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Women in Science

Sandrine Loublier, a researcher at French medical research institute INSERM. © Inserm/ Patrice Latron
Sandrine Loublier, a researcher at French medical research institute INSERM. © Inserm/ Patrice Latron

Where are the women?

Regarding women in science, some countries are leading with more than 30% of women holding full academic positions, while others are way below. More women are reaching senior levels in science and engineering, however gender equality is not yet fulfilled in the EU. Addressing this situation is a priority for the European Commission.

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women in science
18 March 2013

Women in Science: gender equality is not yet fulfilled

While more and more women are reaching senior levels in science and engineering, the aspiration of reaching gender equality is not yet fulfilled. Data from the She Figures 2012 report, a major EU publication that presents Europe-wide data on women in science from tertiary education through to the job market, show that there are nowhere near enough women at the top levels of science and research.

Statistics such as the number of women on boards do not always tell the full story of gender balance. Image: Pexels/ energepic.com
policy | women in science
16 May 2017

Gender equality figures promising but not the full story

Relying just on numbers to assess gender equality is insufficient because companies and researchers are smart enough to game the system, a conference in Brussels, Belgium, has heard.

Graphene’s applications could range from bendy phones to night-vision cameras. Photo courtesy of Dr Amaia Zurutuza
industry | interview | women in science
14 September 2015

Graphene market could be attractive once applications are ready – Dr Amaia Zurutuza

Graphene production could become a very attractive market for small- and medium-sized enterprises, according to Dr Amaia Zurutuza, scientific director of the graphene production company Graphenea, but it might take a while. 

By the time she retires, Prof. Nicola Spaldin would like to have made a room temperature superconductor. Credit: Körber-Stiftung, Friedrun Reinhold
frontier research | women in science | interview
18 August 2015

Choose an interesting question and go after it with gusto – Prof. Nicola Spaldin

Young researchers should pick a question they are really interested in, and then go after it with gusto, says materials scientist Professor Nicola Spaldin, who has been named winner of the 2015 Körber European Science Prize which honours outstanding scientists working in Europe.

Prof. Caroline Dean believes that women can hesitate a tiny bit longer than men when asking themselves if they are good enough to run a laboratory.
women in science | agriculture
18 February 2015

Positive role models are key to gender equality - Prof. Caroline Dean

Female role models are an important way to promote gender equality among senior scientists, according to Professor Caroline Dean, a plant biologist at the John Innes Centre, in Norwich, UK. Prof. Dean is the winner of the 2015 European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) and Federation of European Biochemical Societies (FEBS) Women in Science Award for her work in plant biology and working to promote women in science.

Professor Pascale Cossart believes young female researchers should not hold themselves back.
health | women in science
15 September 2014

Committees should put talent ahead of quotas – Prof. Pascale Cossart

Women should be compelled to sit on scientific committees if they receive funding for research, according to Professor Pascale Cossart, director of research into bacteria-cell interactions at the Pasteur Institute in Paris. Prof. Cossart is the 2014 recipient of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) and Federation of European Biochemical Societies (FEBS) Women in Science Award, in recognition of her work in bacteriology and in mentoring young scientists.

Composer Deirdre Gribbin and scientist Dr Sarah Teichmann's collaboration led to the creation of a musical score based on the patterns in human DNA.
frontier research | women in science | innovation convention
23 July 2014

How a string quartet can play your genes

A friendship struck up in the photocopying room of Trinity College Cambridge, in the UK,  between two senior academics – one in the arts, and one in the sciences – has led to an innovative translation of science: a piece of music for a string quartet.

Anne-Marie Imafidon, the founder of Stemettes, believes that promoting female role models and celebrating their achievements is one way to change attitudes.
interview | science in society | women in science
12 May 2014

Attitudes must change to get more girls to study science – Anne-Marie Imafidon

If more girls are to study science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) subjects at university, then attitudes among parents and society at large must change – that’s according to Anne-Marie Imafidon, a speaker at the EU’s Innovation Convention in March 2014. She passed an A level in computing aged 11, and at 20, she obtained a master’s degree. She is the founder of Stemettes, an organisation which encourages girls to get into STEM subjects by connecting them with women working in the field.

Dr Saskia Biskup, the first-prize winner of the EU Prize for Women Innovators 2014.
interview | women in science | innovation convention
11 April 2014

Being your own boss benefits career, family – Dr Saskia Biskup

The freedom of running your own company can make it easier to combine work with family. That’s according to human geneticist and entrepreneur Dr Saskia Biskup, the first-prize winner of the EU Prize for Women Innovators 2014. She is the co-founder of CeGaTGmbH, a leading German biotech company that conducts diagnostic testing for genetic diseases.

Dr Gitte Neubauer, inaugural winner of the top award at the EU Prize for Women Innovators.
innovation convention | interview | women in science
28 February 2014

Childcare infrastructure central to promoting women in science – Dr Gitte Neubauer

Childcare facilities and the chance for fathers to participate equally in looking after children are central measures needed to enable more women to pursue careers in science. That’s according to the inaugural EU Prize for Women Innovators winner, Dr Gitte Neubauer, who co-founded the biotechnology company Cellzome. She will be speaking at the EU’s Innovation Convention 2014 on 10 March.

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