This event will highlight concrete initiatives and programmes, primarily at the institutional level, aimed at closing the gender gap in global brain research.
This is the second instalment of series on the gender gap in neuroscience which started in October 2023 with the webinar "Unfinished Business: Persistent Global Gender Disparities in Neuroscience”.
While the first webinar explored the underlying causes of the enduring gender gap in brain research worldwide, this session will focus on actionable steps and programmes designed to dismantle barriers and promote gender equity. Our previous discussions concluded that the gender gap is a tangible issue, driving talented cisgender women and LGBTQIA+ people away from scientific research due to systemic obstacles. Therefore, our aim with this webinar is to showcase effective strategies for addressing these systemic challenges and ultimately closing the gap.
Our speakers will share successful initiatives and programmes from around the world that have effectively narrowed the gender gap in science. By analysing these case studies and best practices, we aim to provide concrete pathways for progress and inspire institutions and scientists from across the globe to implement these practical approaches to create meaningful change for more gender equity in academic and research settings.
Programmes featured
- Chairs for Women in Science and Engineering program, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) of Canada - Canada
- Faculty Institutional Recruitment for Sustainable Transformation (FIRST) program, NIH - United States
- Fix The Gap, 500 Women Scientists - United States/International
- Women in STEM Initiative (AIMSWIS), The African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) - Africa
- Athena Swan Charter, United Kingdom
Panelists
- Dr Jee Hyun Kim - Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation, Deakin University, Australia // Chair
- Dr Jennifer (Jenn) Jakobi - Chair for Women in Science and Engineering for the BC/Yukon Region, Canada
- Dr Vicky (Victoire) Ghafi Kondi Akara - Gender and Inclusion Officer & Resident Researcher in Climate Scientist & at AIMS Research and Innovation Centre, Kigali, Rwanda
- Dr Michelle Hamlet - National Institutes of Health, Office of the Director, Office of Strategic Coordination, the Common Fund, United States
- Farah Qaiser - 500 Women Scientists Leadership Team Member, Canada
- Dr Vasanta Subramanian - Senior researcher/Clinician, University of Bath, United Kingdom.
Dr Jee Hyun Kim
Professor Jee Hyun Kim is the Head of Molecular Psychiatry Laboratory at Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation, Deakin University. She studies the neurobiology of age-specific memory in health and disease using cells, rodents, and humans. She has won numerous national and international awards for her ground-breaking work and is a passionate science communicator.
Dr Michelle Hamlet
Dr. Hamlet has been working at the National Institutes of Health for nearly 20 years, covering many areas of research and career development. She is the FIRST Program Leader. In her spare time, she crochets and knits.
Farah Qaiser
Farah Qaiser is a genomics researcher by training. Farah holds a Master of Science from the University of Toronto, where she used genome sequencing to better understand neurological disorders. Outside the lab, she has written about science for various media outlets, served on the Canada Chief Science Advisor’s inaugural Youth Council, and sits on the Let’s Talk Science Board of Directors. With her colleague Hajer Nakua, Farah recently co-wrote her first children’s book, Khadija and The Elephant Toothpaste Experiment, a story about a young girl carrying out an at-home science experiment with mixed and messy results.
Dr Jennifer (Jenn) Jakobi
Dr Jakobi is the NSERC Chair for Women in Science and Engineering for the BC and Yukon Region. She was trained in Kinesiology and neuromuscular physiology. Her primary area of research is Exercise Neuroscience. Dr. Jakobi leads the Westcoast Women in Engineering Science and Technology (WWEST) Program. Through this program she is working towards increasing diversity in the sciences through engaging, mentoring and supporting women and underrepresented persons in exploring, understanding and hopefully pursuing education and careers in fields that are historically under-represented by women.
Dr Vicky Ghafi Kondi Akara
A Resident Researcher at AIMS Research and Innovation Centre, Dr Kondi conducts climate change science research. As the Gender and Inclusion Officer, she leads initiatives for Gender Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion at AIMS Rwanda and in the network. Specializing in Weather-Climate Services, Energy Demand Modeling, and Efficiency Management, her 11-year expertise spans climate change, environmental management, renewable energy, energy efficiency, water and sanitation, mathematical and climate modeling, and data analysis. She has worked with various international organisations, such as GIZ. EU, African Union, and on numerous publications and reports tackling global issues.
Dr Kondi is also an Africa Climate Ambassador 2024, an International Network of Women Engineers and Scientists (INWES) Board Member, promoting STEM fields and youth leadership, particularly among women, and Africa Union volunteer 2021.
Dr Vasanta Subramanian
Vasanta Subramanian did her undergraduate and PhD studies from the University of Delhi and the Indian Institute of Science, India. After Post-doctoral stints at the ICRF-DBU in Oxford and the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry in Gottingen, Germany, she joined the University of Bath where she currently a Reader in Vertebrate Developmental Genetics. Vasanta’s research focuses on neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders.
She is deeply committed to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) issues and is currently the British Neuroscience Association’s EDI representative. In addition to training and mentoring her own research group, over the years she has hosted a large number of school and undergraduate students on externally funded summer bursaries to encourage them to consider a career in science.
Please note that the webinar will be held in English. There will be written live captions and translation available.
This webinar is part of the ALBA-IBRO global diversity webinars and organised with the support of the International Brain Research Organization, a founding partner of the ALBA Network.
