Bursary to counter "unconscious bias" in physics

One of the leading British astronomers is to donate £ 2.3 million worth of a grand prize awarded.

The money will go towards funding women, underrepresented ethnic minorities and refugee students to become physics researchers.

Professor Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell received a Breakthrough Award for the discovery of radio pulsars.

This was also the subject of the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1974, but his male collaborators received the award.

The Breakthrough Award also rewards his scientific leadership.

Professor Bell Burnell believes that under-represented groups – who will benefit from the donation – will bring new ideas to the field.

"I do not want or do not need that money and it seemed to me that it was perhaps the best use I could make of it," she said. BBC News.

The history of Professor Bell Burnell has been both a source of inspiration and motivation for many women scientists. As a student researcher when pulsars were discovered, she was not included in the Nobel Prize – although she was the first to observe and analyze astronomical objects ( a type of neutron star emitting a beam of radiation).

She now says that she wants to use her money to counter what she describes as the "unconscious bias" that she says is still happening in physics research jobs.

The former president of the Institute of Physics (IOP) believes that it was because she belonged to a minority group that she had new ideas to make her discovery as a young student at the University of Cambridge more than 50 years ago.

"I found pulsars because I was a minority and I felt a little overwhelmed in Cambridge.I was both female and from the northwestern part of the country and I think that everything the world around me was southern English ".

"So I have this intuition that minorities bring a new angle to things and that it's often a very productive thing.In general, many breakthroughs come from the left-wing realm."

Professor Dame Julia Higgins, President of the Institute of Physics, said, "This is an excellent and very appropriate recognition of Jocelyn's work.

"His example of using insight and tenacity to make a discovery through the ages place alongside the greatest scientists.

"Along with his scientific achievements, Jocelyn has become a highly respected leader in the scientific community, helping to make the issue of access to science by under-represented groups a priority for scientific community. "

The details of the stock exchange have yet to be determined. In addition to women and underrepresented ethnic minorities, asylum seekers will also be eligible for a portion of the funding.

She said about these groups: "It's the people who tend to be discriminated against by unconscious bias, so I think that's maybe one of the reasons it's not going to happen." there are not many, much more attractive. "

Professor Bell Burnell was a diplomat on the controversy over the Nobel Prize. But she hopes her program will help change the current disparity.

"There has certainly been a noticeable lack of winning Nobel women, except perhaps in areas like literature where you know there are women," she said.

"I think this is partly due to the age profile of women in the subject right now.Nobel Prizes rarely go to young people, they go more often to established people and at this level there are fewer women physics."

And his message to those who are considering applying for a scholarship?

"I would say that if you're interested in it, I think physics is a lot of fun … and if you do not want to keep doing it forever, you're very well equipped to do all sorts of things afterwards, she explained.

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