IDEA Initiatives

The Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution (SMBE) is committed to dismantling systemic racism, sexism, colonialism, and all forms of exclusion within our field. Through our IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access) Task Force, we work to broaden recruitment, remove barriers to participation, and foster a respectful community that benefits all members.

To better serve our global community, the IDEA Task Force now operates through three distinct funding streams: IDEA General Initiatives, Outreach Subcommittee, and Local Leadership in Science, supporting member-led initiatives that drive real-world change.

IDEA General Initiatives

The SMBE IDEA Task Force aims to increase the participation of scientists from diverse backgrounds (gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, career stages, geographic location, ethnicity, etc.) in the fields of molecular biology and evolution. The goal of the task force is to broaden recruitment and retention across groups historically underrepresented or minoritized in these fields, removing barriers to participation in the society's activities, and fostering a diverse, respectful, and welcoming community that serves and benefits all of its members.

The task force annually invites SMBE members to propose initiatives to actively promote inclusion, diversity, equity, and access. SMBE will support selected initiatives with up to $25,000. Special emphasis is given to projects that directly benefit the members of the SMBE society. If you wish to know more about the initiatives that the task force has selected for funding in previous years, see examples.

Outreach Sub-committee

The SMBE Outreach sub-committee aims to foster meaningful engagement between SMBE and the wider community by supporting initiatives that communicate, promote, and expand the reach of research. Outreach projects are encouraged to strengthen connections among SMBE members, increase public understanding of evolutionary biology, and promote inclusive participation across diverse audiences and career stages. The committee values an approach that make SMBE’s science more accessible, sustainable efforts that extend beyond the immediate project period, and activities that reflect SMBE's commitment to inclusion, diversity, equity, and access (IDEA). Through these efforts, the Outreach sub-committee helps ensure that SMBE’s mission and values have a long-lasting and visible impact both within and beyond the society. If you wish to know more about the initiatives that the task force has selected for funding in previous years, see below. The task force annually invites SMBE members to propose outreach initiatives with a maximum budget of $10,000. Some examples here!

Local Leadership in Science

The SMBE Local Leadership in Science sub-committee promotes equitable, respectful, and sustainable research collaborations by supporting initiatives that strengthen local leadership, capacity, and agency in molecular biology and evolution research across all regions. Projects are encouraged to center local scientists and communities, build enduring partnerships, and challenge extractive or “parachute” research practices.

The committee values proposals that:

• Foster long-term scientific exchange and mutual benefit between collaborators.
• Provide training, resources, or infrastructure that remain within local institutions.
• Elevate research led by scientists in historically under-resourced or marginalized settings.
• Develop ethical frameworks for data sharing, authorship, and community engagement.

Through these efforts, this subcommittee advances SMBE’s commitment to inclusion, diversity, equity, and access (IDEA), ensuring that global research in molecular biology and evolution is conducted collaboratively, transparently, and with genuine respect for local expertise and sovereignty. The task force annually invites SMBE members to propose initiatives with a maximum budget of $10,000. Some examples here!

TASK FORCE MEMBERS

Co-chair until SMBE 2026:  Tugce Bilgin Sonay (she/her), Zurich University of Applied Sciences, Switzerland

Co-chair until SMBE 2026: Epifanía Arango-Isaza (she/her), University of Wisconsin-Madison, U.S.A.

Co-chair: Wei-Chin Ho (he/him), University of Texas at Tyler, U.S.A.

Co-chair after SMBE 2026: Simone Andrea Biagini (he/him), Masaryk University, Czechia

Co-chair after SMBE 2026: Neus Font Porterias (she/her), Institute of Evolutionary Biology, Barcelona, Spain

SMBE council Co-liaison Elena Gómez-Díaz (she/her), CSIC, Spain.

SMBE council Co-liaison Ravinder K. Kanda (she/her), Oxford Brookes University, UK

Carlos Eduardo G. Amorim (he/him), Arizona State University, U.S.A.

Charles A. G. Michie (he/him), Oxford Brookes University, UK; Outreach subcommittee 

Hayley Beth Free (she/her), Oxford Brookes University, UK; Outreach subcommittee

Sishuo Wang (he/him), The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SARfor

Boris Olou (he/him), University of Parakou, Benin

Gözde Atağ (she/her), University of Vienna, Austria

Yichen (Serena) Dai (she/her), School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, China

Morjina Solaiman (she/her), University of Idaho, Idaho, USA

Suggestions?

Do you have a suggestion for how SMBE can be more inclusive? Let us know anonymously by completing this form.

Contact the SMBE IDEA Task Force by email, Twitter, or Bluesky.

We are recruiting for new task force members! Check out the call HERE!