Gender and Science Meet 2015 of SFB1158

Being a young group leader and junior faculty is one of the most challenging and vulnerable periods in a scientific career. Not only is one faced with the challenges of establishing and leading an independent research program and training students in the laboratory, but also the uncertainty of the future in terms of tenure and sustainability of funding looms overhead. It was therefore a very helpful and insightful experience for young female project leaders in SFB 1158 to interact with each other in a relaxed setting and swap positive and negative experiences and the do’s and don’ts of project and career planning.

This was particularly facilitated by the participation of Rebecca Seal, a Professor for Neurobiology at Pittsburgh University, who has recently successfully crossed these hurdles and could give fresh insights into the challenges towards creating an independent name in science, negotiating tenure and dealing with potential gender bias in career development.