Academia needs your voices — exactly as they are

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Joshua at the UArctic 2026 Conference

Aspiring scientist Joshua Margand went from avoiding speaking in class to presenting at an international conference, and has a message for anyone who might be worried about entering academia because they stammer.

I have stammered for as long as I can remember. It isn't a condition I live with; it is a core part of me, my life and my story. Stammering plays a pivotal role in almost everything I do. I stammer when talking to loved ones, strangers and even to myself when I'm alone. I experience lots of repetitions, especially when saying my name, which is increasingly a challenge. I often have prolongations but mostly I block. 

I have grown up with people interrupting me, mistaking a block for me finishing my sentences, and others have introduced me rather than waiting for me to do. I've even had people ask me if I was okay or under the influence when I was stammering. 

Ironically, I was always a chatterbox at primary school and loved sharing facts. I often thought that I was so talkative that I had to be 'nerfed' with a stammer to make it fair for everyone else. Having said that, I can remember going out of my way to avoid speaking in class, dreading answering the morning register and having very small circles of friends through to high school due to fears of wider socialising.

Career worries 

If you told that kid that one day he'd be standing in front of an audience of esteemed professors at an international scientific conference, he'd have never believed you. Yet, as of June 2026, I am a postgraduate researcher at the University of East Anglia, finishing my Master's in marine microbiology with strong ambitions of pursuing a PhD. I have just done an oral presentation at the international UArctic 2026 Conference. In fact, I am on track to do over five academic oral presentations this year! 

Within higher education, there are naturally many personal and academic stressors, and having a stammer impacts them both. As an aspiring scientist, I always worried that whilst I may have the brains for science, my speech would hold me back from reaching my true potential. Academia often feels like it's built for perfectly slick, fluent speakers. 

For a second, I seemingly held the entire room in the palm of my hand. From that moment, I knew I had it.

When I first started my undergraduate research project, it was incredibly intimidating to see just how huge a part of being a scientist involves public speaking. This includes lab meetings and defending research — sometimes to people who speak English as a second or third language, placing even more pressure on being understandable. 

Since high school, I have spent lots of time working on ways to talk with my stammer. I feel blocks and repetitions almost coming up my throat and through my head. As a result, I have worked to try and synchronise my speech so the blocks 'flow' out in between words, and I also use a thesaurus to find alternative words that are easier to say. 

• See our tips for coping with stammering at uni or college.

Speaking to an international audience

When I signed up for the UArctic Conference, my primary motivation was career progression. Because it was months away, the presentation aspect hadn't really hit home. I actually applied for a poster, but the organisers were so impressed with my research they bumped me up to an oral presentation, much to my dread and excitement. 

It is much harder for me to talk than my peers, but that also means if I do, I am pushing myself further and developing more.

To prepare for the conference, I practiced a lot with my lab partner and also secured a talk at the John Innes Centre. This was terrifying! A room full of professors and scientists there to see me talk for half an hour. But I did it, and I stammered! At one point, I was so focused on trying to be fluent that instead of saying "that's why this species is good to study," I accidentally said, "is good to stutter". Mortified, I froze, took a breath and said: "The species doesn't stammer. I do". For a second, I seemingly held the entire room in the palm of my hand. From that moment, I knew I had it. 

The actual UArctic Conference ended up going excellently. I had a few blocks and minor repetitions, but none of the audience apparently noticed them. Not only did I get great feedback on the content of my presentation, but I also had amazing feedback on how I presented it. 

My message

I have felt very angry about my stammer in the past, very anxious, and felt it was very unfair. But looking back now, I am happy and proud of it as I believe it has been pivotal in making me who I am today. 

In the past few years, my relationship with my speech has transitioned from 'this thing I have' to 'a power I have'. It is much harder for me to talk than my peers, but that also means if I do, I am pushing myself further and developing more. I now use my stammer as a source of motivation. Sometimes I jokingly say my goal is to end up on the Wikipedia page of famous people who stammer. 

My message to anyone else who is passionate about STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) but worried about their speech is this: science progresses through good data, good science and good communication. Good communication isn't necessarily fluent communication. 

Academia needs your brains, your passion, your perspectives, and it needs your voices — exactly as they are.

Read more Your Voice articles. 

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