Mental health in STEM laboratories

Across bachelor’s, master’s, PhD, and postdoctoral studies in chemistry, anxiety often surfaced in high-pressure laboratory settings, which affects focus and performance. Many students and researchers experience similar challenges; however, there is a big stigma around mental disability that discourages disclosure and help-seeking. These realities drive a commitment to mental health inclusion as a main part of diversity in the chemical sciences and inform practical efforts to build environments where those with anxiety feel safe to discuss needs and request reasonable adjustments.

To translate this commitment into concrete action, a dedicated initiative was launched. Breaking the Stigma: Supporting People with Anxiety and Mental Health in Chemistry is an RSC-funded project that aims to reduce stigma around mental disability and support individuals with anxiety in chemical laboratories, fostering inclusive environments through awareness, resources, and advocacy in academic and research settings. This page shares that perspective and highlights actions, resources, and collaborations aimed at fostering an inclusive academic culture in which people with mental health challenges can participate fully and thrive.

Enhancing the Chemistry Lab Experience

This workshop builds a practical foundation by clarifying what stress, anxiety, and confidence mean in practice through real-world examples. It provides information on chemistry-specific stressors in learning, assessment, and laboratory work, and offers space to discuss negative experiences that can trigger anxiety in chemical laboratories. In addition, this workshop introduces evidence-based CBT techniques to manage stress and anxiety to reduce the fear of making a mistake in a lab environment. The session struggles to show practical ways to embed safety, clear communication, and supportive mentoring in laboratories for a better environment.

Download the workshop PDF

Anxiety Awareness, Safety, and Inclusivity in Lab Practice

In this workshop, the influence of anxiety and stress on laboratory attention, decision-making, and risk awareness is examined. Practical techniques for maintaining safety focus under pressure are introduced, including brief grounding routines, simple checklists, paced communication, and structured pauses. Inclusive practices that support diverse learners and researchers are outlined, such as clear roles, plain language prompts, and accessible help channels. Methods for continuous improvement connected to wellbeing are provided, including reflective safety huddles, near-miss learning logs, and supportive supervision agreements that surface early warning signs and enable timely escalation.

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EDI+R Builds Safe, Supportive STEM Labs

This workshop grounds participants in EDI principles and respect. By integrating these concepts, it is possible to create EDI plus Respect as the foundation of a safe, inclusive laboratory culture. EDI+R could encourage early help seeking by signposting university counselling, disability support, and peer networks. Reasonable adjustments such as flexible timing or quiet work blocks sustain environments. Psychological safety in meetings with PGR and PGT students enables concerns to be raised without judgement, using evidence informed feedback on behaviours and skills. Promote balanced workloads, rest, and safe practices. Invest in supervisor training and escalation pathways for urgent concerns.

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Dr Frane Vusio

Dr Frane Vusio completed a PhD at the University of Warwick Medical School in July 2021 and focuses on urgent and emergency mental health services for children and adolescents and reform models. Interests include relapse and recovery, post-crisis self-management, early intervention, prevention, compassionate care, and psychiatric approaches to mental health crises. He is a Clinical Associate in Applied Psychology with NHS Scotland in clinical and psychoeducational settings. He delivered three workshops with speakers to link psychological safety and inclusive teaching with lab risk management, opening sessions defining stress, anxiety, and confidence, outlining safety culture and the RAMP approach, and introducing CBT techniques. He synthesised actions linking EDI and respect with planning, roles, checklists, near-miss learning, and escalation pathways.

Anxiety Awareness and Inclusive Lab Safety Workshop Series

Three recorded workshops trace a path from understanding anxiety and stress in laboratories to embedding inclusive safety practice. Recordings are available in the invited speaker sections. Session one builds shared definitions of stress, anxiety, and confidence and explains how these shape attention, decision-making, and risk perception. Session two emphasises practical study and lab routines that sustain safety under pressure, using checklists, brief grounding, clear communication scripts, and near-miss learning. Session three focuses on supervision and culture building, applying EDI plus Respect, RAMP, accessible assessment practices, and defined escalation pathways to support continuous improvement efforts in daily laboratory practice.

Dr Sam Trouton

He is an assistant Professor at the Department of Chemistry at the University of Warwick and shared evidence from student experiences in teaching labs, mapping anxiety drivers, and demonstrating how role-play, leadership structures, and scaffolded tasks build confidence and reduce anxiety.

Watch the first recording workshop here.

Visit his webpage: Click Here

Dr Ehsan Ezzatpour Ghadim

He is a postdoctoral research fellow at the School of Engineering at the University of Warwick. He shared his experiences about safety under pressure using real-world examples and coping routines, linking clear communication, brief grounding, and near-miss learning to safer lab practice.

Watch the second recording workshop here.

Dr Jonathan A. Foster

He is a senior lecturer at the School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences at the University of Sheffield. In this talk, he focused on supervision and inclusion, introducing EDI plus Respect, RAMP, and the chemistry laboratory anxiety instrument with practical guidance on expectations, feedback, and signposting, and building psychologically safe research groups through consistent routines and reflective review.

Watch the third recording workshop here.

Visit his webpage: click here.

A Series of Podcast

Four podcast series comprising 29 episodes build on the workshops and invited talks, turning key themes into practical conversations. Episodes explore anxiety, stress, and confidence in laboratories; CBT-based skills for focus and emotion regulation, safety under pressure using RAMP, checklists and grounding, inclusive practice and psychological safety, effective supervision and mentoring, fair assessment, and real case reflections with the speakers.

Special Thanks to Dr Katy R. Mahoney for editing and producing these 4 series of podcasts.

Series 1 Tackling a lack of motivation with behavioural activation

Episode 1Link opens in a new window Episode 2 Episode 3 Episode 4 Episode 5Link opens in a new window Episode 6

Series 2 Creating a supportive lab culture

Episode 1 Episode 2 Episode 3 Episode 4

Series 3 Exercises to promote good mental health and wellbeing

Episode 1 Episode 2 Episode 3 Episode 4 Episode 5 Episode 6 Episode 7 Episode 8 Episode 9 Episode 10

Series 4 Casestudies for reducing anxiety and stress in chemisty labs