Women working or studying in STEMM fields, and especially mothers, can experience many challenges in their career path. Together with our partners CamAWiSE, we hosted a virtual Career Fair for women in STEMM to explore the many career options available outside academia and to network with STEMM employers and organizations. This was a truly global event with over 100 registrations from five continents and 30 different countries, including Australia, Japan, Nigeria, Ghana, Brazil, Argentina, UK, Germany, Italy, US, Canada... and many more! A huge THANK YOU to our sponsors, partners and speakers, without whom we could not have achieved such a successful event! We received wonderful feedback from attendees and speakers and the overall feeling throughout the event was of community and support, which is expressed very well in this comment from one of attendees: "My favorite quote of the day, not verbatim, was that we are all smart women, but make yourself stand out by exuding kindness to all… the world needs more of that, and I saw it in spades among the group at this event.” To learn more about the event and the speakers, check the program below.
| Session I | Welcome & Keynote Talks | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Time EDT | Time CEST | Agenda | Speaker |
| 9:00AM |
3:00PM |
Welcome | Isabel Torres Co-Founder & CEO, Mothers in Science (FR) Iratxe Puebla Associate Director at ASAPBio and Chair of CamAWiSE |
| 9:15AM | 3:15PM | Keynote | Claire Gormley Professor at University College Dublin, Principal Investigator in the VistaMilk Research Centre and co-director of the SFI Centre for Research Training in Foundations of Data Science (IE) |
| 9:45AM |
3:45PM |
Keynote | Christa Heyward Molecular biologist and immunologist at GSK, entrepreneur and real estate investor (USA) |
| 10:15AM | 4:15PM | Keynote | Elena Rice CEO, Head of R&D/IntelliGen at Genus PLC (USA) |
| 10:45AM | 4:45PM | Keynote | Francesca Cesari Chief Editor at Nature (UK) |
| 11:15AM | 5:15PM | Break | |
| Session II | Employer Networking Sessions | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Time EDT | Time CEST | Agenda | Speakers |
| 11:30AM |
5:30PM |
Parallel Sessions Round #1 | Genus, Astrazeneca, eLife, PLoS, Promega, CatSci, Abcam, Tech Returners, Daphne Jackson Trust |
| 11:55AM | 5:55PM | Parallel Sessions Round #2 | Genus, Astrazeneca, eLife, PLoS, Promega, CatSci, Abcam, Tech Returners, Daphne Jackson Trust |
| 12:20PM |
6:20PM |
Parallel Sessions Round #3 | Genus, Astrazeneca, eLife, PLoS, Promega, CatSci, Abcam, Tech Returners, Daphne Jackson Trust |
| 12:45PM | 6:45PM | Break | |
| Session III | Professional Development Workshops & Close | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Time EDT | Time CEST | Workshops | Facilitators |
| 1:00PM |
7:00PM |
Make your move: applications, interviews and building confidence for the next step in your career | Vibhuti Patel Senior Associate Director, Development and Alumni Relations Office at University of Cambridge (UK) |
| 2:00PM | 8:00PM | Leading your career: tools to navigate career transitions with grace and power | Cassie Leonard Aerospace Engineer and Founder of ELMM Coaching (USA) |
| 3:00PM |
9:00PM |
Closing & Award Announcement | Iratxe Puebla Associate Director at ASAPBio and Chair of CamAWiSE Isabel Torres Co-Founder & CEO, Mothers in Science (FR) |
This event is proudly supported by:
Claire Gormley
Professor at University College Dublin, Principal Investigator at the VistaMilk Research Centre and co-director at the SFI Centre for Research Training in Foundations of Data Science (IE)
“Everyone here is smart. Distinguish yourself by being kind.”
Christa Heyward
Molecular biologist & immunologist at GSK,
entrepreneur and real estate investor (USA)
“I was back in class at Villanova four days after delivering my son.”
Elena Rice
Chief Executive Officer, Head of R&D/IntelliGen, Genus PLC (USA)
“Hire very talented people. We're only successful as a company when we hire diverse experiences and expertise.”
Francesca Cesari
Chief Editor at Nature (UK)
“You have a voice...and can bring up issues in STEM and diversity."
Make your move: applications, interviews and building confidence for the next step in your career
This workshop will help you prepare for the next step in your career by gaining insights into how to excel in job applications and interviews for any role, including in non-academic fields. Among other topics, the program will cover strategies for building confidence when managing interviews, particularly after a career break or when transitioning to a new career. This interactive workshop will be facilitated by Vibhuti Patel, Senior Associate Director at the Development and Alumni Relations Office of the University of Cambridge (UK).
Vibhuti Patel
Senior Associate Director, Development and Alumni Relations Office at University of Cambridge (UK)
"Lean into your cultural differences...and make them a point of confidence for yourself"
Leading Your Career: TOOLS to Navigate career Transitions with grace and power
How might we debunk the myth that reaching a balance as mothers in science is impossible? Maybe it is more about what YOU want and how you want to achieve your goals. In this active working session, we will navigate the ins and outs of thoughtful career management, with a focus on tangible tools to help you make the best decisions for you and those who depend on you. The new framework and skills learned in this workshop will also be invaluable tools for leading and mentoring others as you progress into leadership. Come with a pen, paper, and curiosity as we dig into what energizes you in your career! The workshop will be facilitated by Cassie Leonard, Founder & Principal Coach at ELMM Coaching, a company that focuses on empowering all engineers, leaders, mothers and mentors to achieve their dreams without sacrifice.
Cassie Leonard
Aerospace Engineer and Founder of ELMM Coaching (USA)
"What are your big goals..."
Connect with a variety of STEMM employers, from pharma/biotech industry to scientific publishing, and with organizations that help women return to their STEMM careerS after a caregiving career break!
During each networking session (virtual booth), representatives of the employer/organization hosting the session will provide a brief overview of their organization, including available roles and job opportunities and work culture (eg. policies and programs to support caregivers). This will be followed by an informal discussion and Q&A session. The representatives may be HR specialists and/or current employees who are mothers and were formerly academic researchers. They will share their experience transitioning from academia to their new career and speak about what it is like to work in their current role. Stay tuned for more details!
