October is Black History Month, and we are revisiting our popular Talent in Diversity series in its honour! These profiles aim to celebrate and embrace the multicultural community we have at the Crick and highlight intersectionality. Gift Ahimbisibwe, senior LRS, kicks us off ... 

What is your job title and what do you work on at the Crick?

I am a senior laboratory research scientist (SLRS) within the Flow Cytometry STP, working on the immunology aspect of three COVID studies: Legacy, STIMULATE-ICP, and the WWW consortium. Our goal is to understand how different exposures and care pathways (particularly in STIMULATE-ICP) impact immune cell profiles.

What drew you to work in STEM?

This question made me reflect on the past 28 years and how I ended up here. The theory that resonates most with me is this: as children, we often strive to make the people around us proud, especially those who are proud of us. We naturally gravitate toward the things they speak of fondly and unconsciously imitate their attributes and actions.

I spent a lot of time during my holidays with my grandfather. While he was proud of all his grandchildren, there was a special pride he had in me. He loved talking about mathematics and would often tell us stories of how he excelled in it. We spent late evenings solving problems from primary and secondary school maths textbooks. I thoroughly enjoyed those chats. Looking back, I can’t say if it was the joy of spending time with him or the satisfaction of solving the problems – perhaps it was both. He always got the answers right, reinforcing our belief that he truly was a great mathematician.

He poured his heart and soul into everything he did, and without realising it, I absorbed that trait. This dedication carried through into my studies, and as a result, I excelled. When it came time to choose my career path, my teachers encouraged me to pursue Physics, Biology, and Chemistry, saying it would offer me better career prospects. I had wanted to focus on Mathematics, Physics and Technical Drawing, but since I had received a school scholarship, I didn’t challenge their advice. I therefore ended up pursuing a career in Biomedical Sciences. 

How do you feel your specific background, with its particular intersectionality, has influenced your journey to where you are now?

Broadly speaking, it’s the values we unconsciously adopt from those around us — the dreams of those who are proud of us, and the mental image they have of who we can become. It’s these influences that shape our vision and eventually mould us into the individuals we are. My grandfather instilled in me the drive to give my best in everything I do and, over time, this quality led me to a great education and, ultimately, to a position at one of the world’s leading research institutes.

I consider myself fortunate to have worked with incredibly supportive and intelligent principal investigators (PIs), who have been essential to my scientific career. I met my former boss, Prof. Stephen Cose, an Australian TB researcher at the MRC/UVRI and LSHTM Uganda Research Unit, during an immunology training course he was conducting. His support and encouragement pushed me to new heights. He recommended me for the Crick Africa Network (CAN) training programme at the Crick within the Flow Cytometry STP and fully supported my decision to leave in order to better myself. His only request was that, at some point, I return to Uganda and give back what I have gained, as he had done.

Like many others, I was in awe of the Francis Crick Institute. I was bowled over by Prof. Cose’s commitment and enthusiasm, and found the exact same passion with Andy Riddell, head of the Flow STP. The Crick struck me as a place where I could learn everything I aspired to. I was eager to learn, and opportunities quickly followed within the Flow STP, working alongside the dedicated Andy. The role involved immunology techniques, many of which I had been practicing previously under Prof. Cose. I was once again fortunate to meet other brilliant colleagues including Emma Wall, Edward Carr, David Bauer, and their teams, all of whom are immensely supportive. I remain committed to giving my best in my role.

Since the emphasis of this year’s Black History Month is Reclaiming Narratives, which aims to showcase contributions and achievements of Black individuals that have historically been overlooked, we’re particularly interested to know if there were any BAME figures (in real life or historical) who impacted your personal and professional trajectory.

‘BAME’ is still quite a new concept for me. Growing up in Uganda, the inequality I was aware of was more about class than race. It wasn’t until I travelled outside of Uganda, to places like the United States and now the UK, that I encountered being a racial minority.

Prof. Cose – being white – had hinted at what it meant to be part of a minority race in Uganda. I witnessed instances where he was racially discriminated against, both positively and negatively. This made me realise that being a minority can make you vulnerable, whether you are black or white. That vulnerability becomes even more pronounced when you move as an adult, having already developed ties and comforts in your home country. Adjusting to a new place as an adult can be disorienting, as you face not only cultural shifts but also heightened scrutiny and prejudice that you may not have encountered before.

The BAME figures who I feel are historically overlooked are the immigrants who leave the comfort of their homes as adults, hoping to give their children a better chance in life by taking on non-professional jobs. These individuals often experience more racism in addition to class inequality, yet they form a significant part of the economy. The work they do is an immense contribution to the country, even though it often lacks fulfilment and recognition. These immigrants find themselves in a new environment where, in addition to everything being different, they become targets for misinformed individuals.

For those who move to pursue professional jobs, the experiences are different, but the challenges of being a minority which mostly come from within remain.

(Article taken from CrickNet 30.09.24: Written bt Sonia Spitzer)