On Thursday 3rd July 2025 I, on behalf of 80 other signatories, emailed the Board of Trustees and the CEO of the British Psychological Society calling for reinstatement of funding for I'm a Scientist, Get me out of here!, an outreach scheme within the UK which introduces school students to scientists in a range of fields. 

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The email read: 

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Dear Board of Trustees, 

 

When I reflect on my career so far some of my proudest moments come from my public engagement work, in particular the moments where I have been speaking with school pupils and they suddenly realise that a career for psychology could be for them. There is something so special about helping someone understand that if they have an interest in the mind and behaviour, then psychology wants them and will welcome them with open arms. When they realise that there are psychologists out there with similar backgrounds to them, who have been through similar challenges to them, and have similar hopes and dreams as them, there are few things better!

 

I have been a regular contributor to I’m a Scientist, Get Me Out of Here since 2020 and engaging with the BPS funded Psychology Zone is often the highlight of my working day. It’s an opportunity to engage school students across the UK with psychology, encourage them to start thinking about careers in psychology, whilst also allowing me to continue developing my science communication and research dissemination skills. I was disappointed to hear that the BPS decided to withdraw their funding for I’m a Scientist’s Psychology Zone, and have often found myself missing the chats I had through the scheme. Due to this, I recently contacted the team at I’m a Scientist to request an update on the funding status of this zone and was further disappointed to hear that the zone is still unfunded. 

 

I truly believe that I’m a Scientist is an important part of engaging school students with psychology within the UK and that the BPS should be encouraging and supporting this outreach in schools. As such, please find attached a letter signed by 81 psychologists who are calling on the BPS to reconsider its decision to withdraw funding and to reinstate support for the Psychology Zone in I’m a Scientist, Get Me Out of Here. This letter has been put together with the support of Professor Pete Etchells, Professor of Psychology and Science Communication, and Shane McCracken, Director of I’m a Scientist, Get Me Out of Here. 

 

The attached letter details the benefits of engagement with I’m a Scientist for both school students across the UK and psychologists of all career stages, as well as how the scheme aligns with the British Psychological Society’s objectives. We respectfully request that this letter and its call to reinstate funding be carefully considered. 

 

We look forward to hearing from you. 

 

Best wishes,
Dr Ashleigh Johnstone, CPsychol

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