Privacy Policy
STEMLaunch Editorial Team · Last updated: September 2026
STEMLaunch ("we", "us") is an independent STEM careers education and media platform published in the United Kingdom at stemlaunch.org. This policy explains what information we collect when you use the site, why we collect it, and the choices you have.
We try to keep this short and readable. If anything is unclear, email hello@stemlaunch.org.
What we collect
- Email address — only if you choose to subscribe to our newsletter or ask to receive your Career Advisor results by email.
- Messages you send us — if you email us, we keep that correspondence so we can reply.
- Career Advisor conversation content — the answers you type into the AI Career Advisor are sent to our AI provider so a response can be generated.
- Usage data — pages viewed, approximate location (country/region level), device and browser type, and referring site, collected through analytics and advertising cookies where you have consented.
We do not ask you to create an account, upload a CV, or provide identity documents to use STEMLaunch.
Newsletter and email collection
Newsletter signups are handled by our email provider, Kit (ConvertKit). When you subscribe, your email address and the signup source (for example "newsletter", "career advisor results", or a specific employer or university page) are stored with that provider so we can send you relevant STEM career guides and opportunities.
Every email includes an unsubscribe link. You can unsubscribe at any time, or email us and we will remove you.
Contact and forms
Forms on STEMLaunch collect only what is needed to respond — typically an email address and your message. We do not sell or rent contact details to anyone.
Cookies
Cookies are small files stored by your browser. STEMLaunch uses a small number of them:
- Essential — remembering your cookie choices and keeping the site working. These are always set.
- Analytics — Google Analytics, to understand which guides are useful and how people navigate the site.
- Advertising — Google AdSense, to show adverts and, where you consent, to personalise them and measure their performance.
Analytics and advertising cookies are only set after you accept them in our cookie banner. You can change your mind at any time using the "Cookie settings" link in the footer, or by clearing cookies in your browser.
Google Analytics
We use Google Analytics 4 to measure traffic in aggregate — page views, referral sources and broad audience information. We do not use it to identify individual visitors. Google's practices are described in the Google Privacy Policy.
Advertising and Google AdSense
STEMLaunch is free to read and is funded partly by advertising. We use Google AdSense to display adverts on editorial pages. Google and its partners may use cookies or similar technology to serve adverts, limit how often you see the same advert, and measure performance.
Where you consent, adverts may be personalised based on your prior visits to this and other websites. Where you decline, Google is instructed to serve non-personalised advertising only, which still relies on limited technical data such as approximate location and page content.
You can manage advertising preferences directly with Google at:
- Google Ads Settings — adssettings.google.com
- How Google uses information from sites that use its services — policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites
- Your Online Choices (EU/UK industry opt-out) — youronlinechoices.eu
AI Career Advisor
Messages you send to the AI Career Advisor are transmitted to a third-party AI model provider to generate a response. Do not enter sensitive personal information, medical details, or anything you would not want processed by a third party. Conversations are not linked to your identity unless you separately give us your email address to receive your results.
Legal basis (UK GDPR)
- Consent — analytics cookies, advertising cookies and newsletter emails.
- Legitimate interests — keeping the site secure, preventing abuse and understanding aggregate usage.
Data retention
- Newsletter subscribers — kept until you unsubscribe or ask to be deleted.
- Email correspondence — kept for up to 24 months.
- Analytics data — retained according to Google Analytics' standard retention settings (up to 14 months for user-level data).
- Advertising data — controlled by Google under its own retention policies.
Your rights
Under UK data protection law you have the right to access the personal data we hold about you, to have it corrected or deleted, to object to or restrict processing, to withdraw consent at any time, and to request a copy of your data in a portable format.
To exercise any of these rights — including deletion — email hello@stemlaunch.org and we will respond within one month. If you are unhappy with our response you can complain to the UK Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk.
Children
STEMLaunch is written for people aged roughly 15 and over. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 13. If you believe a child has subscribed, contact us and we will remove the record.
External links
We link to employers, universities, government services and other third-party sites. Those sites have their own privacy policies and we are not responsible for their content or data practices.
Changes to this policy
We update this policy when our practices change. The date at the top of the page always shows the most recent revision.
Contact
Questions about privacy or a data request? Email hello@stemlaunch.org or use our contact page.