Restructuring stereotypes in materials science – Graphene Flagship encourages women in STEM
To encourage a more diverse community in graphene, the Graphene Flagship hosts a specialist Women in Graphene career development day on 11 and 12 February 2019
Coinciding with the International Day of Women and Girls in STEM, Women in Graphene aims to connect women working in the sector through a series of biannual meetings and the establishment of a peer-to-peer support network.
As part of a two-day program, the first day seminar contains a series of talks and workshops aiming to support the career development of women working in graphene. This includes a presentation of the RSC’s Breaking the Barriers report, an examination of women’s progression in the chemical sciences, which will be led by Laura Norton, inclusion and diversity manager at the RSC.
Prof. Sarah Haigh, professor of materials characterisation at the University of Manchester, will also deliver a talk at the seminar focusing on her adventures imaging atoms. Haigh’s presentation will be followed by a keynote speech from Dr Jess Wade of Imperial College London.
An established academic in materials science, and an advocate for women in STEM, Wade famously wrote over 460 Wikipedia entries in her efforts to get female scientists noticed. Wade has been involved in several projects to improve gender inclusion in science, having been recognised as one of Nature’s ten people who mattered in 2018. Wade will share her fascinating experience with the Women in Graphene participants.
“Established by the Graphene Flagship, the Women in Graphene initiative aims to create a more gender diverse scientific community,” explained Dr Siân Fogden, event organiser of Women in Graphene, Graphene Flagship event. “Held over two days, the Women in Graphene career development day will equip attendees with the inspiration, support and knowledge to pursue their career goals in the realm of materials science.”
Following the first day of seminars, Springboard Consultancy will be running a career development workshop for participants on Tuesday 12 February. To attend, visitors are encouraged to register their interest in advance via the Graphene Flagship website. This will ensure they receive full program information and the first alerts about potential travel grants for early stage career researchers.
More information on the Women in Graphene initiative and career development day can be found on the Graphene Flagship website, along with a video from last year’s Women in Graphene event.
Author bio
Graphene Flagship
Bringing together 118 academic and industrial partners in 12 research and innovation projects and 1 coordination and support project, the Graphene Flagship initiative will continue to advance Europe’s strategic autonomy in technologies that rely on graphene and other 2D materials. The initiative, which builds on the previous 10-years of the Graphene Flagship, is funded by the European Commission’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme. The 2D-Experimental Pilot Line, addressing the challenges of upscaling 2D material production processes for the semiconductor industry, is another key component of the Graphene Flagship eco-system.