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  1. Equal opportunity
  2. Actions for gender equality

Actions for gender equality

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We have several strategies to help our researchers, not only women, and sustain their growth and success both personally and professionally.

  • Measures to support future mothers and young parents
  • We provide role models for scientists (men and women) to inspire and help fight prejudices.
  • We strive to improve a better work and family balance of our members through events where senior and younger researchers mingle, meet and discuss.
  • We create a culture and boundary conditions at the workplace for female scientists to have equal career opportunities. We address delicate subjects such as sexual harassment.
  • We propose career counseling events to give insight into all scientific possibilities, highlight job possibilities in industry, government, journalism etc and help young researchers make choices for their future.
  • Research career advice programmes are organised to tackle topics such as effective oral presentations with more confidence, tips for writing a CV, identifying grants, preparing a budget and more.
  • Research skills development is encouraged by initiating training in academic writing, oral and written presentation skills of research findings, data and work management, identifying research grants and writing a proposal, on how to develop ideas for a research proposal or how to supervise master students, etc.
  • Personal effectiveness and communication skills are looked after with training and coaching opportunities on negotiation skills, time and stress management, effective communication and all other generic soft skills necessary to advance in any career.
  • Leadership training to help run a lab, hire and manage personnel are proposed to younger PIs and we hold panels on the ethics of science.

Follow our activities and offered training by regularly consulting our dedicated events page.

 

Useful links on gender equality

  • An article exploring science career and gender issues
  • Bureau de l’Egalité des Chances, UNIGE (in French)
  • EPFL equal opportunity office
  • Managing unconscious bias (Facebook)
  • SNSF gender equality

 

Useful links for career development

  • PRIMA grant (this SNSF grant is aimed at excellent women researchers who show a high potential for obtaining a professorship)
  • Postdoc.Mobility grant (for researchers who have done a doctorate and who wish to pursue an academic career in Switzerland)
  • Early Postdoc.Mobility grant (for early-career postdocs who wish to enhance their scientific profile by working at a research institution abroad)
  • Career trends: transferring your skills in several informative booklets.
  • Science careers features frequently updated columns with excellent content
  • On the secret of a successful career in science
  • On how to choose a research area
  • Are our scientific heroes too heroic?

 

Useful links for career & family balance

  • SNSF Flexibility grant (for postdocs and doctoral students who have to look after children at an important stage in their career)
  • Maternity & young parents measure
  • On balancing career and family
  • Nature’s guide for mentors

 

Useful links on mentoring

  • Mentoring programme organized by the UNIGE Equality Office (for female researchers who would like to pursue an academic career, and need advice and support to move ahead)
  • Fix the Leaky Pipeline programme at the EPFL (for young female scientists)
  • Réseau Romand of mentoring for women
  • Mentoring programme for postdocs at UNIGE

 

Useful links on soft skills

  • CUSO soft skills workshops (for doctoral students)
  • Workshop programme organised by the Equal Opportunities Offices at Swiss universities (for female PhD candidates, members of the mid-level faculty and women professors)
  • Tips from a professional graphic designer on how to make great science posters (in French)
  • Tips on how to give a talk. Great!
  • Ten must-do for a successful postdoc
  • Though love : An insensitive guide to thriving in your PhD
  • PhD writing, publishing and editing
  • A laboratory navigator by K. Barker (for prospective PIs) : a guide for newly appointed leaders of research teams
  • How to run a grant panel (for prospective PIs)