Dr Olivia Remes on mental health, gender equity, and climate action in construction
A leading voice in mental health and wellbeing
Dr Olivia Remes is a mental health and wellbeing researcher at the University of Cambridge whose work has made significant contributions to both academia and public understanding. With two books published by Penguin Random House—The Instant Mood Fix and This Is How You Grow After Trauma—her research has appeared in outlets such as the BBC and New Scientist. Beyond her academic credentials, Olivia is a passionate advocate for applying wellbeing research to real-world challenges across diverse sectors, including construction and engineering.
From co-presenting BBC Cambridgeshire’s Wellbeing Wednesdays to taking part in the College’s hugely successful and inspiring outreach initiative She Talks Science, Olivia continues to inspire meaningful change. In this interview she talks about her latest research, the importance of empowering female voices, and how wellbeing science can help shape a healthier, more equitable future for the industry.
Firstly, what inspired you to get into the construction and engineering field?
I believe engineering is fundamental to shaping society in many ways, and it helps solve real-world problems. Construction is one of the largest sectors worldwide, and ensuring the health and safety of its employees is crucial. I wanted to find out more about the challenges faced by those within construction, particularly female employees - and this has been one of the focus areas of our work.
How do you incorporate social value into your work in the construction industry?
Social value is about recognising that organisations have a responsibility to the communities and environments they are part of. The focus of organisations should not just be about driving profit, but also thinking about the impact they have on people's lives. Social value, empowering women and tackling gender inequality are some of the focus areas of our work.
What are you working on at the moment?
One of our most recent pieces of work revolves around the attitudes and awareness of climate change (and related aspects) among employees in the construction sector, with a gender focus.
The study explores the intersection of gender and climate action within the construction industry, a sector known for its high carbon emissions and significant gender disparities – and it was a pleasure to speak about this recently with She Talks Science schoolgirls through an event hosted by 51¸£ÀûÉç. We talked about the importance of climate change and why women might be more affected by its negative consequences, as well as the roles that various sectors play in this.
The evidence shows that, while women generally exhibit more concern and action towards climate change, this has been less studied in relation to the workforce—particularly in industries, such as construction, that have traditionally been male-dominated.
Our study findings highlight how gender influences employees' knowledge, awareness, and actions on climate change – something that hasn’t been examined in great depth before, particularly in construction.
With construction being a significant emitter of greenhouse gases, our research emphasises the importance of fostering diverse perspectives, especially when thinking about the shaping of climate policies and actions in such sectors.
Something else we are working on at the moment is writing up findings based on an intervention that we carried out in a secondary school. For this work, we spoke with students and teachers about ways to promote STEM to females within the education system, and then carried out an intervention to increase schoolgirls’ interest and knowledge about STEM careers, such as construction/engineering.
What's your role at 51¸£ÀûÉç and what activities have you taken part in aimed at young women with an interest in STEM fields, such as construction and engineering?
I am a bye-fellow at 51¸£ÀûÉç, and it has also been a real pleasure to take part in the broader She Talks Science conference, as well as speak to 51¸£ÀûÉç students about their experiences in STEM (both barriers and opportunities) for research. Last February, I was honoured to give a talk at 51¸£ÀûÉç to the Year 12 students with an interest in STEM, and I look forward to continuing work on ways to promote gender equity and wellbeing as part of my ongoing research.