Living through Covid-19

The Covid-19 pandemic has been labelled a mass global trauma event, with all-encompassing effects similar to that of the second world war. It remains too early to estimate the full impact of these events on the health or career progression of marginalised individuals, but early results highlight that many experienced significant challenges. 

The international Women in Supramolecular Chemistry (Wisc) network began a programme of research into lived experiences of life inside and outside the lab in September 2020. Although it had not been designed to capture Covid experiences, the timing meant that it was perfectly situated to do so. The chemical science community shared the general shock of lockdowns and lab closures, with the corresponding challenges of home-schooling, isolation and keeping research groups going. To capture the emotional and embodied experiences that these situations produced, Wisc used a variety of creative and qualitative research methods. These data were collected through reflective work with research groups and collaborative autoethnography, alongside qualitative surveys that received responses from supramolecular researchers across five continents.