Leading the way for gender equality
Mike Stratton, Ewan Birney and Rolf Apweiler today (8 March) acknowledged the contribution of two staff members to promoting gender equality in the life sciences, bestowing the second annual Sex in Science Best Practice Award on the Wellcome Genome Campus. This year’s recipients are Robert Petryszak of the European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI) and Sumana Sharma of the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute.
PhD student Sumana Sharma was recognised for her tireless commitment to encouraging women to get involved in promoting gender equality in science and education, and in reviewing policies around career advancement. The nomination for Sumara reads: “She is the most passionate campaigner for women’s equality I have ever met, and certainly amongst her peer group she has been actively encouraging women to take opportunities for many years.” Sumana is the PhD student representative for the Athena SWAN programme, and will also be speaking at the Science for your Future conference event on 20th April 2016 in London, attended by approximately 300 secondary school students.
“I am really honoured to have been nominated. I am from Nepal, where my mother struggled to obtain an education, and subsequently strived to ensure that her daughters received the educational opportunities that she did not.
“While I am very vocal about equality, I also want to impress upon my peers how privileged we all are, and how much it matters to get involved. Participating in debates and other activities in the Sex in Science programme is one way, but it’s also important to keep pressure on to review policies like quota systems and how we approach recruitment. If equality is what we want, are we approaching it the right way? Training, mentorship and using the right language to get women to apply to jobs in the first place – these things are crucial and we need to keep the discussion live.”
Sanger Institute PhD student Sumana Sharma Winner of a 2016 Sex in Science Best Practice Award on the Wellcome Genome Campus
Robert Petryszak, Team Leader for Gene Expression services at EMBL-EBI, was nominated for building flexible working into his team structure, right from the outset. His nomination reads: “Robert has built a team with flexi-working as a key feature right from the start. He trusts his team, and reasons for flexi-working are not limited to only childcare or family-related issues. This ensures optimal work–life balance at all times for everyone.”
“I am surprised and honoured to have been nominated for this award. I’m glad my team feels supported, and believe that flexible working hours have directly led to good team spirit and excellent productivity.”
Robert Petryszak Team Leader at EMBL-EBI and winnder of a 2016 Sex in Science Best Practice Award on the Wellcome Genome Campus
“This award acknowledges people who have made a real effort to make the Genome Campus an excellent place to work for women and men alike. Attracting and keeping the right talented people depends on making sure we offer a good work-life balance, so they can enjoy their time here and do their best work.”
Ewan Birney Director of EMBL-EBI
“The Best Practice Award is a strong message of our intent to make the Genome Campus a place where people can aspire to develop and fulfil their ambitions, look forward to coming to work, are confident of equality of opportunity and consideration of their diverse needs as individuals. In celebrating the Award winners and their fantastic efforts we are making a wider statement about the nature of our organisation and the directions in which we wish to further improve it.”
Mike Stratton Director of the Sanger Institute
More information
Selected websites
Equity in Science
Learn more about Sex in Science programme
Equality in Science Activities
Read about the range of Sex in Science activities on the Wellcome Genome Campus
Sumana Sharma
Sumana’s profile on the Sanger Institute website
Robert Petryszak
Robert Petryszak’s profile on the EMBL-EBI website
EMBL-EBI
The European Bioinformatics Institute is part of EMBL, and is a global leader in the storage, analysis and dissemination of large biological datasets. EMBL-EBI helps scientists realize the potential of ‘big data’ by enhancing their ability to exploit complex information to make discoveries that benefit mankind. It is a non-profit, intergovernmental organization funded by EMBL’s 21 member states and two associate member states. Its 570 staff hail from 57 countries, and work with a regular stream of visiting scientists throughout the year. EMBL-EBI is located on the Wellcome Genome Campus in Hinxton, Cambridge in the United Kingdom.
The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute
The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute is one of the world’s leading genome centers. Through its ability to conduct research at scale, it is able to engage in bold and long-term exploratory projects that are designed to influence and empower medical science globally. Institute research findings, generated through its own research programs and through its leading role in international consortia, are being used to develop new diagnostics and treatments for human disease.
The Wellcome Trust
The Wellcome Trust is a global charitable foundation dedicated to achieving extraordinary improvements in human and animal health. We support the brightest minds in biomedical research and the medical humanities. Our breadth of support includes public engagement, education and the application of research to improve health. We are independent of both political and commercial interests.
