Edit

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

Ensuring that EMBL leads by example as a fair, diverse and inclusive workplace

Wall of Wisdom

Each year, 11 February marks International Day of Women and Girls in Science, and 8 March – International Women’s Day. At EMBL we value diversity in its broadest sense. We take this opportunity to celebrate the many extraordinary and inspiring women – past and present – at EMBL.

This online ‘Wall of Wisdom’ collects the learnings and advice of women in science. We consider all women working at EMBL to be women in science: women from all sites and functions contribute to powering EMBL’s research, services and training in different ways. We are creating a pool of knowledge about women’s journeys and hope to provide inspiration and advice for others.

Credits: Creative Team/EMBL

From your experience, what is one important thing one can do to succeed as a woman in science?

Surround yourself with the right people – people who care passionately about science and who care deeply (whether loudly or softly) about equality and inclusiveness.

image of Edith Heard

Edith Heard

Director General

Edit

When I doubt myself, I think of the quote “God, grant me the confidence of a mediocre white man”.

image of Jia Hui Li

Jia Hui Li

Postdoctoral Fellow (EIPOD)

Diz-Muñoz Group

Edit

Do good science! Drive your project and get credit for it. What women perhaps sometimes do a bit less well than men is ‘selling their science’, so that’s something women could pay more attention to.

image of Judith Zaugg

Judith Zaugg

Group Leader

Edit

As a woman in science, you need to act. Don’t wait for opportunities to come to you, but chase them. It’s fine if you’re scared or insecure, but dig into an unknown (field, job, project, or personal challenge) and explore. Grow.

image of Diënty Hendrina Maria Johanna Hazenbrink

Diënty Hendrina Maria Johanna Hazenbrink

Research Technician

Bork Group

Edit

Do not underestimate your potential and ‘sell your science’ with confidence and grace.  

Shafaque Rahman

EMBL-HZI Posdoctoral research fellow

Train yourself to listen to your gut feeling and follow it persistently. It can make you deal with failures, rejections, impostor syndrome but most importantly it will make you take risks that pay off to create the environment where you have the best chances to succeed. 

image of Flora Vincent

Flora Vincent

Group Leader

Edit

Nurture integrity – in yourself and in others.

image of Cath Brooksbank

Cath Brooksbank

Head of Training

EMBL-EBI Training

Edit

A career isn’t necessarily linear. Take each step as it comes, and value experiences and connections along the way.

image of Annika Corinna Grandison

Annika Corinna Grandison

Acting Head of Communications

Edit

Be bold. There is nothing you cannot do, if you only believe in yourself!

image of Elisa Maria Hahn

Elisa Maria Hahn

Predoctoral Fellow

Edit

Being a woman in science is an opportunity to do stimulating and meaningful work. Focus on that as well, not just the hard parts.

Anonymous

Ignore what society says you can or cannot do, follow your passions and interests and they will take you far, for you have what it takes in you to succeed

Anonymous

Trust your perception, even (and especially) when nobody else does.

Karin Römisch

EMBL alumna

Professor of Microbiology

Saarland University

“Lord, grant me the confidence of a mediocre white man”. (Sarah Hagi) Fake it till you make it. Your competitors do.

Sofia Kirke Forslund

EMBL alumna

Group Leader

Max Delbrück Center

Trust in yourself, dream big and believe nothing is impossible and that you are unique and so you have something to give to the world.

Rana Dajani

EMBL alumna

Tenured Professor

Hashemite University, Jordan

Do the things you like doing, and never ever consider that you are limited because of your gender.

Laure Plantard

EMBL alumna

Light Microscopy expert

Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research

My advice is to not just do things in order to succeed; do things that you feel passionate about, and do not fear listening to your own gut.

Lara Urban

EMBL alumna

Principal Investigator

Helmholtz AI, Helmholtz Pioneer Campus

Follow your heart and passion, trust yourself and do not be scared away by an academic system you do not seem to fit in. Change comes from within.

Eve Seuntjens

EMBL alumna

Head of the Lab of Developmental Neurobiology

KU Leuven

Find mentors who will see your success as their success. Then supplement their experience and networks with your commitment and persistence.

Urtė Neniškytė

EMBL alumna

Group Leader

VU LSC-EMBL Partnership for Genome Editing Technologies

Finding supportive mentors. I am benefiting tremendously from having a mix of great mentors: women and men, who are well aware of the obstacles women can face. 

Maja Funk

EMBL alumna

Postdoctoral Fellow

German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ)

Give YOURSELF the same quality of pep talk, encouragement and support as you give to your colleagues and trainees. Don’t criticize yourself harder than you would criticize others. 

Beate Sodeik

EMBL alumna

Professor of Virology

Hannover Medical School

To succeed in science (as a person) you firstly need to be highly motivated and curious and then to remain focused on your work.

Margarida D. Amaral

EMBL alumna

Full Professor

Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisboa

What makes a good ally to women and girls in science?

Reflecting on your own privileges, whether it’s being male, white, non-immigrant, born to a wealthy family or without disabilities.

image of Jia Hui Li

Jia Hui Li

Postdoctoral Fellow (EIPOD)

Diz-Muñoz Group

Edit

Mentors are always important for everyone. What I noticed is that men are often more outspoken about their mentoring needs. So I encourage everyone – and especially women and girls – to make it clear to themselves what they want and then take the courage and ask their mentors for it. 

image of Judith Zaugg

Judith Zaugg

Group Leader

Zaugg Group

Edit

Via my work, I try to create both the space and a smooth path for others to step forward and take the lead.

I feel we should empower one another, rather than try to outcompete each other. 

image of Diënty Hendrina Maria Johanna Hazenbrink

Diënty Hendrina Maria Johanna Hazenbrink

Research Technician

Bork Group

Edit

Men and women who keep their gender glasses on and who promote women in science, relentlessly… (I wish I could do more)

image of Edith Heard

Edith Heard

Director General

Edit

Someone who is kind to others but has the courage to challenge them if they see unjust or biased behaviour.

image of Cath Brooksbank

Cath Brooksbank

Head of Training

EMBL-EBI Training

Edit

Someone who repeats a point made by a woman, acknowledging her, if the point was ignored when she said it.

image of Marta Lloret Llinares

Marta Lloret Llinares

Senior Scientific Project Manager

EMBL-EBI Training

Edit

Making space for women and girls in the comms I create. Ensuring broad, intersectional representation in marketing images and language, and ensuring EMBL-EBI Training is marketed to an inclusive audience.

image of Rebecca Nicholl

Rebecca Nicholl

Marketing and Communications Manager

EMBL-EBI Training

Edit

Some cultures are more advanced than others in terms of gender equality. Expose yourself to diverse cultures to learn to recognize and fight bias.

Laure Plantard

EMBL alumna

Light Microscopy expert

Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research

A role model that looks like you, speaks your language and comes from similar background.

Rana Dajani

EMBL alumna

Tenured Professor

Hashemite University, Jordan

Invite, involve and credit women and girls in projects and networks.

Sofia Kirke Forslund

EMBL alumna

Group Leader

Max Delbrück Center

A great ally is anyone who promotes and supports women in science, NOT despite being female nor BECAUSE they are female, but because they are great scientists.

Karin Römisch

EMBL alumna

Professor of Microbiology

Saarland University

A good ally provides mentorship and support to women and girls in science, helping them to build confidence, develop skills, and navigate the challenges of the field. They help to create a community of support and encouragement for women in STEM.

Anna Zseni

EMBL alumna

Mentors who know how women can tick differently, for example, in terms of self-criticism or self-perception, and help to deal with this in the challenges of everyday scientific life.

Maja Funk

EMBL alumna

Postdoctoral Fellow

German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ)

Competence, power, and empathy.

Beate Sodeik

EMBL alumna

Professor of Virology

Hannover Medical School

Good allies are: examples as inspiration, focus on positive aspects and (small) successes, and a strong driving force.

Margarida D. Amaral

EMBL alumna

Full Professor

Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisboa

A good mentor is anyone (regardless of gender) who actively gets informed about unconscious biases, and makes a conscious effort to counteract unfair treatments or situations. It applies to any other minority in science.

Anonymous

All the female scientists in the world. I find all of the new female PIs across all EMBL sites aspiring, as they show us, budding female scientists, that it is possible to juggle both work and family life.

Anonymous

Aim to be a mentor to people who you don’t immediately relate to, people whose story is different from yours. It doesn’t have to be about gender.

Anonymous

If you are a woman yourself, ask not what others can do for you. Ask what you can do for other women in science first.

Anonymous

What inspired you to go into science?

Love of the natural world, curiosity about its intriguing diversity, inspirational teachers and encouraging parents.

image of Cath Brooksbank

Cath Brooksbank

Head of Training

EMBL-EBI Training

Edit

My biology teacher in high school, a passionate scientist who would never let anyone get her down.

image of Elisa Maria Hahn

Elisa Maria Hahn

Predoctoral Fellow

Trivedi Group

Edit

I was always fascinated by how biological systems work, and thought it would be awesome to make this my job! So in the end I was just lucky to find a job that allows me to follow my passion.

image of Judith Zaugg

Judith Zaugg

Group Leader

Zaugg Group

Edit

My interest in science started with my dad, who was always telling me amazing stories about astrophysics and quantum physics when I was little. That was much better than fairy tales!

image of Dorota Badowska

Dorota Badowska

Communications Officer, Hamburg

EMBL Communications

Edit

Cells are small and host so many processes – this made me curious – and I am now in a position where I can connect researchers to speak to each other, exchange, develop standards and I see that I directly contribute to scientific progress – a rewarding feeling! 

Katharina Friedlinde Heil

Programme Manager Communities & Training

ELIXIR

I enjoy solving problems and helping others. Though this is not limited to science, I found myself hooked when setting up new experimental protocols and via execution, eliminating probable failing factors. In other words: I enjoy scientific troubleshooting, especially the thrill and euphoria of solving the problem.

image of Diënty Hendrina Maria Johanna Hazenbrink

Diënty Hendrina Maria Johanna Hazenbrink

Research Technician

Bork Group

Edit

The vast ocean of the unknowns, the possibility to dive into the why’s and how’s of the intricate yet fascinating biology of human beings.

Shafaque Rahman

EMBL-HZI Posdoctoral research fellow

Science seemed (and still does) like the key to understanding how all life around me works, helping me envision it as a system and not a mess.

Anonymous

Growing up reading a lot and having evening discussions with my father about everything from astronomy to chemistry. I was encouraged to pursue my curiosity and ask any question.

Rana Dajani

EMBL alumna

Tenured Professor

Hashemite University, Jordan

An experiment at school, which showed that taste perception depends on the pool of alleles one has inherited. It was fascinating.

Laure Plantard

EMBL alumna

Light Microscopy expert

Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research

I believe in the power of science to help improve the health and wellbeing of people, animals and our planet as a whole.

Elsa A. Razborsek

EMBL alumna

Founder of Elsa’s Choice

Science seem to be the only area which welcomed my possibly excessive overthinking, questioning, discussing …

Beate Sodeik

EMBL alumna

Professor of Virology

Hannover Medical School

My curiosity, the ‘logic’ of science, and Marie Curie.

Margarida D. Amaral

EMBL alumna

Full Professor

Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisboa

My grandma was a science teacher and she gave me my first microscope when I was six! We did many experiments together to fulfill my constant curiosity..and I’ve never stopped!

Chiara Morelli

EMBL alumna

Senior Scientific Analyst

Healthware International

The desire to know and learn more about how life and the nature around us work and function.

Anonymous

I wanted to serve the needs of society, and the scientific road seemed like the least boring way to get there.

Anonymous

The desire to know and learn more about how life and the nature around us work and function.

Anonymous

My teachers.

image of Edith Heard

Edith Heard

Director General

Edit

If you would like to participate, please answer one of the questions above. You answers should contain 30 words or less and be sent to edioffice@embl.org until March 8, 2024.

Edit