The Mothers in Science Caregiver Travel Grant aims to promote the career advancement of women in STEMM by removing the financial obstacles to conference participation associated with caregiving responsibilities.
Ten (10) grants of 250 EUR each have been awarded to caregivers who wish to attend an in-person scientific conference in 2024. The funds for these grants were raised through our memberships, and we are extremely proud of our wonderful member community and grateful for their ongoing support.
This flexible grant allows each award recipient to find a suitable solution to meet their specific caregiving needs. Funds can be used to cover any expenses associated with childcare, elder or disability/chronic illness care necessary to allow conference participation, as long as they are clearly justified.
We are delighted to introduce the 2024 recipients of the Mothers in Science Caregiver Travel Grant.
These outstanding individuals have demonstrated exceptional dedication to advancing their research careers while balancing the demands of caregiving.
Tamara Dogandzic
Researcher at the Leibniz Archeology Center in Mainz (Germany)
Tamara Dogandzic is a Paleolithic archaeologist from Serbia, and a single mother of a 5-year-old son. Her research focuses on human adaptations, culture, and dispersals in the Pleistocene, utilizing experimental archaeology and conducting field research in Europe, Africa, and Central America. Tamara's academic journey, includes moving between institutions in Germany and the USA. She also teaches courses on Pleistocene Archaeology at the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz and is a volunteer Diversity Officer at the Leibniz Archeology Center. She frequently travels worldwide for conferences and fieldwork, and she aspires to establish her own research group to continue her multidisciplinary fieldwork projects in the Balkans.
Daniela Flor
PhD Student at the University of Exeter (United Kingdom)
Daniela Flor is a PhD student from Ecuador, an environmental engineer and a mother of a 5-year-old daughter. With over 13 years of experience in research and consultancy projects, her current research focuses on how circular economy principles can mitigate the impact of plastic waste on the unique ecosystem of the Galápagos Islands. In 2022, she relocated from Ecuador with her family to pursue her PhD at the University of Exeter, in the UK. As her husband is working remotely for a company in Ecuador in a different time zone, she has to carry most of the burden of childcare alone. Daniela aspires to pursue her academic career and establish her own research group in circular economy of plastics in the South American region and contribute to the future needs of the UN Plastic Treaty.
Signe Kirkjebo
PhD Student at Aarhus University (Denmark)
Signe Kirkjebo is a PhD student in astrophysics from Iceland and a mother to a 10-month old baby boy. Her research focuses on how ice nucleates and grows on carbon-based surfaces under conditions similar to those in the interstellar medium. During her 9-months-long maternity leave, Signe missed important conferences but also crucial data collection opportunities with advanced microscopes, which caused a significant delay in her PhD studies. After her PhD, she hopes to pursue a postdoc and ultimately become an independent researcher leading her own research group.
Chioma Blaise Chikere
Professor at the University of Port Harcourt (Nigeria)
Chioma Blaise Chikere is an environmentalist from Nigeria, a professor in environmental microbiology and biotechnology, and a mother of four children aged from 5 to 14 years old. He research focuses on developing eco-friendly strategies to restore heavily oil-polluted and abandoned farmlands in the Niger Delta region, in Nigeria. Starting as an Assistant Lecturer in 2005, she is now the head of the Department of Microbiology at the University of Port Harcourt. Although Chioma is establishing herself as a leader in her field, she often has to decline research opportunities and conference invitations due to her family responsibilities, which has stunted her career advancement and her international research visibility.
Chileshe Miriam Mabula-Bwalya
PhD student at King's College London (United Kingdom)
Chileshe Mabula-Bwalya is a Zambian PhD student in obstretics pre-eclampsia research, a medical doctor and a mother of four children aged from 5 to 10 years old. Her current research explores the feasibility of point-of-care angiogenic biomarker testing for enhancing preeclampsia management. Chileshe is passionate about fostering research capacity, particularly among clinical investigators from low and middle-income countries. Due to her personal circumstances, Chileshe had to make huge sacrifices for her children and to continue pursuing her research career. She aspires to establish her own research group to understand and improve adverse maternal outcomes in regions with high burden of obstetric health risk.
Aderibigbe Deborah Olubunmi
Researcher at Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (Nigeria)
Deborah Olubunmi is a Nigerian researcher and lecturer in environmental chemistry and toxicology, and a mother of two children aged 1 and 9 years old. Deborah aspires to pursue a postdoc abroad to study micro/nanoplastics and per/polyfluoroalkyl substances occurrence in environmental samples and, in the long term, she hopes to return to her home country to establish a research field on forensic toxicology. Because her husband currently lives away for his job, Deborah cares for her children on her own and is unable to attend conferences to network and showcase her PhD research.
SEBAHAT ÖZTEKİN
Research engineer at Bayburt University (Turkey)
Sebahat Öztekin is a Turkish researcher, lecturer, food engineer and a mother of a 2-year-old boy. Her research currently focuses on employing biocontrol yeasts as bio-fungicides to treat post-harvest fungal diseases in crops. Becoming a mother significantly affected Sebahat’s career and she hopes that attending international conferences will allow her to expand her research network and find new collaborative opportunities.
Teresa Vogl
PhD Student at the University of Leipzig (Germany)
Teresa Vogl is a German PhD student studying metereology and a solo mother of a 2-year-old boy. Her research focuses on ice growth processes in mixed-phase clouds, which had involved field work in the Artic, Chile and the USA. Since becoming a single mother, Teresa has be unable to conduct any field research and can rarely attend conferences. After her PhD, she wants to pursue a postdoc and ultimately become an independent research leader.
Gillian Wong
Lecturer at the University of Texas (USA)
Gillian Wong is an adjunct lecturer, archaeologist and a mother of one child. Her research reconstructs past ecologies during the Middle-to-Late Stone Age transition using animal remains to understand past human-environment interactions, and she is currently involved in two collaborative projects based in South Africa and Germany. Because Gillian’s husband is a military, she is often the sole caregiver to her child and has to move city every three years, which has brought significant challenges to her research career. She aspires to establish herself as an independent research leader and apply to a tenure-track academic position in a few years.
Mareli Claassens
Associate Professor at the University of Namibia (Namibia)
Mareli Claassens is a medical doctor from Namibia, an associate research professor studying tuberculosis, and a single mother to a 5-years old daughter. Her research focuses on tuberculosis, HIV, and Covid-19 in marginalized Southern African communities. Mareli aspires to become a full professor to bridge implementation gaps through participatory and community engagement approaches, leveraging state-of-the-art diagnostics. She advocates for transdisciplinary approaches, like One Health, to improve health outcomes. Mareli is also dedicated to promoting STEMM fields for young girls and women and leads the WoNam (Women in Namibia) project. She also co-chairs the Women in Science Working Group of the Global Young Academy, promoting inclusivity for mothers who are scientists.
Why it Matters…
Attending scientific conferences is paramount for career advancement in STEMM, particularly for early-career scientists[1]. Conferences provide opportunities for networking, visibility, recognition and knowledge exchange, which are vital components of a successful academic career. Conferences also offer a platform for academics to present their latest research, build their scientific reputation and establish new connections and collaborations, which are essential for scientific production and for securing research grants.
Studies show that women are more likely to decline opportunities to participate in conferences due to family responsibilities[2], with potential long-term effects on their careers. Our own research shows that about 30% of mothers globally declined all or most opportunities to attend conferences since they became parents (N=3995, survey conducted on 128 countries).
The coronavirus pandemic showed that virtual meetings can provide much-need flexibility to caregivers for attending conferences on their own terms. However, virtual participation does not allow effective networking and in-person participation quickly replaced virtual conferences after the pandemic ended, with very few societies currently offering hybrid format.
Thus, effective solutions are urgently needed to provide mothers and other caregivers with equal opportunities to participate in scientific conferences.
Eligibility Requirements
To be eligible for this grant, applicants must be:
An active member of Mothers in Science at the time of applying
Currently employed OR enrolled as a Master’s or PhD student in a university or research institution anywhere in the world
The primary caregiver of one or more children under 18 years old and/or of another family member (eg. an elderly or person with a disability/chronic illness)
Registered for a conference taking place in 2024 (proof of registration is required)
Application Procedure
The application process is simple and brief in order to reduce the preparation time and administrative burden for the applicants. To increase your chances of being awarded a grant, make sure to clearly explain why you need this grant and how it would help you advance in your career.
Applicants need to complete an application form, provide a CV and a proof of registration to a scientific conference.
EVALUATION GUIDELINES
Applications will be assessed by the Mothers in Science team based on the following criteria:
Relevance and potential impact of attending the proposed scientific conference for the advancement of the applicant’s career
Demonstrated need for the funds to reduce or overcome the caregiving obstacles to conference attendance
Applicant’s motivation and research career goals and vision
All eligibility criteria must be met
The grant does not cover the applicant’s travel or accommodation expenses nor the conference registration fee.
Deadline: 24th of March, 2024 - WINTER 2024 APPLICATIONS ARE NOW CLOSED
