Inspiration lunch Women in Science

As part of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science (February 11), the Faculty of Science organized an inspiring lunch event on Thursday, February 23, 2023, at Campus Groenenborger focused on "Women in Science." During this lunch, we aimed to connect current and future students as well as staff members of the Faculty of Science to exchange experiences, inspire one another, and celebrate the community of female scientists.

The lunch session began with a brief introduction by our faculty director, Suzy Huysmans, who presented gender statistics at the Faculty of Science (see graphs below). The faculty’s policies on gender and diversity were also discussed, including the structural collaboration with interns from the inter-university Master’s program in Gender and Diversity to better map the causes of the gender imbalance at our faculty.Percentage distribution of students at the Faculty of Science by gender (per academic year)

Percentage distribution of students at the Faculty of Science by gender (per academic year)

Percentage distribution of academic staff (postdoctoral researchers and higher) at the Faculty of Science by gender (per academic year)

Next, several of our female students, researchers, and professors shared their personal experiences as women in science. They spoke about their sources of inspiration, their choice to pursue science, the challenges and obstacles they encountered, the demanding balance between research and family life, as well as the mentors and positive moments that propelled their academic or research careers. Judging by the questions afterward, these passionate stories created a sense of recognition and inspiration among the audience.

An overview of the speakers at the inspirational lunch (from left to right): Callie Ndayirinde (doctoral researcher, Department of Chemistry), Sarah Lebeer (professor, Department of Bioscience Engineering), Malika Belrhazi (Master’s student, Mathematics), Gudrun De Boeck (professor, Department of Biology)

Following the presentations, there was an opportunity to continue the conversation over lunch and exchange further experiences. Attendees could also have a Polaroid photo taken and add it to a display of female scientists and role models from the past and present—women whose contributions to science have often gone unrecognized. In this way, the Women in Science community was made visually tangible. 

​Diversity and collaboration is key for problem identification and solving 

- Professor Sarah Lebeer