At the DiGENet Lunch Talk on December 2, 2024, Harvard University professors Frank Dobbin and Michèle Lamont (both Harvard University, USA) shared cutting-edge research and critical insights into structural drivers and barriers of diversity and inclusion in academia. Dobbin presented unpublished data from a study across 600 U.S. universities, highlighting effective institutional reforms, while Lamont called for an intersectional rethink of meritocracy and academic gatekeeping.