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Laura Ciobanu holds the chair for applied algebra at TU Berlin since January 2025 where she works at the confluence of algebra, combinatorics and theoretical computer science. Previously, she was a researcher at Heriot-Watt University in Scotland, at the Centre de Recerca Matemàtica in Barcelona, and at the University of Auckland in New Zealand. She has a degree in mathematics and computer science at Rutgers University in New Jersey.

GROW, Graduate Research Opportunities for Women, is a conference for underrepresented gender identities in mathematics, especially women. It is about mathematical research in (and outside) academia and deals with questions like “What to do with a PhD in mathematics?”, “How does mathematical research look like?” or “How to apply for a PhD in mathematics?”, based on panel discussions and research talks.
We talked to people from all over the world, some were from India, Iran, the UK, the US or the Netherlands. Therefore, we got an insight into many different perspectives and views on studying mathematics and mathematical research as well as on life in general. For example, we got to learn how studying mathematics or doing a PhD is like in the UK or the US. Apart from that we met people in different positions in academia, PhD students, postdocs and professors.
In mathematical context it was very interesting to get to know about different disciplines like tropical geometry or topics like Teichmüller curves or cosmological polytopes as well as formalizing mathematics in LEAN, a proof assistant and (future) mathematical library.
The main takeaways from this conference are that being open-minded and not too limited on one topic is very helpful, just like the fact that getting stuck in research is part of the process and quite usual.

Prof. Dr. Cora Uhlemann was appointed as a professor for Cosmology at Bielefeld University in March 2024. She completed her doctorate in cosmology at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München 2015, and then worked as a postdoc at the Delta Institute for Theoretical Physics in Utrecht (Netherlands) and later at the Stephen Hawking Centre for Theoretical Cosmology in combination with an Early Career Research Fellowship at Fitzwilliam College in Cambridge (UK). Most recently, she was a reader (associate professor) at Newcastle University (UK). Moreover, Cora Uhlemann is co-leading the Euclid Consortium and the LSST Dark Energy Science Collaboration, and promotes equity for female STEM researchers, e.g. through her platform for women in physics on X (formerly known as Twitter). In an interview with Lisa Janowski she talks about her start in Bielefeld and about her upcoming research projects.
In the YWTS “Meet & Greet”, Cora Uhlemann talked about how she developed her research agenda, how she addresses the fact that working as a researcher includes moving a lot within Germany and abroad, and she openly shared details about her application process to the European Research Council (ERC) Starting Grant.

For the third time in a row, YWTS participated in Girls’Day, a Germany-wide initiative aimed at promoting STEM professions to girls. Twenty-six math-enthusiastic girls from high schools around Bielefeld were invited to get an impression of the daily life of a Mathematician or Economist. They started with a scavenger hunt through the library where they were challenged to find books in different categories like books by a female author or books written before 1900. Next, Professor Claudia Alfes answered their questions about what it is like to be a Mathematics professor and invited them to attend the start of her lecture on linear algebra. For the most part of the day, the girls were guided through a research question in a small group, each supervised by a female doctoral student. They discovered the mathematical phenomena of the card games Set and Dobble, calculated an ecological footprint, were introduced to best-reply strategies and proofs by induction in the game theory problem „Nim“ and discussed strategic as well as behavioral aspects of the Repeated Prisoners’ Dilemma. After lunch at mensa, each group presented their research questions and results to the others, in the spirit of attending a conference. The day ended with cake, lemonade, and playing with the games the other girls had worked on and presented.

A group of YWTS students, doctoral candidates, and PostDocs went on a two-day excursion to Berlin. At the Weierstraß Insititute for Applied Analysis and Stochastics (WIAS), they attended the opening of the Iris Runge Program, a program designed to promote the career development of female scientists and enable them to remain in science. Mathematics historian Dr. habil. Renate Tobies talked about about the namesake Iris Runge who was one of the first female mathematics professors in Germany, and the two female postdocs supported by the program, Dr. Jin Yan and Dr. Anieza Maltsi, gave an overview of their research on random dynamical systems and on photoacoustic imaging. The day at WIAS ended with a visit to the exhibition “Women of Mathematics from around the World” and discussions with institute members. On the next day, the group was invited to a tour at Deutscher Bundestag and to have lunch with Dr. Anne-Monika Spallek, MdB (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen). She shared how her PhD in mathematics helped her in her work as a politician, and asked how politicians like her could support young female researchers. The trip also allowed for a stroll through Berlin along monuments in Mitte and Kreuzberg, including the Holocaust Memorial and East Side Gallery.

YWTS, in cooperation with UNIFILM Science Cinema, will host a screening of the movie "Picture a Scientist" on January 22nd at 6:30 p.m. The film tells the stories of four women who fight for equality, visibility and diversity in science; more information here: https://www.pictureascientist.com/.
The screening will be followed by a discussion about a working culture that fosters women doing research and the power of solidarity. Participants are Prof. Dr. Alexandra Kaarsch (Vice-Rector for Science and Society), Prof. Dr. Ana Botéro (Professor of Mathematics), Dr. Ulrike Haake (Managing Director BiGSEM & CeUS). The event will be moderated by Anna Hager (Coordinator YWTS and PhD student at IMW).
Afterwards, the participants will be available to continue the discussion in front of the lecture hall; some snacks and drinks are provided. The event is open to the public and free of charge.

Every semester, YWTS offers a soft skill training. In winter term 23/24, we offered a 1-day voice training to students, doctoral candidates, and PostDocs. In the morning, we learned about functions of the voice, goals of voice work, and vocal hygiene and did physical exercises to get a feeling for the position of the larynx, increase the resonance of our voice, and to learn supportive breathing techniques. In the afternoon, we continued with exercises for a good speaking posture, and how to find your perfect pitch where your voice is most clear and most effortless at the same time. The workshop closed with tips for emergencies like when your voice is strained or when you are nervous about giving a talk.
The training was hosted by the very friendly and enthusiastic Janin Schröder-Hoppe and Sabrina Dehne from Logopädie Lemgo. Thanks to their many years of collaboration with the PEP network, they know how to provide targeted support for female scientists and students.

Professor Martina Juhnke held a talk titled „An expedition through Ehrhart theory“ in the Mathematics Colloquium on November 23d. She also took some time for a coffee break with some YWTS members during her day trip to Bielefeld. Martina Juhnke currently holds the chair for Discrete Mathematics at University of Osnabrück where she conducts research about algebraic and topological combinatorics. She obtained her PhD in Marburg and Cornell, and then held positions in Reykjavik, Vienna, and Frankfurt am Main.
In the „Meet & Greet“, Martina Juhnke shared how she decided to take on a new academic position throughout her career, and why she appreciates her experiences different universities in different countries with different cultures. She also talked about her process of growing into the role of a PhD supervisor, and how her being a woman played a role. Her advice for young female researchers was to never be afraid of academic hierarchies and to always have confidence in your skills.

The first YWTS “Meet and Greet a Female Scientist” in winter term 23/24 took place with guest Dr. Marta Spinelli. Marta Spinelli is a Physicist at University Côte d’Azur in Nice with a focus on Particle Physics and Astrophysics. Previously she has worked at ETH Zurich, University of the Western Cape (South Africa), and at the National Institute of Astrophysics in Triest. She was invited to Bielefeld to give a talk in the Physics Colloquium on “Unveiling the dark Universe with Neutral Hydrogen. On that occasion, she sat down for coffee and a chat with a group of YWTS members from the Economics and the Physics department.
She shared how she experienced living in so many different countries, and we discussed if moving affects having a family, and if this is different for men and women. Also, we talked about situations where a gender bias might occur, e.g., when a female researcher is holding lectures or when a female student is taking an oral exam. The In winter term 2024, the YWTS “Meet & Greet” series will next feature Mathematician Martina Juhnke from the Mathematics department, and Economist Iris Kesternich.

During SFB 1283’s Conference on “SPDEs, Optimal Control and Mean Field Games’’, YWTS coordinated a workshop on ‘”Taming Uncertainty: How to Address Self-Doubt as a Female Scientist’’. In small groups, invited speakers and participants of the conference as well as YWTS member shared how they dealt with moments of self-doubt and how they made tough decision. A variety of coping strategies was discussed; with the most popular ones being asking for help and discussing the situation with friends or family. The workshop closed with everyone naming one positive and distinguishing quality about themselves. It was nice to see the diversity in the answers, e.g., being creative, outgoing, brave, self-organized, confident in talking in front of others, having received great feedback in the past, relying on a good network, and being able to do what you enjoy: working in academia.

During the SFB 1283 summer school "Risk and Uncertainty in Economics, Insurance and Finance", YWTS organized a mentoring session around the theme "Talking to my Younger Self", directed at female summer school participants and YWTS members. In a guided discussion, Toulolpe Fadina, PhD (University of Essex) and Prof. Dr. Maren Schmeck (Bielefeld University) reflected upon their past and what advice they would like to give to their younger selves. They shared how they made career decisions, and which resources helped them to do so. The session closed with thoughts on how academia could become a more supporting environment for women. In the evening, the discussion was continued over dinner at Bernstein.

The British mathematician and economist Prof. Elizabeth Baldwin presented her paper „Implementing Walrasian Equilibrium: the Language of Product-Mix Auctions“ in the BiGSEM Economics Seminar on April 4th, 2023. She accepted the invitation to join YWTS members for a Meet & Greet over coffee on the occasion of her visit to Bielefeld University. She guided us through her academic path and shared her experiences as a researcher at Oxford University and as a working new-mom. One of the most interesting stories was why she decided to do a PhD in economics after obtaining a PhD in mathematics. The informal discussion ended on a high note: Prof. Baldwin’s experiences as a women in male dominated fields are consistently positive throughout her entire academic career.