About WISDATABASE

The ‘glass ceilings’ that many women scientists experience in career development are well known. In many disciplines, the numbers of women who are visible as leading scientists in positions of influence is disproportionately low. This includes low proportions of senior women who speak at scientific conferences, who are members of the editorial boards of scientific journals, and who are decision-making members of panels of grant-making organisations.

The aim of this project is to collate and make visible information about the scientific expertise and achievements of women in science. This searchable database can be used by anyone (see Use of Data). We hope that it will be used by the editorial boards of journals to select board members and reviewers, by funding organisations to select panel chairs, panel members and grant reviewers, and conference organisers to select speakers. We also hope that it helps the career development of women scientists.

If you are a woman scientists and would like your data to be included in this database, please write to wisdatabase@rhul.ac.uk.

Please also contact us if you would like to get involved or can help to generate funding to support the project. Our ambition is to expand the project beyond the current range of disciplines, and also to expand it beyond to the UK to include data about women scientists from other parts of the world.