicks from @ulbruxelles.bsky.social, who shared beautiful work on prioritising and maximising value for cancer patients for the @ecsa.ngo Empowerment, Inclusiveness and Equity working group.

I just saw a shampoo commercial that advertised that it contained “more than a trillion molecules” and I’m so mad that not enough people know how big Avogadro’s number is.

Mary Oliver hat immer recht. 🙏

IBM (1979)

For #BlackHistoryMonth pharmaceutical #chemist Alice Ball (1892-1916) who developed 1st effective treatment for leprosy. 🧪🐡👩🏾‍🔬 #histsci Though her life was cut tragically short, her research saved 1000s from exile & painful, ineffective lifelong treatment for leprosy, & she was a trailblazer for 🧵

"...Arts Minister Patrick O’Donovan wants to make sure that all projects funded by his department...represent value for money." How are they measuring value? Because they did this for Science Gallery, as though the arts were a business that should be cost-neutral, and it closed.

I feel like Sinéad Gleason and Edna O'Brien are serious omissions from this list, but curious as to what other folks think? I would also add Doireann Ní Ghríofa and Elaine Feeney because they have wooed me with their words! www.rte.ie/culture/2022...

Diversity is our greatest asset, even if the government disagrees… They not like us! POC in STEM are here to stay. They tried to rig the game but you can’t fake influence! Mustard on the [Be][At] bro. Happy Black History Month!

Information hygiene request - please circulate & take action. I’m getting bombarded with frantic fragments. Information flow is crucial right now, and every link in the chain matters. This is a concrete place where you can play a massive role in improving transmission. Start with SIFT method:

I'm mad. And tired. And sad. But today is a day that is supposed to be all about #WomenInSTEM. So let's go friends. What are you DOING? 🧪 (* Please don't tell me what you are saying. That's not good enough.)

This sounds brilliant and so important. I look forward to seeing whatever they create and share.

Science communication jobs and funding will no doubt be cut or controlled in the US, but the work has become more important, and will need to become more community-based. www.bbc.com/news/article...

The Irish saint and goddess entwined, Brigid is associated with blacksmiths, spring, and cattle, among others, and stories like blinding herself to repel men's unwanted attention. The three-armed cross here represents both the triple goddess and the trinity. Lá Fhéile Bríde shona daoibh 🌸

In a wild world, sometimes it helps to focus on what you can control. Our Caomhnú #CitizenScience storytellers from Irish rural communities shared their #ClimateAction and hopes. Check them out in our map and video funded by @impetus4cs.bsky.social. 🧪 bit.ly/caomhnu youtu.be/6JV65bKaQMA?...

Closing 10am Friday! 🧪 #SciComm

Cake in a car and now cake on a plane. Pray to the cake gods that it (and I!) arrive in one piece. Let's hope I can deliver it to the bride and groom in one piece! 🤞

Half a billion people— the whole of the EU’s citizenry— owe their right not to be casually surveilled en masse by their governments to Karlin’s reporting on Data Retention. We literally cited it to the court in the DRI data retention case.

I get that AI *could* be incredible in some contexts, but I need to see many more examples of its excellence before I believe the hype. Especially when so many companies implement it even though it actively degrades the user experience 🤷🏻‍♀️. (I'm looking at you Google Search 👀)

What are the chemical triggers for menstruation? And what causes period cramps? This graphic, a collaboration with @periodically.bsky.social, looks at the chemistry behind the menstrual cycle: bit.ly/3ZkpqMz #ChemSky 🧪

It's always "I've spoken to parents of Disabled children" and never "I've spoken to Disabled adults" #GE24

So friends, tell me what's good in Hamburg? I have only ever been through the train station, so all suggestions very welcome! (Miniaturwunderland is already on my list!)

Remember - seek out and value the voices of those you hear less, especially when there is a structural issue that is hiding people in plain sight. And don't treat anyone as a token.

Highlight of the week: Seeing the unbelievably talented @muireannnic.bsky.social and the Irish Chamber Orchestra perform 'Róisín Reimagined' here in Berlin to end #ZeitgeistIrland24. Spellbinding doesn't even begin to cover it.

Not sure people realise how hard it's been recently for artists to survive, or how deeply appreciated every single order is. If you can't buy something, it makes a huge difference just to share our work. If you can't share our work, a little sacrifice to the Old Gods on our behalf means a lot, too 💜

‘Between my finger and my thumb The squat pen rests. I’ll dig with it.’ We’re getting started here on Bluesky, and thought the best possible way to introduce ourselves on a new platform would be our poem of the week, ‘Digging’ by Seamus Heaney.

I GOT A SMALL BIT OF AWESOME NEWS THAT I CAN'T TALK ABOUT. BUT I'M SO EXCITED!!! (Yes, all those caps are necessary. Please imagine me shouting for happiness)

This, from Navajo weaver and maths teacher Marilou Schultz, is incredible (via @thisiscolossal.com) 🐡 www.thisiscolossal.com/2024/11/mari...

I think reading for pleasure is one of the things that made me who I am. The joy of exploring and adventuring through words never grows old. Side note: my dream job = reading books to kids all day long(*). My friends' kids know this and exploit it to their advantage, but who can be mad at them?!?

Art drawn by people who very rarely make art and think they are “bad at art” is 1000x cooler than AI art. It’s life-affirming. It’s often unexpected. I cannot overemphasize how much I love when people just go for it. You do not need the machine for this human endeavor.

November 18 is the International Day of LGBQTIA+ People in STEM! Today more than ever we want to stress the importance of communities, building connections, and raising each other up. Let's keep leaving our mark for the betterment of us all! 🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈 #QueerinSTEM prideinstem.org/lgbtstemday/

If you'd like to read about LGBTQIA+ scientists to celebrate the International Day of LGBTQIA+ People in STEM tomorrow, here's a free ebook myself and @drcarpineti.bsky.social put together - a collection of 40 interviews with some excellent people. prideinstem.org/the-queer-va...

PSA for newbies: Please include ALT text on your images. This is an inclusive space for blind and visually impaired people. Don't arrive late to the party and ignore a bunch of people. Also, please share this skeet, rather than liking it, to ensure the message gets delivered. Thanks!

St Aidan’s school Tallaght delightfully undermining the far right.