Organic Division

The Organic Division currently has around 6,000 members based in industry and academia.  Its main objective is to encourage and promote advances in the field of organic chemistry, interpreted in its broadest sense.  In particular, the Division stimulates and supports many local, national and international meetings, symposia and conferences on topics of interest to organic chemists.  

Message from the Organic Division Council on Inclusion and Diversity

Recent events have led us all to contemplate deeply how we treat other members of our community. The indefensible killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis shone a light on the prolonged and ongoing struggle for inclusion, equality, and equity that Black communities around the world endure. In addition, the recent article that was briefly published in Angewandte Chemie by Tomáš Hudlický, and then retracted, highlighted the amount of work that still has to be done to ensure that all members of the organic chemistry community feel safe, included, and valued. This article not only voiced troubling views on whether a diverse research community or team is desirable, but also concerning thoughts on how we should support and mentor scientists in our research groups.

The Organic Division of the RSC has been working over the last few years to improve equality, diversity, and inclusion in the organic chemistry community in the UK, and more widely. The measures we have already taken include committing to more gender- and ethnically-diverse speaker line-ups in the meetings we run or support, and modernising our awards and recognition processes to reflect these values. However, we are not complacent and acknowledge that we must do much more. It is our firm view that science is best done by a diverse inclusive team, in which all members are valued, and in a supportive and positive research culture. We are committed to listening to, and learning from, the chemistry community, including the Black and minority ethnic members of our community, about how the RSC Organic Division can better support and represent you. Please get involved and contact us with your ideas and thoughts. For our part, we will be working on ways to be actively anti-racist, to ensure equality, diversity, and equity in all of our activities, and to promote a positive and supportive scientific culture.

Organic Division Council, June 2020

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How to Join

RSC members can join the Organic Division by updating their details in the “My communities and subscriptions” tab of the online RSC membership area. Please click here to login and add to your list of Divisions.