Janet Hering

Development of generative AI policy at Lund University — epistimi Eva Åkesson, Professor of Chemical Physics at Lund University (Sweden) and former Rector of Uppsala University, kindly shares some of her observations from working on university policy for generative ...

Many universities are struggling to keep up with rapid advances in Generative AI. This Epistimi blog post by Eva Akesson (edited by me and Patricia Maurice) describes the work behind the Lund University policy and provides a link to the current document. See: www.epistimi.org/blog/develop...

What every senior woman academic leader should know about artificial intelligence — epistimi In this post on artificial intelligence (AI), we focus on the ‘Top 10’ things every senior woman leader in academia should know about AI, especially generative AI (GenAI).  We hope that this will...

Generative AI (GenAI) is advancing with nearly unbelievable speed and has made inroads into every sector, including research and education. See our @epistimi-stemm.bsky.social blog post for some key aspects that women leaders in STEMM should be aware of at: www.epistimi.org/blog/what-ev...

Service activities in academia need to be properly valued and supported — epistimi In US and UK universities, the job responsibilities of most professors are often grouped into three categories — teaching, research, and service.  In European universities, service is often less ...

Women in STEMM academics take on a disproportionate amount of service tasks. Although essential for the functioning of academic institutions, these tasks are often severely undervalued. Read more in our latest Epistimi blog post at:
www.epistimi.org/blog/service...

Better Science Initiative: Sustainable research culture for all — epistimi The Better Science Initiative aims to rethink the notion of academic excellence and promotes best practices for a healthy research culture in which all researchers can thrive.

Our first @epistimi-stemm.bsky.social blog post in 2026 is a guest post by Prof. Heike Mayer and Joel Schaad from the University of Bern. They describe the Better Science Initiative and its 10 measures to promote a sustainable research culture in academia. See: www.epistimi.org/blog/better-...

A tsunami, a girl, and the power of STEMM education — epistimi During the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami disaster, one young girl was able to save at least 100 lives by recognizing the impending cataclysm based on what she had learned in a recent geography class. Her st...

Here’s an uplifting post from @epistimi-stemm.bsky.social blog co-editor and writer Patricia Maurice. A young girl who had learned about earthquakes and tsunamis in school was able to warn her parents before the 2004 tsunami. See: www.epistimi.org/blog/a-tsuna...

Career Advice in U.S. Academia’s Moment of Crisis — epistimi Dr. Karen Kelsky, author of “The Professor Is In”, reflects on the second edition of her career advice book for PhDs and the state of academic career advising more generally.  Her comments are es...

Guest author Karen Kelsky @professorisin.bsky.social offers valuable advice for today’s stressful academic job market in her post in the @epistimi-stemm.bsky.social blog series. See: www.epistimi.org/blog/career-...

Women leading European universities discuss values-based leadership — epistimi Values-based leadership offers a path for engaging both academic colleagues and external stakeholders in the university mission.      By Janet G. Hering with Patricia A. Maurice ...

Women leaders of European universities can support each other through the EWORA network. The EWORA conference in Lisbon was held in June 2025. Read about it in our latest @epistimi-stemm.bsky.social blog post. See: www.epistimi.org/blog/women-l...

Our goal as women should not be to do science as well as any man, but to do it better — epistimi Blog (co)editor Patricia Maurice introduces her new book, “Do Science Like a Girl: how women in science are changing the world.”

Did you know that Patricia Maurice, co-editor and co-author of the @epistimi-stemm.bsky.social blog, has written a book about her experiences in science? Read about it in her post: www.epistimi.org/blog/our-goa...

Equity for women in STEMM academics as a strategic priority — epistimi Prof. Paul Walton describes his commitment to building diverse research teams and faculties, using evidence and literature as the basis for action.      

Thanks to Prof. Paul Walton for his allyship for women in #STEMM academics and his guest post in our @epistimi-stemm.bsky.social blog series. See: www.epistimi.org/blog/equity-...

An introduction to power for women in STEMM academic leadership — epistimi Understanding power and its dynamics in STEMM academics can help women leaders to avoid being subjected to abuses of power and to exercise our own power ethically, responsibly, and for the benefit of ...

Why don’t we talk about power and power dynamics in STEMM academics? Read our most recent post in the @epistimi-stemm.bsky.social blog series. www.epistimi.org/blog/an-intr...

What we’ve learned from two years of celebrating senior women leaders in STEMM — epistimi In honor of the 50 th post in this blog series, we take a moment to review what we’ve learned thus far and to ponder the evolving role of senior women leaders in STEMM.

Patricia Maurice and I are delighted to have reached the milestone of publishing our 50th post on the @epistimi-stemm.bsky.social blog! We provide an overview of our many profiles, book reviews, and topical postsPlease repost widely! www.epistimi.org/blog/what-we...

Leading through the joys and hazards of scientific field work — epistimi There are few aspects of scientific research and teaching more exciting than getting out into ‘the field’. Good leaders need to ensure safe and appropriate behavior whenever faculty, students and staf...

Our latest post in the @epistimi-stemm.bsky.social blog series provides insights into the excitement of scientific fieldwork and how to deal responsibly with potential hazards. www.epistimi.org/blog/leading...

U.S. community colleges provide entry to STEMM education for first-generation, low income, and underrepresented students — epistimi Michael Pullin, Dean for Academic Initiatives at Queensborough Community College in New York, highlights the importance of community colleges for STEMM education in the U.S. He reminds us of the impor...

Michael Pullin describes the role of US community colleges in opening doors to STEM education for first-generation, low income, and underrepresented students. See: www.epistimi.org/blog/us-comm...

Ilene Sheffer and the power of women in academia to do good in the world — epistimi In “Watching Over Rwandans,” author Ilene Sheffer describes her efforts to help save students from Rwanda during the 1994 genocide and relates the personal stories of seven Rwandan international stude...

Read Ilene Sheffer’s inspiring story of helping Rwandan students at Southwestern Michigan University. In her post on the @epistimi-stemm.bsky.social blog, her message is “When you feel you can right a wrong — don’t hesitate. To save one life is to save mankind!" www.epistimi.org/blog/ilene-s...

This is an appalling travesty and a clear violation of academic freedom.

The dangers of favoritism in STEMM academics — epistimi Favoritism can occur in any workplace.  It can be especially pernicious in STEMM academics, where it undermines meritocratic ideals.  As senior women leaders, we should promote fair and equi...

We like to think of #STEMM as a meritocracy, but it can be poisoned by favoritism. Read the post by Patricia Maurice and me on the @epistimi-stemm.bsky.social blog: www.epistimi.org/blog/the-dan...

A very important topic at a meeting of the European Women Rectors Association #EWORA

Laura Bassi: 18th century Scientist and Academician Extraordinaire — epistimi On a recent trip to Milan, we stumbled upon a street named for 18 th century female scientist Laura Bassi, reminding us that women have been accomplishing extraordinary things in STEMM for hundreds o...

It is inspiring to learn about the accomplishments of women in STEMM throughout history. Patricia Maurice and I briefly tell the story of the 18th century Italian physics professor Laura Bassi in our post on the @epistimi-stemm.bsky.social blog:
www.epistimi.org/blog/laura-b...

Welcome to ROZ: the “Rosalind Franklin Forum for Female Scientists, Open to All” — epistimi Here, we introduce our readers to ROZ, an interactive career advisory platform that offers a global network of mentors and other tools to help advance scientists’ careers and promote diversity.

Read the post by @paolalaurino.bsky.social on the @epistimi-stemm.bsky.social blog about @rozforum.bsky.social, which offers great tools for professional development and diversity. See: www.epistimi.org/blog/welcome...

Our students are our greatest gifts and our proudest legacies — epistimi At a time when universities (at least in the USA) are under fire, let’s take a moment to remind ourselves how fortunate we are to be educators.

Read aboutthe rewards of teaching and advising in our recent post on the @epistimi-stemm.bsky.social blog: www.epistimi.org/blog/our-stu...

Understanding leadership development leads to better programs for women — epistimi Understanding the dynamics by which leadership emerges, including the relationships within groups, can help us design and choose the leadership training program that best serves our needs.

Thanks to Angeliki Rigos (Diane), founder of @epistimi-stemm.bsky.social, for her guest post on leadership training. See: www.epistimi.org/blog/underst...

Engagement and the ability to work effectively in a diverse world — epistimi More than ever, STEMM practitioners are needed to identify and solve problems and to provide the innovation that drives economic growth.  Engagement is crucial to ensuring that colleagues can ‘fl...

Science #STEM needs to engage talent broadly to find solutions for all members of society. Read our blog on @epistimi-stemm.bsky.social www.epistimi.org/blog/engagem...

“What being a leader means is to inspire and empower others around you”: Reflections of a social scientist — epistimi Prof. Charmain Levy, an eminent scholar of international development studies, feminist studies and social sciences from the Université du Québec en Outaouais, shares her thoughts on successful strateg...

Read leadership insights from social scientist Charmain Levy on the latest post on the @epistimi-stemm.bsky.social blog. See: www.epistimi.org/blog/what-be...

Anonymous billionaire pledges to support congressive STEMM — epistimi A departure from ‘science as usual’ would focus on society and community, emphasize interdependence and connection, and promote broader thinking. A new foundation will bring ‘congressive’ STEMM into t...

Are you looking for new ways to do science? See today's post by me and Patricia Maurice on the @epistimi-stemm.bsky.social blog. Inspired by Eugenia Cheng's book "X+Y". See: www.epistimi.org/blog/anonymo...

Universities should speak with a collective voice. Otherwise they will be picked off one by one. Concessions will not placate Trump. They will only embolden him. #FireElonMusk #FireMusk

“The solution was always inside us”: Life lessons from an engineer’s career in global development — epistimi Prof. Tracy Kijewski-Correa shares her experiences and insight on the important role that academic engineers can play in addressing poverty and the needs of at-risk populations across the globe.

Tracy Kijewski-Correa delivers a powerful message about how engineers can contribute to global development in her profile on the @epistimi-stemm.bsky.social blog. (Re-posting welcome.) See: www.epistimi.org/blog/the-sol...

Learning from our retirement experiences: timing and preparation — epistimi Like any other transition in life, retirement requires good navigation.  Here, we offer some of our own experiences and advice to help you prepare for a smooth and effective retirement.

Despite all the chaos in the world, we still have to plan for and attend to our personal transitions. Patricia Maurice and I discuss a big one, retirement, in our new post on the Epistimi blog. www.epistimi.org/blog/learnin...

Panel at the International Cooperation Forum 2025 with Solomzi Mokohliso, Elizabeth Tilley and Gnanli Landrou at ETH Zurich.

The Humanitarian New Normal: A World Without a Safety Net The withdrawal of funding for humanitarian work will affect everyone – in countries rich or poor – as the “global immune system” built by global aid falls apart.

Ready for Ebola in the USA? It’s much more likely without USAID-funded control programs. #FireElonMusk
knowledge.insead.edu/responsibili...

A Guide to Surviving and Transforming Academia for the Benefit of All  — epistimi Authors Roberta Hawkins and Leslie Kern discuss how they came to write their 2024 book Higher Expectations: How to Survive Academia, Make it Better for Others, and Transform the University an d how ...

A guest post by Robeta Hawkins and Leslie Klein on our Episitimi blog. See: www.epistimi.org/blog/a-guide...