Since 2010, the GGL has been committed to raising awareness of gender issues in the life sciences. With our programme “Women in the Life Sciences,” we support our female doctoral students by identifying and promoting their strengths and qualifications in addition to their scientific achievements.

The GGL has won two ideas competitions for the advancement of women within the equality concept of the Justus Liebig University. The pilot project “Women in the Life Sciences” ran for two years in 2010 and 2011. The subsequent project “Perspectives – Gender Awareness and Career Chances for Women in the Life Sciences” started in autumn 2011 and will end in June 2014.

Both projects consist of several components designed to encourage more talented female doctoral students to pursue a scientific career. There have been various workshops on leadership skills, time and self-management, communication strategies and career planning. The GGL has also organized lecture series with internationally renowned guest speakers. With these guest lectures, we highlight extraordinary female scientists as role models and to emphasise the compatibility of career and family.

PLEASE NOTE: Four guest lectures with outstanding life scientists
will take place in the summer semester 2013:

• Wednesday, 22 May 2013, 3pm – 5pm

Dr. Anne Houdusse, Institut Curie: How nanomotors produce force in cells - insights from the myosin superfamily

• Thursday, 27th June 2013, 5pm – 7pm

Prof. Laurinda Jaffe, UConn Health Center: Regulation of meiosis in mammalian ovarian follicles by cyclic nucleotides

• Thursday, 04th July 2013, 5pm – 7pm

Prof. Dr. Nina Farwig, Philipps-University Marburg: Biotic interactions and ecosystem functionality in changing landscapes

• Thursday, 25th July, 5pm – 7pm

Prof. Kristala Jones Prather, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT): Biology for chemistry’s sake

For more information, please take a look at "Perspectives".
Further guest lectures are in the process of planning and will start in September 2013.

Thanks to our grant, the GGL will also be able to finance child care during these lectures and for other plenary events such as the Annual Conference.