Releasing the full innovation potential in STEM research

Gender equality in research is important in several interrelated (democratic, economic and scientific) aspects. Over the last 20 years, much has been done in this area: data collection and monitoring of the gender equality situation has become the norm in many scientific organizations, the causes of discrimination have been identified and considerable efforts have been made to publicize and address the problem. It is clearly understood that diversity in itself promotes new solutions maximising innovation and creativity. So the topic is becoming much broader since there are many forms of diversity in the global world in research. In this case, the issue of incorporating diversity (inclusiveness) into research becomes a very complex and multifaceted problem.  I would like to focus on gender equality in STEM without treating other forms of diversity. This is because of the principle well-known in physics of simplification of the problem by reducing the range of influencing factors and at the same time ensuring that the solution of the problem will allow finding out the main causes of the phenomenon. So I will limit myself to gender equality in research, assuming that the vast experience gained here can also serve other excluded groups.

In the report, based on my personal experience, I will briefly review the gender equality history over the last 20 years and the progress in this area: I will discuss the policy and practical measures to implement gender equality in research as well as the impact and responsibility of stakeholders. I will present the peculiarities of gender equality in STEM using physics as an example and highlighting the main points and measures to be taken when implementing gender equality in scientific society.

During the talk the movie "Striving for Awareness" will be presented, highlighting the 'hidden' or 'unconscious' discrimination realised during FP7 project SAPGERIC, and based on real-life examples from women working in STEM in Europe and beyond.

Speaker Bio

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dalia Šatkovskienė is a physicist and expert in gender equality in science. She graduated from the Department of Elementary Particles of the Moscow State University. As PhD student (Supervised by Prof. B. Pontecorvo) she took part in the first quark search experiments on the largest proton synchrotron at that time at the Institute for High Energy Physics in Protvino (near Serpukhov, Russia). After returning to Vilnius, she started working at the Faculty of Physics of Vilnius University and changed research domain to the quantum theory of molecules. Prof. D. Šatkovskienė has more than 130 scientific publications and is the author of 4 textbooks in theoretical physics, was invited and participated in many international conferences and meetings. Dalia Šatkovskienė has been involved as an expert evaluator in Physics of EC FP6, FP7 and Horizon 2020 programmes and worked as an independent observer for EC FP7 programme. After retirement she was given a title of affiliated (distinguished) scientist of Vilnius University. Among other professional awards she received the American Physical Societies international Marshak award. 2007 Lithuanian Academy of Sciences nominated Dr. Šatkovskienė to the international L’Oreal-UNESCO Award for Women in Science.

D. Šatkovskienė has been involved in gender equality issues in science after the first world conference "Women in Physics” held in Paris by IUPAP. She initiated and coordinated a number of international and national projects: FP6 project “Baltic States Network: Women in Sciences and HT” (BASNET), the FP7 project „Structural Change Promoting Gender Equality in Research Organizations“(SAPGERIC, http://www.sapgeric.eu2013.vu.lt/), the EEA and Norway Funds Bilateral programme project „Gender Equality Implementation in Research Institutions: Collaborative Approach“(GEIRICA, http://www.sapgeric.eu2013.vu.lt/geirica/). Prof. Šatkovskienė was a member of the MC of genderSTE COST project and worked as Advisory Board member for FP7 TRIGGER, EGERA, Horizon 2020 Baltic Gender projects as well as represented Vilnius University as an observer in GENERA project.

In 2013, by decree of the President of the Republic of Lithuania H.E. Dalia Grybauskaitė, she was awarded a commemorative badge as an acknowledgement of personal input during the Lithuanian European Presidency. Dalia Šatkovskienė strongly contributed to the implementation of gender mainstreaming policy in the Baltic States region. In 2014 she was awarded the Medal for promotion of the unity and cooperation among three Baltic nations-Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia by the Baltic Assembly.