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What happens when a scientific community creates space not only for research results, but also for honest conversations about how science is practiced? A new open-access Perspective article in Evolution captures the central themes and practical takeaways from the “Women in Evolutionary Biology Workshop”, held from May 14 to 16, 2024, at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology.
Authored by Stella Kyomen, Maria Alejandra Ramirez, Nikoleta E. Glynatsi, Gisela T. Rodríguez-Sánchez, and Amanda de Azevedo-Lopes, the paper offers an overview of the workshop format and distills the discussion forums into recurring structural patterns that participants recognized across institutions and disciplines. The goal of the paper is to place lived experiences and concrete observations alongside the scholarly literature, and to translate both into actionable strategies that can help build a more supportive academic culture.
A workshop built for science and for honest conversation
The workshop brought together 54 participants. Participation was free of charge and supported by funding from the Scientific Workshop Program of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology.
To address the ongoing underrepresentation of women in invited speaker line-ups, the organisers invited only women as keynote speakers. These included, alongside female research group leaders from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, Professor Dr Ayari Fuentes-Hernandez (UNAM, Mexico), Professor Dr Bibiana Rojas (University of Veterinary Medicine, Austria), Professor Dr Deepa Agashe (NCBS, India), Professor Dr Katarína Bodová (Comenius University, Slovakia) and Professor Dr Miriam Liedvogel (Institute of Avian Research, Germany).In addition, Professor Dr Rosemary Grant delivered a mentoring lecture focused on building a successful academic career.
Alongside keynote lectures, contributed talks, and poster sessions, the programme made room for small-group discussion forums on equity and working conditions in academia.
Five recurring themes and what can be done
Across the discussion forums, organisers synthesised contributions into five recurring themes: under-representation in leadership and decision-making; workplace cultures ranging from microaggressions to harassment, particularly in fieldwork contexts; implicit bias and the persistence of the meritocracy myth, including the Matilda Effect; intersectional inequalities shaped by race, class, nationality, sexuality, and disability; and structural challenges related to family, caregiving, and mobility in academic careers.
While the paper does not claim to be exhaustive, it argues that the repeated emergence of these themes, raised by participants across multiple career stages, underscores the persistence and urgency of the underlying issues.
Voices from the workshop
Participants and keynote speakers emphasised the value of convening across backgrounds and disciplines. Reflecting on the meeting, Professor Dr Rosemary Grant noted:
“There is immense value in hearing directly from those who are disadvantaged through gender, race, poverty or other circumstances… However, when meetings include people in positions of power… change can occur remarkably rapidly and produce lasting, beneficial effects.”
She called for a follow-up workshop that includes “tolerant and sympathetic people who have the power to instigate rapid and much needed change.”
Others highlighted the atmosphere and momentum created during the event. Professor Dr Deepa Agashe described “easy camaraderie” across boundaries and left “energized about my science and my community.” Professor Dr Peter Grant pointed to a practical challenge: engaging more men in such discussions and reducing the “communication barrier” created by mistaken assumptions about “hidden agendas.”
Looking ahead: a second edition already funded
The authors conclude that meaningful progress depends on coordinated action—from individuals and research groups to institutions and funders—and that the burden of equity work cannot rest solely on those most affected. They also note that funding has already been secured for a second edition of the workshop through the institute’s Scientific Workshop Program, scheduled for 2026, with the aim of building on the inaugural event and expanding its impact, even as logistical challenges remain.
Stella Marco Kyomen
Doctoral Researcher
Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology
Max Planck Research Group Evolutionary Developmental Dynamics
Kyomen, S., Ramirez, M. A., Glynatsi, N. E., Rodríguez-Sánchez, G. T., & de Azevedo-Lopes, A. “Insights from the ‘Women in Evolutionary Biology Workshop’ on gender equality in science” (Evolution, Perspective) (2025) https://doi.org/10.1093/evolut/qpaf255
The “Women in Evolutionary Biology Workshop” (14–16 May 2024) brought together 54 participants to di ...
Quelle: Michael Hesse
Copyright: MPI EvolBio
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