Increasing inclusion in STEM
In the 20+ years Katalytik has been in business, we’ve focused on increasing inclusion in STEM. From consulting on curriculum and designing our own methodology to delivering workshops that create better teams, we have helped thousands of people to be part of more inclusive teams and cultures. Our founder was even awarded an MBE for her services to women in engineering and science.
Inclusion is an act.
Diversity is an outcome
We collaborate
No one person can do everything. We help teams work to each person’s best.
We maximise
We maximise on results and impact. And did we say fun? We bring energy and engagement.
We innovate
We know that to achieve different outcomes we must think and operate differently.
We ideate
Creativity is at our core. We help our clients to shift the conversation and lift everyone up.
Meet our team
Dr Jan Peters MBE
Founder, CEO and Facilitator
Jan is the visionary CEO and founder of Katalytik and former president of the Women’s Engineering Society. With a PhD in electronic materials, Jan has worked in market development for semiconductors. During a secondment to the UK Unit for Women and Science, she delivered a strategic plan, national dataset, reports and a major conference on Women in SET. She went on to lead research projects, advisory bodies and programmes aimed at addressing diversity and inclusion in the male-dominated worlds of engineering and construction. She founded Katalytik in 2004 with the aim of improving inclusion in STEM. With her researcher’s mindset, Jan developed her own methodology and toolset and has been helping individuals and teams ever since. In 2017, she was awarded an MBE for her services to women and engineering and science. Jan is a certified Gallup CliftonStrengths Coach and Inclusion Score Certified Partner.
Favourite part of her job: Crafting innovative solutions and getting started
Commonly used phrase: “There’s no such word as no”
Top 5 CliftonStrengths themes: Strategic, Ideation, Self-Assurance, Activator, Command
Helen Shipton
Community Manager
Helen has worked for Katalytik for the past six years. She’s the friendly face you’ll see at our workshops and online events, and the glue that holds our community together. With expertise in working with teenagers and young adults, Helen often facilitates our one-to-one coaching sessions for engineering students. She previously worked in play therapy with chronically and terminally ill children and their families. She spent five years at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, where along with the Community Nursing team she set up a one-of-a-kind service visiting families in the comfort of their own homes. Through play therapy and counselling, she helped them adjust to the situation they found themselves in. Helen then relocated to Christchurch in Dorset and gave birth to twins who are now in their twenties. She recently took the Psychology of Talent course led by Simon Hurry which was about connecting people’s psychology to their strengths and talents.
Favourite part of her job: Workshop day
Commonly used phrase: “Shine your light”
Top 5 CliftonStrengths themes: Harmony, Positivity, Adaptabilty, Developer, Maximizer
Dr Sean McWhinnie
Facilitator and Analyst
Sean has collaborated with Katalytik on many projects since our founding in 2004, from managing large surveys to exploring STEM research career paths. He is our data and Athena SWAN Awards guru. His skills have been instrumental in developing our inclusive engineering workshops, checklist and tools. Sean has a detailed knowledge of UK academic community and science policy from his time as a chemistry lecturer at Brunel University and later working at the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) for 12 years. During his time in that role, Sean established the RSC’s programme of work on diversity in chemistry. He established Oxford Research & Policy in 2009 and has worked with several learned societies, including the Royal Society, Royal Society of Chemistry, Institute of Physics, London Mathematics Society, and the Royal Astronomical Society, and more than 30 universities.
Favourite part of his job: Finding information from pivot tables
Commonly used phrase: “I think we need a pivot table”
Top 5 CliftonStrengths themes: Ideation, Deliberative, Analytical, Intellection, Input
Becca Perl
Communications Specialist
Becca is a copywriter and communications specialist with undergraduate and postgraduate English degrees. She started her career in journalism, writing and editing magazines in Munich. When she moved back to the UK Becca worked on publications and social media at Royal Holloway University and went on to become Communications Manager for nine academic departments. She founded her own copywriting and communications company which she ran for 11 years, during which time she wrote for local and international clients across many sectors, including the British Council, Royal Society, Autistica, World Animal Protection and a whole host of universities. Becca has just written and illustrated her first kids’ picture book, Don’t Look Back, which was published by The Book Guild in October 2024. She has been working with Katalytik for the past year.
Favourite part of her job: Proofreading and editing – so satisfying
Commonly used phrase: “I’m hungry”
Top 5 CliftonStrengths themes: Relator, Learner, Empathy, Developer, Intellection
Ready to take your team or business to the next level?
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Read about our work
Past events
Discover how to navigate conflicts and improve communication skills using a strengths-based approach.
Discover how to navigate conflicts effectively by focusing on our strengths. Learn practical strategies to improve communication, resolve differences, and build stronger relationships. Whether you’re facing challenges at work, at home, or in your personal life, this event will equip you with valuable insights and techniques.
A webinar for engineering educators sharing tips to build inclusion into their lectures and seminars with guest speakers Gabriel Cavalli and Fiona Truscott..
Join us for an engaging workshop on building inclusive teams through a strengths-based approach. In today’s workplace, collaboration is crucial for success, and we want to help you create a positive work environment that promotes productivity and engagement.
Our expert speaker, Dr Jan Peters MBE, will explain what a strengths-based approach to teamwork is, why it is important for teams, and how to create a strengths-based team. You will learn how to identify and use the strengths of individual team members, and how to leverage those strengths to achieve success.
We will discuss how a strengths-based approach leads to better performance, improves collaboration and trust, and enhances team dynamics. You will also learn how to encourage open communication and feedback within your team and celebrate successes and recognize the contributions of each team member.
Whether you are a team leader or a team member, this workshop is for you. You will walk away with practical tips and strategies that you can implement immediately to create a strengths-based team that promotes productivity, engagement, and job satisfaction.
As we step into the world of leadership, it’s essential to have a clear understanding of what makes a good leader, and how we can develop the skills required to lead effectively. In this webinar, we will explore the fundamental traits that distinguish successful leaders from the rest.
We will also delve into the concept of inclusive leadership, which is crucial for building diverse and high-performing teams. Inclusive leaders understand the importance of creating a safe and inclusive environment, where everyone feels valued and respected, regardless of their background. Moreover, we will discuss the strengths-based approach to leadership, which emphasizes building on individuals’ strengths and talents to foster personal and professional growth. By leveraging your unique strengths, you can establish a solid foundation for your leadership journey.
Whether you’re just starting your leadership journey or looking to enhance your existing leadership skills, this webinar will provide you with valuable insights and actionable strategies to help you become a more effective and inclusive leader.
It’s never been more important to tackle inclusion in engineering. Checking the data we see women in engineering education stuck at 16% and a persistent awarding gap for students from historically marginalized backgrounds such as Black British students. Compulsory diversity training hasn’t made a difference. And Athena SWAN, while raising awareness and gathering data hasn’t had the desired impact. In fact, we may even be seeing a reversity in diversity. As majority white engineers feel disengaged and pull back from participating in programmes.
Bringing together the evidence and what we’d seen with our own eyes, and heard from senior engineers, we sought a new approach. And so our signature methodology R.I.S.E. was born.
In this webinar Jan will provide insights into the four different stages that need to be considered and introduce the tools and programmes needed to create a cultural shift so everyone feels valued, that they belong, and make a useful contribution.
Why your PhD can be hell and 3 things to boost your energy!
There’s no denying a PhD can be pretty intense. Periods of intense activity, followed by isolation as you lock yourself away in the library, and the indefinite end time. Not to mention likely lack of funding. As if that’s not enough, the intense relationship with your supervisor(s) can make for a downward slope to stress and burnout. And that’s even before our own inner chimp or snake gets to work, chipping away at our confidence.
Supervisors are the most researched issue around PhD problems. The biggest concern of students who just want a ‘good’ one’, and vital for your future academic career.
So if you are part of the 77% of PhD students who have experienced stress/sleep issues /anxious/depressed/irritable or sad; a supervisor looking for tips on helping your students; or just want to mitigate the inevitable, join Jan for some insights into how you can make peace with your inner serpent.
- Do you have a short list of your best talents and a long list of things to work on?
- Is your inner voice one that cheers you on or offers reasons why you might fail?
- You’ve worked hard but don’t feel worthy? And wonder what the missing piece is?
- Are you dominated by the thoughts in your head? So you’re unable to get things done?
You will take away from this workshop a new vocabulary to talk, with confidence, about yourself. Your investment in participating will reward you week after week as you start your journey to become your ‘best self’.
Our Making the Most (of you) workshop offers a specific research based vocabulary, theories and tools to help you understand your motivators, needs, contributions and ways to interrupt your inner chatter.
Your investment in participating will reward you week after week as you start your journey to become your ‘best self’
Discover How to Work in a More Relaxed, Confident Way and How to Get More Done. Are you the naysayer in your team? Always ready with a yes, but what if… Maybe imposter syndrome is your biggest enemy, holding you back? Do you find yourself considering the things you do naturally to be your biggest weakness? Is your voice the one people hear too much of in a meeting? Have you ever asked? Are you dominated by the thoughts in your head, that you just can’t turn into action and so you’re unable to get things done? In this powerful Imposter to Superhero Pocket Webinar, you’ll learn all the details you need to build your confidence by doing what you do naturally . Would you like help figuring out what to do about it? If so, then this is perfect for you. Within minutes, you’ll know how to work in a more relaxed, confident way and how to get more done
Access the free pocket action list, click here https://keap.page/qjf592/imposter-to-…
Knowing your strengths is key to having an enjoyable and successful career. It’s also a vital part of managing your well-being and satisfaction. Loving what you do, knowing what comes naturally to you, and becoming better and better at it, in turn, will create greater enjoyment, recognition, and progression.
Yet for most of us as soon as we become competent at something we dismiss it as being too easy. We ignore what we do best. It becomes just a habit. And we focus on other more difficult problems. While this can be helpful we end up becoming obsessed by the things we don’t have. And yet, others value the things that you have in you, and they don’t.
The best part of you is inside, hidden, ignored, and taken for granted. Join Katalytik for this insight into positive psychology and strengths to find out how you can see and enjoy the best version of you, that everyone else sees. Find out:
What are Strengths?
Why focusing on your strengths is essential for job satisfaction and success
The benefits of spotting strengths in others
How to boost your strengths
How to manage weaknesses
How knowing your strengths will help you:
Understand why you enjoy certain responsibilities at work – while others leave you drained
Few people can put their hand on their heart and say they have never experienced self-doubt. Find 3 ideas to get your mojo back?
What are the challenges in 2021 as we transition into a new normality with Covid 19? Do you experience feelings of inadequacy, incompetence and fraudulence despite obvious success? In the UK August is a time for renewal and preparation for the new school year. A year of unknowns and excitement. If you want to make the next year count shine up your shoes and join us to give your inner self a polish too.
Our belief is you were born as the perfect version of yourself, to compare yourself to someone else is truly pointless. We will use our insights from CliftonStrengths and positive psychology to help you describe yourself.
This seminar will outline Katalytik’s steps for managing self-doubt and give you at least 3 techniques to take away.
Insights into the challenges of creating a culture of inclusion in engineering and three things you can do to shape the culture.
What are the challenges you face in 2021 with the huge shift to online teaching? How is this affecting efforts to close the student attainment gap? What are the fears and pitfalls? And how can you support your colleagues and students to do better?
This seminar will outline Katalytik’s steps for progress and give participants at least 3 ideas to deliver more inclusive on-line learning.
Katalytik's methodology
Katalytk has it’s own unique approach to building high-performing inclusive teams in STEM. Our signature methodology is RISE: Rationalise, Internalise, Strategise and Externalise (though it could also be evaluate and energise).
