European Platform of Women Scientists - News

EPWS Short Conference and General Assembly

noreply@blogger.com (EPWS) — Thu, 27 Jun 2013 07:33:00 +0000

The European Platform of Women Scientists will hold its 7th General Assembly on the June 27, 2013. The proceedings will take place at the Haus der Technik, in Essen, Germany.

Programme

14.00 Welcome Address and Opening Remarks

Dr. Brigitte Mühlenbruch, EPWS President

14.15 Meeting the Challenge of Gender and Diversity

in University Management and Research

Prof. Dr. Ute Klammer, Vice Rector for Diversity Management, University of Duisburg-Essen

14.30 Institutionalizing Gender and Diversity in University Structures – The Example of the University of Duisburg-Essen

Equal Opportunity Office and Gender Portal

Ingrid Fitzek, Equal Opportunity Officer, University of Duisburg-Essen

ProDiversität – Programme for the Development of Competencies for the Handling of Diversity with respect to Teaching, Counselling and Management Tasks and Diversity Portal

Sarah Winter M.A., Center for Higher Education and Quality Development (ZfH), University of Duisburg-Essen

Essen College of Gender Studies (EKfG)

Dr. Maren A. Jochimsen, Managing Director EKfG, University of Duisburg-Essen

Coordination Office Women’s and Gender Research Network NRW

Prof. Dr. Anne Schlüter, Speaker Women’s and Gender Research Network NRW

15.30 Discussion

15.45 Gender, Science, Technology and Environment.

A COST policy-driven network
Caroline Bélan-Ménagier, Vice Chair genderSTE Management Committee

16.15 Discussion

16.30 Coffee Break and Networking

17.00 EPWS General Assembly

19.00 Closing Remarks

Download the Programme

Get International Directions to arrive in Essen and the Haus der Technik

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Job Posting - German Institute of Global and Area Studies, President

noreply@blogger.com (EPWS) — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 11:57:00 +0000

The GIGA German Institute of Global and Area Studies / Leibniz-Institut für Globale und Regionale Studien and Universität Hamburg are jointly seeking to fill as soon as possible the position of:

GIGA President (in accordance with pay grade W3)

for a five-year term (extension possible).

This position includes a permanent Professorship at the Universität Hamburg (W3), Ref. No. GIGA4/W3

The GIGA is a publically funded, internationally renowned research institute and member of the Leibniz Association. The institute’s research – synonymous with excellence and integrated into international networks – focuses on political, economic and societal developments in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East and is dedicated to inter-regional and global issues. The transfer of results of practice-oriented fundamental research is an important part of the GIGA’s expertise.

Key duties as the GIGA President will include:

- managing the GIGA and representing it both nationally and internationally to diverse contacts in the academic, political and economic fields
- consulting political and economic decision-makers
- conducting research
- publishing peer-reviewed articles
- acquiring external funding

As a regular professor at Universität Hamburg, the GIGA president assumes teaching responsibilities (totalling two hours per week per semester) and examination duties within the university’s Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences. Universität Hamburg places particular value on the quality of teaching.

The GIGA and Universität Hamburg support equal employment opportunities and actively encourage applications from women. Qualified female applicants will receive preferential consideration in those areas in which they are underrepresented.

For further information, please contact Julia Kramer, assistant to the Board of Directors, on +49 (0)40 - 42825-540 or at julia.kramer@giga-hamburg.de.

The deadline for applications is 18 July 2013.

Please submit your application, including your CV, your publication and teaching records, a brief statement of your teaching experience as well as a concept for the further development of the GIGA and Ref. No. GIGA4/W3 to:

An den Präsidenten der Universität Hamburg
Organisationsreferat
Ausschreibungsstelle
Mittelweg 177
20148 Hamburg

or via email to: UniHHAusschreibungsstelle@verw.uni-hamburg.de

Do Science Girls Have an Image Problem? - Euroscientist Blog

noreply@blogger.com (EPWS) — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 11:45:00 +0000

Prof. Claudine Hermann, Vice-President of the European Platform of Women Scientists, was recently interviewed for a piece by Euroscientist about the image of female scientists.

"Hot young girls in high heels. Powdered make-up exploding across bubbling and steamy apparatus. Equations written in lipstick. Sounds like a normal day in the lab for most women scientists. Except it isn’t. The scenes are, of course, snippets from the roundly and soundly derided ‘Science: It’s a girl thing’ video released to shock and awe–the bad kind–in 2012.

Born of a well-meaning but inherently flawed campaign from the European Commission, it has been criticised and parodied to the point that further condemnation for reinforcing stereotypes would be like pulling a girl’s hair and stealing her chocolate. Marie Curie’s appearance may arguably not be as attractive as a catwalk models, but if you could find visual props to picture a beautiful mind, she would be a shining star.
To be fair to the EC, it’s not hard to see why they thought they had to do something: a She Figures 2012 report points out that the share of women graduating at PhD level now stands at 46%, but women account for only 33% of researchers in the EU. And while 59% of EU graduate students in 2010 were female, only 20% of EU senior academicians were women.

Is the image of women scientists to blame for the lack of popularity of science studies? It is clear the problems begin before university and academia. The UK’s Institute of Physics has found that for the last two decades in the UK only 20% of physics students past age 16 have been girls, despite about equal success for boys and girls in physics and science exams leading to that point.
How much could changing the image of female scientists do to solve the two problems that persist? Namely, boosting girls’ involvement in science from an early age. And removing the barriers to top positions for female scientists when they get there.

A classic remedy to anyone with an image problem would be to try and alter that image through advertising campaigns. But do these get-girls-to-do-science campaigns really work? “I don’t know,” says Claudine Hermann, Vice President of the European Platform for Women Scientists who in 1992 was the first woman to be appointed as a professor at military engineering school École Polytechnique, in Paris, France.

The trouble is that such campaign often fails to convince. Hermann has spent the past 20 years immersed in the challenge and says there have been plenty of campaigns to convince girls—and boys—to go into science “But they have not been very efficient,” she says, “You cannot know what had happened if campaign had not existed.” Sounds like the perfect area to test a policy change through a randomised trial. Others concur that advertising has obvious limitations. “I don’t think one video will make any difference,” says sociologist Lousie Archer from King’s College London, who, like most, is not a great fan of the ‘Science: It’s a girl thing’ video. But she says she could see what they were trying to do."

Read the Full Article

2013 Eppendorf and Science Prize : applications

noreply@blogger.com (EPWS) — Mon, 27 May 2013 06:31:00 +0000

"The Eppendorf & Science Prize for Neurobiology is an international research prize. It is awarded annually to one young scientist of 35 years of age or younger for the most outstanding neurobiological research.

You could be next to win this prize and to receive
> Prize money of US$25,000
> Publication in Science of an essay describing your research
> Full support to attend the Prize Ceremony held in conjunction with the
Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in the USA
> An invitation to visit Eppendorf in Hamburg, Germany

Application Deadline: June 15, 2013

The Eppendorf & Science Prize for Neurobiology 2012 was awarded to Marlene R. Cohen, Assistant Professor at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Cohen uses the responses of groups of visual neurons to estimate which part of the visual world an animal is paying attention to at any given moment. Her approach provides a new way to study how our mental activity affects what we perceive and how cognitive processes such as attention are controlled."

More information

Job Posting: Culham Centre for Fusion Energy

noreply@blogger.com (EPWS) — Mon, 27 May 2013 06:26:00 +0000

The Culham Centre for Fusion Energy, in Oxforshire, United Kingdom, is currently posting various jobs in areas such as Physics, Engineering, and Software development.

To apply and for more information, please visit the Centre's website

University of Nottingham : PhD Positions - Marie Curie Actions

noreply@blogger.com (EPWS) — Thu, 02 May 2013 11:06:00 +0000

Position 1: Marie Curie Early Stage Researcher/PhD Student in Physics (1 post)

Department School of Physics & Astronomy, the University of Nottingham

Salary Minimum £36929 per annum, depending on family status and pension arrangements according to Marie Curie rules

Marie Curie ITN Project: Quantum Sensor Technologies and Applications (QTea)

Applications are invited for the above post to work with Dr Thomas Fernholz and Prof Peter Krüger in the framework of a European funded project at the University of Nottingham. The successful candidates will register for a 3 year PhD at the School of Physics and Astronomy within the Marie Curie Initial Training Network (ITN): Quantum Sensor Technologies and Applications – QTea. http://www.itnqtea.eu .

Two research projects are based on the physics of ultra-cold atoms, trapped under ultra-high vacuum conditions in tightly confining magnetic fields. Atoms hover above so-called atom chips, which are used to produce trapping fields by running currents through litho¬graphically patterned conductors. This technique has proven to be useful for a variety of applications.

Interfacing ultra-cold atoms with solid-state materials.

This project will focus on using atoms as surface probes. The fragility of Bose-Einstein condensates, i.e. collections of atoms at the lowest possible energy allowed by quantum mechanics, can be used to map out electrical and magnetic properties of materials with high sensitivity and spatial resolution. In collaboration with IBM, we will further develop this novel magnetic microscopy technique to measure field patterns on the nanoscale. For further information on this project contact Peter.Kruger@nottingham.ac.uk .

The overall aim of the QTea network is to establish a transnational platform for the career development of young researchers on quantum technologies, ranging from modern time and frequency standards to terrestrial and airborne gravimetry. Hence, the selected candidates will be able to develop multidisciplinary knowledge ranging from fundamental science to industrial application. Successful candidates will take part in a network wide training program and are expected to collaborate with network partners through short term placements at industrial/academic partner institutions within UK and EU.

Candidates should possess and excellent masters or diploma in experimental quantum physics or photonics. In addition ESR fellows must, at the time of recruitment by the host organization, be in the first four years (full-time equivalent research experience) of their research careers and have not yet been awarded a doctoral degree. They are required to undertake trans-national mobility (i.e. move from one country to another) when taking up their appointment. At the time of recruitment by the host organization, researchers must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc) in the country of their host organization for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately prior to the reference date. Short stays such as holidays and/or compulsory national service are not taken into account. Through collaboration with academic and industry partners, also provides complementary training for PhD students in academia and the private sector.

Due to the requirements of the UK Border and Immigration Agency, applicants who are not UK or EEA nationals and whose immigration status entitles them to work without restriction in the UK will be considered on an equal basis with UK and EEA nationals. Other non-UK or non-EEA nationals whose employment will require permission to work subject to a resident labour market test may only be considered if there are no suitable UK or EEA national candidates for the post. Please visit http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/ for more information.

This full-time post will be offered on a fixed-term contract for a period of 36 months.

Informal enquiries may be addressed to Dr Thomas Fernholz on Thomas.Fernholz@nottingham.ac.uk and Prof Peter Krüger Peter.kruger@nottingham.ac.uk . Please note that applications sent direct to these email addresses will not be accepted.

To apply, please visit http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/jobs/currentvacancies/ref/SCI1235

Position 2: Marie Curie Early Stage Researcher/PhD Student in Physics (1 post)

Department School of Physics & Astronomy, the University of Nottingham

Salary Minimum £36929 per annum, depending on family status and pension arrangements according to Marie Curie rules

Marie Curie ITN Project: Quantum Sensor Technologies and Applications (QTea)

Quantum optics with atoms loaded into hollow-core fibres.

Ensembles of atoms can be used to store the quantum state of light and retrieve it later with an arbitrary delay, limited by the atomic coherence time. Such a quantum memory is required to generate and maintain entanglement at long distances and is an essential building block of future quantum communication networks. In this project, strong coupling between light and ultra-cold atoms will be achieved inside the 6 ?m-? hollow core of a photonic crystal fibre, integrated into an atom-chip environment. For further information on this project contact Thomas.Fernholz@nottingham.ac.uk.

This full-time post will be offered on a fixed-term contract for a period of 36 months.

To apply, please visit http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/jobs/currentvacancies/ref/SCI1237 .

Beyond Academia - six proposals regarding Horizon 2020

noreply@blogger.com (EPWS) — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 09:38:00 +0000

The European Platform of Women Scientists, which represents more than 12,000 female researchers in Europe and beyond, has urged the European Commission (EC) to do six things with respect to Horizon 2020, the upcoming EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation.

First, the EC needs to introduce binding gender-evaluation criteria in EU research-funding programmes.

Second, it should set targets for the participation of women in EU-funded research projects at all levels (young and senior scientists, project leaders, consortium managers) at the proposal stage, sanctioning missed targets and publishing results.

Third, the EC needs to set indicators for gender sensitivity in the research design of proposed projects.

Fourth, it should extend the 40% target for women’s participation beyond advisory groups and evaluators’ panels to all structures related to Horizon 2020 — including the ERC, Joint Research Centre, European Institute of Innovation and Technology, steering and expert groups and the like.

Fifth, it needs to train evaluators in gender issues.

Finally, the EC must increase funding for research into improving societal structures as part of its innovation strategy (see go.nature.com/y7vygb). Motivation and participation are the basis of high-quality results in research — not biased evaluation criteria, job insecurity and glass ceilings. An academic culture that is transparent, democratic and sensitive to gender and diversity will benefit all scientists.

Taken from "Only Wholesale Reform Will Bring Equality", in Nature Vol 495, 7 March 2013.

By Brigitte Mühlenbruch and Maren A. Jochimsen

She Figures 2012 : women still under-represented in EU research

noreply@blogger.com (EPWS) — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 10:11:00 +0000

She Figures 2012 is the fourth publication of a key set of indicators that are essential to understand the situation of women in science and research. Over time, the list of indicators has evolved to describe the participation of women at all levels and in all scientific disciplines. from tertiary education through to the job market, including work/life balance not only in the 27 EU Countries but also in Croatia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Iceland, Israel, Norway, Switzerland and Turkey.

She Figures is produced by the European Commission (Directorate General for Research and Innovation and Eurostat) in cooperation with the statistical correspondents of the Helsinki Group on Women in Science.

Although the proportion of female researchers in Europe is increasing, the under-representation of women in scientific disciplines and careers still persists. This is the message of the latest edition of the "She Figures", published today by the European Commission. Women represent only 33% of European researchers, 20% of full professors and 15.5 % of heads of institutions in the Higher Education sector.

According to the report presented today, women represent around 40% of all researchers in the Higher Education Sector, 40% in the Government Sector and 19% in the Business Enterprise Sector. While in all sectors their number has been growing faster than that of their male counterparts (+5.1% for women annually compared with +3.3 % for men from 2002 to 2009), female researchers still struggle to reach decision-making positions with, on average, only one woman for every two men on scientific and management boards across the EU.

In 2010, the proportion of female students (55 %) and graduates (59 %) exceeded that of male students, but men outnumbered women among PhD students and graduates (respectively 49 % and 46 %). Furthermore, climbing up the ladder of the academic career, women represented 44 % of the researchers with a PhD at the first grade of an academic career and only 20 % of the researchers at the top grade of an academic career. The under-representation of women becomes even more striking in fields such as science and engineering.

European Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science Máire Geoghegan-Quinn said: "Despite some advances in recent years, women in research remain a minority, and a glass ceiling is in particular blocking women from top positions. This is a serious injustice and a scandalous waste of talent. The Commission is focused on fostering gender equality in our research programmes, and working to change a deeply-rooted institutional culture.”

Read the She Figures 2012 Report

EU Science and Technology Advisory Council

noreply@blogger.com (EPWS) — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 17:57:00 +0000

The President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, has announced today the creation of a Science and Technology Advisory Council. This informal advisory body held its first meeting today in Brussels.

President Barroso said: "Science and innovation are key drivers for European competitiveness, economic growth and the creation of new jobs. This Advisory Council will focus on science and technology related topics that are of cross-cutting nature, with a clear societal dimension. It will identify the issues of value where science, research and innovation can contribute to support future development in Europe".

The creation of the Advisory Council follows the President’s appointment of Professor Anne Glover as the European Commission’s first Chief Scientific Adviser in January 2012, aiming at ensuring more evidence-based European Union policy-making, but also at promoting the uptake of science & technology in society, including a better transfer of knowledge from the scientific world to industry.

The Science and Technology Advisory Council is an independent and informal group of outstanding science and technology experts from academia, business and civil society, covering a broad range of disciplines and uniting expertise from across the European Research Area. Its members have been selected by the President in consultation with the Chief Scientific Adviser, based on their scientific reputation, experience at the science-policy interface and communication skills.

The main aim of the Council is to provide advice directly to the President on how to create the proper environment for innovation by shaping a European society that embraces science, technology and engineering. In particular, the Council will advise on the opportunities and risks stemming from scientific and technological progress. It will also advise on how to communicate these in order to foster an informed societal debate and ensure that Europe does not “miss the boat” and remains a global leader in cutting-edge technologies.

Members of the Science and Technology Advisory Council:

Alan ATKISSON (Sweden)

Ferdinando BECCALLI-FALCO (Italy)

Victor DE LORENZO (Spain)

Tamás F. FREUND (Hungary)

Susan M. GASSER (Switzerland)

Søren MOLIN (Denmark)

Joanna PINIŃSKA (Poland)

Alexandre Tiedtke QUINTANILHA (Portugal)

Ortwin RENN (Germany)

Riitta SALMELIN (Finland)

Pat SANDRA (Belgium)

Hans-Joachim SCHELLNHUBER (Germany)

Roberta SESSOLI (Italy)

Cedric VILLANI (France)

Ada E. YONATH (Israel)

Read the Full Press Release

Google European Android Camp 2013

noreply@blogger.com (EPWS) — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 17:51:00 +0000

"Hello from Google!

Are you a current first year undergraduate of a 3 year programme or a first or second year undergraduate of a 4 year programme? Are you studying Computer Science or a related degree at a university in Europe or Israel? Are you interested in Android development? If so, perhaps you’d like to join us for an all-expenses-paid programme of interactive and collaborative Android curriculum at our London Google Office this summer?

Apply for Android Camp today!

How to apply: Visit www . google . com/students/androidcampeurope to learn more about the programme and apply before the Friday 5th April 2013 deadline (midnight UK time).

When: Android Camp will begin on Sunday 11th August and will run until Saturday 17th August.

I want to know more! To learn more about Android Camp and to submit your application, please visit our website at: www . google . com/students/androidc ampeurope. If you have any questions about the application, please feel free to email emea-android-camp-questions@google.com.

Google is committed to supporting the education of the future leaders and innovators in technology and business all over the world, including those who are historically underrepresented in these fields. We believe in attracting all top talent to Google, regardless of identity or background."

National Assessments on Gender and STI

noreply@blogger.com (EPWS) — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 17:46:00 +0000

The National Assessments on Gender and STI are based on the Gender Equality – Knowledge Society (GE&KS) indicator framework, which was developed to address the fact that worldwide, women's capacity to participate in science, technology and innovation is grossly under-developed and under-utilized. Not only do they have less access to information and technology, they are poorly represented in educational, entrepreneurship and employment opportunities. It brings together gender-sensitive data on key areas in the knowledge society (ICT, science, technology and innovation) with gender indicators of health, economic and social status to assess the barriers and opportunities for women.

A pilot assessment of six countries and one region took place during 2012 with funding from the Elsevier Foundation: Brazil, India, Indonesia, the Republic of Korea, South Africa, the United States, and the European Union.

Key Findings

The major finding of this study is that the knowledge gender divide continues to exist in all countries, even those which have a highly-developed knowledge society. In all countries in this review – which represent the leading knowledge-based economies in the world – the knowledge society is failing to include women to an equal extent, and in some cases, their inclusion is negligible.

Numbers of women in the science, technology and innovation fields are alarmingly low in the world’s leading economies, and are actually on the decline in many, including the United States.
Women remain severely under-represented in engineering, physics and computer science — less than 30% in most countries – while the numbers of women working in these fields are also declining.
Women have lower levels of access to the productive resources necessary to support active engagement in the knowledge society and related professions – property (land); finance; technology; and education.
Female parity in the science, technology and innovation fields is tied to multiple factors, with the most influential being higher economic status, larger roles in government and politics, access to economic, productive and technological resources, and a supportive policy environment. Findings also show that women gain ground in countries that have health and childcare, equal pay, & gender mainstreaming.
Access to education is not a solution in and of itself and neither is economic status. It’s only one part of what should be a multi-dimensional policymaking approach. There is no simple solution.

Further information including the report for the European Union can be found at

wisat.org/programs/national-assessments-on-gender-sti/

Travel Grant - International Union of Pure and Applied Physics

noreply@blogger.com (EPWS) — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 11:40:00 +0000

Supporting Women in Physics in Developing Countries

Announcement from the IUPAP Working Group on Women in Physics

(IUPAP is the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics)

We have received funding to launch a new round of the IUPAP/UNESCO program to fund the attendance of women from developing and eastern European countries at regional or international conferences and schools. We expect to be able to fund 13-14 women between $700 & $800 US each at a maximum.

Applications for these grants should be received no later than April 15, 2013. Recipients will be chosen by the IUPAP Working Group on Women in Physics by mid May, and we will notify everyone during the first week of June, 2013.

Only women physicists from Eastern Europe or developing countries may apply. Due to limited funding, those who have received a grant in the past, under this program, are not eligible for a second grant.

Those interested in applying for a grant should submit the following information, via email as a WORD document only or as text within the email. PLEASE DO NOT SEND AS A PDF FILE. If you attach files, please include your last name in all the file names.

1. Complete contact information including name, address, email and phone number.
2. Years since your Ph.D (or undergraduate degree for graduate students) was granted.
3. Brief description of the conference or workshop you wish to attend (including date of conf., place to be held, & website if available) and if you will be making a presentation.
4. Brief statement of how attending the conference will enhance your career.
5. If you have attended any regional or international conferences, please list them.
6. A breakdown of the amount of money (maximum $700/800 US) required to attend (Ex: Airfare, registration fee, meals).
7. List your publications from the last 5 years.
8. One Letter of recommendation.

Send all information to Jackie BeamonKiene at, beamon@aps.org by close of business on April 15, 2013 (5:00p.m. EST).

Sincerely,

Silvina Ponce Dawson, Chair, IUPAP Working Group on Women in Physics
Igle Gledhill, Vice-Chair, IUPAP Working Group on Women in Physics
Jackie Beamon-Kiene, Admin., IUPAP Working Group on Women in Physics

Debating Europe - Work / Family Balance

noreply@blogger.com (EPWS) — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 11:34:00 +0000

Prof. Claudine Hermann, Vice-President of EPWS, was recently interviewed by Debating Europe about the work /family balance in Europe and the different approaches across the Union.

Concerning the number of women in University science studies, Prof Hermann said:

" The percentage of women science students in universities is high, but the people who end up in the most senior positions are mostly men. This is because of the way the careers are built and the problem of the biological clock.

If you want a family, you cannot wait forever because you won’t be able to have children any more, and the conditions of instability in research positions, including changing countries several times over many years, and getting to a permanent position only very late in your life, is not something that helps women.
If, at the political level, people want more women scientists, then they have to consider the working conditions."

Read the Full Article

Nature Journal - Women in Science

noreply@blogger.com (EPWS) — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 13:54:00 +0000

Dear fellow women in science,

The 7 March Nature is a special issue on Women In Science nature.com/women

Please take a look, and, if you like what you see, let people know.

We’re using the Twitter hashtag #Womeninscience

Here’s a summary:

WOMEN’S WORK

A special section of Nature finds that there is still much to do to achieve gender equality in science.

Science remains institutionally sexist. Despite some progress, women scientists are still paid less, promoted less frequently, win fewer grants and are more likely to leave research than similarly qualified men. The reasons range from myriad forms of overt and covert discrimination to the unavoidable coincidence of the productive and reproductive years.

In this special issue (nature.com/women) Nature takes a hard look at the gender gap and at what is being done to close it. A survey of the situation (with an online interactive), reveals where progress has been made and where inequalities still lie, from salary to tenure. A News Feature reveals a particular dearth of women in some commercial spheres, such as on scientific advisory boards of biotech firms, and an essay by historian Patricia Fara traces the wearying stereotypes perpetuated by the biographers of women scientists.

A series of Comment articles looks at possible solutions. Neuroscientist Jennifer Raymond calls on both sexes to recognize and reduce their biases against women in science, and eight researchers from around the world offer their prescriptions, from equalizing the retirement age in China, to liberalizing travel restrictions in Saudi Arabia, to boycotting conferences that include no female speakers.

Brigitte Mühlenbruch and Maren A. Jochimsen catalogue some of the ambitious moves being made in Europe to get more women into top positions, such as Germany’s successful female professorship programme, and Isabel Vernos explores some surprising statistics questioning mandatory quotas. Finally, four profiles of successful 30-something women show how ambition and talent can trump obstacles. In an accompanying extended podcast Athene Donald and Uta Frith discuss their own experiences of the issues raised by these articles.

This special issue is dedicated to the memory of Maxine Clarke. In the 28 years Maxine spent championing the highest scientific standards as an editor at Nature, she was all too often the only one to ask, “Where are the women?”

Read the Full Special Issue

Read the Italian Version in Donne e Scienza

European Equal Pay Day

noreply@blogger.com (EPWS) — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 11:57:00 +0000

On 28 February 2013, the European Commission marked the European Equal Pay Day.

The European Equal Pay Day is held annually and raises awareness of the fact that women have to work longer than men to earn the same. 16.2%: that’s the size of the gender pay gap, or the average difference between women and men’s hourly earnings across the EU, according to the latest figures released today by the Commission. To help tackle the pay gap, the Commission is highlighting a series of good practices by companies in Europe which have taken on the problem. It is the third time the Equal Pay Day takes place at European level, following its launch by the Commission on 5 March 2011 and the second day on 2 March 2012 .

"European Equal Pay Day reminds us of the unequal pay conditions women still face in the labour market. While the pay gap has declined in the recent years, there’s no reason to celebrate. The pay gap is still very large and much of the change actually resulted from a decline in men’s earnings rather than an increase for women”, said Vice-President Viviane Reding, the EU's Justice Commissioner.

"The principle of equal pay for equal work is written in the EU Treaties since 1957. It is high time that it is put in practice everywhere. Let us work together to deliver results not only on Equal Pay Days, but on all 365 days a year!"

Gender pay gap Statistics ( Source: Eurostat 2010, except for Greece: 2008)

The latest figures show an average 16.2% gender pay gap in 2010 across the European Union. They confirm a slight downward trend in recent years, when the figure was around 17% or higher the previous years.

The declining trend in the pay gap can be explained by the impact of the economic downturn on different sectors, whereby sectors dominated by male workers (such as the construction or engineering sector) have seen bigger drops in earnings overall. The change is therefore not generally due to improvements in pay and working conditions for women. At the same time, the share of men working part-time or under less well-paid conditions has increased in recent years.

The Commission wants to support employers in their efforts to tackle the gender pay gap. The "Equality Pays Off" project aims to make companies more aware of the "business case" for gender equality and equal pay. With the challenges of demographic change and increasing skill shortages, the initiative aims to provide companies with better access to the labour force potential of women. It includes training activities, events and tools for companies to address the pay gap.

The project also aims to help reach the Europe 2020 Strategy target of raising the employment rate to 75% - for which greater participation of women in the labour market is essential.

Examples of good practices by companies seeking to tackle the pay gap include:

German media firm Axel Springer AG launched the “Chancen:gleich!” (Opportunities:Equal!) programme in 2010 with the objective of increasing the numbers of female managers to 30% of the company’s management within 5-8 years.
Kleemann Hellas SA, a Greek lift producer, aims to increase the number of women in sales and technical support, breaking stereotypes and reducing gender segregation. The “Diversity and Gender Equality” project increased female presence in the sales department from 5% in 2004 to 30% in 2012.
Lithuanian mobile communications company Omnitel’s project “Creating a family friendly work environment in the company” aims to make work-life balance part of the organisational culture by offering flexible working possibilities to their staff. This has increased the proportion of female managers.
IBM Germany’s “German Women’s Leadership Council” seeks to encourage women to take up a career in the IT industry by providing personal and cyber mentoring to students in schools. It also offers mentoring to young colleagues pursuing a management or specialist career.

More information:

‘Tackling the gender pay gap in the European Union’ is a new brochure which explains the gender pay gap, its causes and the benefits of closing it. It also shows examples of national good practices to tackle the gender pay gap. The brochure is available in English but will be available in the 22 EU languages soon.
You can download it here

The gender pay gap website has been updated with the latest developments on equal pay issues. New statistical data and the new brochure are available there. To learn more visit http://ec.europa.eu/equalpay.

Linked to the European Equal Pay Day, a Business Forum will be organised on 21 March 2013 in Brussels. The Business Forum will be a platform of knowledge exchange for up to 150 EU companies of actions to foster gender equality. More information about the Business Forum can be found here

Job Posting : University of Hamburg - Marketing and Innovation

noreply@blogger.com (EPWS) — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 12:27:00 +0000

The Dept. of Marketing and Innovation of the University of Hamburg is looking for two Graduate / Research Assistants ( with the possibility to write a PhD thesis) in the field of marketing and innovation, including a sponsored project and teaching.

Download the Full Calls (in German)

1 & 2

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EPWS Newsletter - February 2013

noreply@blogger.com (EPWS) — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 12:01:00 +0000

The EPWS Newsletter of June 2012 is now available.

In this issue, you can read about our General Assembly, Short Conference, various developments regarding Horizon 2020, and many other news from our Members.

Read it Now

ITRE Committee Reports on HORIZON 2020

noreply@blogger.com (EPWS) — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 12:13:00 +0000

The Industry, Research and Energy Committee of the European Parliament

has released its Reports on HORIZON 2020.

These include:

REPORT on the proposal for a Council decision establishing the Specific Programme Implementing Horizon 2020 - The Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (2014 - 2020)

Maria Da Graça CARVALHO

Documents in dossier ITRE/7/08080
Documents relating to procedure 2011/0402(CNS)

More information on the ITRE Committee Website

EU Call for Research jobs 2013-2014

noreply@blogger.com (EPWS) — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 10:48:00 +0000

At the request of the European Commission (EC) and in particular the Joint Research Centre (JRC), the European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO) is launching a selection procedure to set up a database of successful candidates from which to recruit research contract staff (Contract Agents FGIV) with the aforementioned profiles for the provision of additional capacity.

The database of successful candidates will be used mainly by the European Commission and more particularly by the Joint Research Centre. The majority of the positions will be offered at the JRC in the following institutes at their respective location:

Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements (IRMM) in Geel, Belgium
Institute for Transuranium Elements (ITU) in Karlsruhe, Germany
Institute for Energy and Transport (IET) in Petten, the Netherlands
Institute for the Protection and Security of the Citizen (IPSC) in Ispra, Italy
Institute for Environment and Sustainability (IES) in Ispra, Italy
Institute for Health and Consumer Protection (IHCP) in Ispra, Italy
Institute for Perspective Technological Studies (IPTS) in Seville, Spain
Ispra Site Management (ISM) in Ispra, Italy

Some positions will be offered in Brussels at the following Directorates General (DGs):

DG Communications Networks - European Commission (DG CONNECT)
DG Research and Innovation - European Commission (DG RTD)
DG Health and Consumers - European Commission (DG SANCO)

The approximate size of the pool of successful candidates required over the period 2013-2014 will be:

Profile 1: Natural Sciences 100
Profile 2: Quantitative Sciences 180
Profile 3: Human and Social Sciences 150
Profile 4: Agricultural, Environmental and Earth Sciences 110
Profile 5: Health Sciences 60

Candidates may apply only for one of the profiles published in this Call.
Candidates who make more than one application will be disqualified.

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS (including validation):
01/03/2013 at 12:00 (midday) Brussels time

Read and Download the Full Call

Share of women on company boards up to 15.8%

noreply@blogger.com (EPWS) — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 17:22:00 +0000

The European Commission released mid-term figures on the share of women on boards in publicly listed companies. The new figures show an increase in the number of women on boards to 15.8%, up from 13.7% in January 2012. This breaks down into an average of 17% of non-executive board members (up from 15% in January 2012) and 10% of executive board members (up from 8.9%). An increase in the share of women on boards has been recorded in all but three EU countries (Bulgaria, Poland and Ireland).

The new figure represents a 2.2 percentage point increase as compared to October 2011 and is the highest year on year change yet recorded. This boost follows the women on boards proposal that the European Commission adopted on 14 November 2012 (IP/12/1205 and MEMO/12/860) to introduce a 40% objective for women on boards based on merit. It also reflects the impact of high-level EU discussions about the need for legislation regulating the number of women on boards.

Vice-President Viviane Reding today presented the new figures at the World Economic Forum in Davos when speaking in a public session on Women in Economic Decision Making together with Christine Lagarde, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund.

"The proof is in the pudding: regulatory pressure works. Companies are finally starting to understand that if they want to remain competitive in an ageing society they cannot afford to ignore female talent: 60% of university graduates are women," said Vice-President Viviane Reding, the EU's Justice Commissioner. "The example set by countries such as Belgium, France and Italy, who have recently adopted legislation and are starting to show progress, clearly demonstrates that time-limited regulatory intervention can make all the difference. The Europe-wide law we have put on the table will make sure existing talent is used boosting gender balance evenly across all company boards throughout our internal market."

Database: Women & Men in Decision-Making

Women on Boards - European Comission's Progress Report, March 2012

Countries with quota legislation remain the motor of change. The largest percentage point increases were recorded in Italy (up by 4.9 percentage points to reach 11%), which recently adopted a quota law that requires listed and state-owned companies to appoint 1/3 women to their management and supervisory boards by 2015. France, which introduced a quota law in 2011, has become the first EU country to have more than one woman on the top-level board of all of its largest listed companies.

Women now represent 25% of CAC 40 company boards in France – a 2.8 percentage point increase in the space of just 10 months (January – October 2012). France’s quota is 40% by 2017 applicable to executive and non-executive board members in listed and non-listed large companies (employing at least 500 workers and with revenues over 50 million EUR), with an intermediate target of 20% by 2014.

Meanwhile, Bulgaria is the only country where there was a notable decline (down by 4 percentage points), while Poland and Ireland have seen no change in the number of women on their boards, stagnating at 12% and 9% respectively.

Next steps: In order to become law, the Commission's proposal now needs to be adopted by the European Parliament and by the EU Member States in the Council. The European Parliament has appointed Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Rodi Kratsa-Tsagaropoulou (Committee on Women’s Rights) and MEP Evelyn Regner (Committee on Legal Affairs) as co-rapporteurs (draftspersons) for the proposal.

The Council held a first discussion on the proposal in December (MEMO/12/940) and the Irish Presidency of the EU is expected to schedule another discussion at the meeting of Employment and Social Affairs ministers (EPSCO Council) on 20 June 2013. Meanwhile, on 15 January, the draft law successfully passed the Subsidiarity Check (with a 43:11 result) – where national parliaments (who each have two votes, making it 54 votes in total) give opinions about whether it is appropriate to tackle an issue at EU level or whether it is best left to the Member States.

Gender balance on the boards of the largest companies around the EU, Oct-2012

Read the Full Press Release

European Commission widens search for expert advisors for Horizon 2020

noreply@blogger.com (EPWS) — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 17:49:00 +0000

The European Commission has launched a call asking experts from all fields to participate in shaping the agenda of Horizon 2020, the European Union's future funding programme for research and innovation. This marks the first time that the Commission has launched such a call for its research programme.

Advisory groups will provide high quality and timely advice for the preparation of the Horizon 2020 calls for project proposals. Groups will be set up on topics of major concern for European citizens, such as climate change, making renewable energy more affordable, ensuring safe food or coping with the challenges of ageing. The groups will encourage dialogue between all levels of government, civil society and business from all EU Member States, and influence the direction of EU research and innovation funding from now until 2020.

European Research, Innovation and Science Commissioner Máire Geoghegan-Quinn said: "Our aim is to reach the broadest range of experts who will help us to deliver innovative ideas, sustainable growth and new jobs. Introducing this transparent and inclusive call for Horizon 2020 means we are reaching out to the entire European research and innovation community. I would in particular like to encourage women and individuals with the right expertise but who have not been involved in the past to show their interest."

Individuals can express their interest, acting either in a personal capacity, as representatives of collective interest groups or as representatives of organisations. Details of the criteria on which selection will be based, including the profile of experts, are set out in the call.

The full text and guidance on how to register can be found here

"Science needs you!" - a BeWiSe Documentary

noreply@blogger.com (EPWS) — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 11:38:00 +0000

BeWise - Belgian Women in Science - has produced a documentary portraying moments in the life of six scientists.

BeWiSe's main objectives are to support the position of women in science, both in public and private sectors and to improve communication among women in the Belgian and European scientific community.

BeWiSe is working towards achieving these objectives by creating a network for support and exchange of information, experience and knowledge. Also, by providing an electronic meeting place with easy access for everybody. BeWise organises meetings, seminars and workshops and sets up contacts with similar European and international associations.

www.bewise.be

Read the BeWise Newsletter of December 2012

University of Amsterdam - MacGillavry Fellowships 2013

noreply@blogger.com (EPWS) — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 12:43:00 +0000

The Faculty of Science of the University of Amsterdam is organizing the second round for the MacGillavry Fellowships. There are 5 fellowships (tenure track positions) available for top talented female scientists.

"The Faculty values the contribution of female scientists in its research and education and aims to increase their numbers. The MacGillavry Fellowship, named after the ground-breaking crystallographer Carolina MacGillavry (an UvA alumna), is directed at ambitious women. We are therefore especially seeking women who excel in one of the faculty’s disciplines, who possess leadership potential and aspire to a career as a professor at the University of Amsterdam.

The fellowship comprises a tenure track, whereby the fellow starts as assistant professor (UD), with the prospect of a permanent appointment as associate professor (UHD) as well as career arrangements leading to professorship. Depending on the fellow’s qualifications, entrance at a higher level is possible. We offer among other things an attractive start-up package, and assistance in finding a job for your partner, child care and accommodation. Fellows can also count on excellent guidance."

The scientific disciplines of the Faculty are: Biological science and biomedical science Earth Sciences (Physical Geography) Informatics and Logic Physics Chemistry Astronomy Mathematics and Statistics.

www.uva.nl/mgf

The closing date for applications is 15 February 2013.

'Global Board Ready Women' - online database

noreply@blogger.com (EPWS) — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 11:29:00 +0000

The European Business Schools Women on Boards Initiative is migrating their 'Global Board Ready Women' list of 8 000 women into an online database. The women on this list all fulfill stringent criteria for Corporate Governance as defined by publicly listed companies and are well qualified and ready to go on boards as of today.

This ever growing list of "Board Ready Women" – which will now be consultable online for corporations and for executive search companies – makes it clear that there are more than enough eminently qualified women to help lead Europe’s and the world’s corporations into the 21st century and that it is now time to shatter the glass ceiling that keeps these women from ascending to board of directors positions.

The "Global Board Ready Women" searchable database list and forum will be administered by the Financial Times Non-Executive Directors’ Club on the global business platform, LinkedIn. All women listed in the Global Board Ready Women (GBRW) searchable database are suitable to be considered for publicly listed company board-level positions and meet a clear set of criteria as developed and defined over the last year and a half by the organization members of the European Business Schools/Women on Board initiative.

Notably, all women on the list have at least five years’ experience in one or more of the following roles:

Chair and/or NED of listed/private corporations
CEO, COO, CFO or other C-suite exec/director level in listed/private corporations
Family member and controlling shareholder of boards of large family companies
Director of government agencies
Director of non-profit orgs
Institutional investment community senior professional
Professional firms senior partner serving boards and their committees as clients
Entrepreneur
Senior academics with relevant experience

Background

In November 2012 the European Commission proposed legislation to improve gender balance on company boards based on merit and qualification. The proposed Directive sets a minimum objective of 40% by 2020 for members of the under-represented sex for non-executive members of the boards of publicly listed companies in Europe, or 2018 for listed public undertakings.

The proposal also includes, as a complementary measure, a "flexi quota": an obligation for listed companies to set themselves individual, self-regulatory targets regarding the representation of both sexes among executive directors to be met by 2020 (or 2018 in case of public undertakings). Qualification and merit will remain the key criteria for a job on the board. The proposed Directive establishes a minimum harmonisation of corporate governance requirements, as appointment decisions will have to be based on objective qualifications criteria. Inbuilt safeguards will make sure that there is no unconditional, automatic promotion of the under-represented sex. In line with the European Court of Justice's case law on positive action, preference shall be given to the equally qualified under-represented sex, unless an objective assessment taking into account all criteria specific to the individual candidates tilts the balance in favour of the candidate of the other sex. Member States will also have to lay down appropriate and dissuasive sanctions for companies in breach of the proposed Directive.

A report by the Commission in March 2012 showed that, across the EU, company boards are currently dominated by one gender. There are also big differences between countries, with women making up 27% of board members in the largest Finnish companies and 26% in Latvia, but only 3% in Malta and 4% in Cyprus. Progress is only visible in countries that have introduced legally binding laws for company boards. France, which introduced a legal quota in January 2011, accounts alone for more than 40% of the total EU-wide change recorded between October 2010 and January 2012.

Read the Press Release

Promoting Gender Equality in Science - International Conference in Vilnius

noreply@blogger.com (EPWS) — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 12:32:00 +0000

The international conference Promoting Gender Equality in Science was held in Vilnius on 20 of November 2012

The conference was organized by the BASNET Forumas association and aimed to discuss the measures of national policies in the frame of implementation of European gender mainstreaming policy in science.

Among the invited speakers of the conference were the President of the prestigious European women scientists organization European Platform of Women Scientists EPWS, Dr. Brigitte Mühlenbruch, Mrs. D. Grigolovičienė from the Lithuanian Equal Opportunity Office, member of Helisinki group on Women in Science Auša Gribauskienė (Lithuanian Ministry of Education and Science), head of Human recourse department of Tartu University Ms M. Nomm (Estonia), and outstanding Lithuanian scientists and science policy makers.

During the conference the results obtained implementing Lithuanian National project "Promoting Gender Equality in Science" (LYMOS) were presented. The project was coordinated by the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences and financed by European Structural Funds. The partners of the project were BASNET Forumas association, the Lithuanian Science Council and the Lithuanian National Union of Students.

The two-year lasting LYMOS project was aiming at the implementation of a Lithuanian national strategy- to work out the structural basis for implementation of gender mainstreaming policy in the Lithuanian science system. During the project the legal basis regulating scientific activities was reviewed and recommendations for updates concerned with assurance of equal opportunities in science were worked out; the methods for institutional assessment were reviewed and the development of financial instruments motivating universities and research institutions to take more attention to gender related issues were worked out; the gender sensitive indicators were created and implemented into the national science monitoring system; there was and update of the national Strategy ensuring equal opportunities in sciences; the piloting financial supporting projects directed towards retaining women in sciences after parental leave were implemented and carrier development planning trainings were organized.

The conference was followed by a press conference participated by the President of the Lithuanian Academy of Science, EPWS president Dr. Brigitte Mühlenbruch, Head of Study, Research and Technology department of Lithuanian Ministry of Education and science Dr. A. Zalys and moderated by the BASNET Forumas President Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dalia Satkovskiene.

The news about the conference were distributed by the Lithuanian news agency ELTA, presented in most popular news portals DELFI and ALFA, and published in Lithuanian newspapers.

Conference Programme