Every month, for you, EPWS presents the characteristics and activities of one Member Association.

Read all the previous Interviews with our Members here

Our member for September is the Swedish association WINGS.

For WINGS, Dr. Johanna Stadmark (JS), researcher at the Department of Geology, Lund University, Sweden, co-ordinator of WINGS, has agreed to answer the EPWS questionnaire.

Contact for this association: wings@wings.lu.se
Contact for this member: johanna.stadmark@geol.lu.se
Association website: www.wings.lu.se

EPWS: If you wanted to describe your association in one sentence, what would you say?

JS: WINGS provides networking possibilities in science, medicine and technology at Lund University.

EPWS: What are the objectives of your organization?

JS: WINGS aim to:
be a network for science, making it easier for researchers to meet, cooperate and initiate new projects;
make researchers and their competence visible;
support young female scientists in their careers;
make the situation for female researchers visible;
work towards equal opportunity, responsibility and representation of women at all university levels.

EPWS: What is the history of WINGS, in a few words?

JS: WINGS has grown organically, from the Department of Geology in 2003 to the Faculty of Science in 2007 and to three faculties, officially in 2015. Now other faculties within Lund University are in the process of forming networks with WINGS as a role model. The network was founded because of a frustration among women employees that there was a loss of women from student to professor level and that the women researchers did not have they same voice as their colleagues that were men.

EPWS: Could you explain the organization of your association?

JS: WINGS is and open and inclusive network for all interested in gender balance at Lund University. The members of the network are scientists, teachers and other staff at all levels working in- or outside the university, including PhD students and postdocs.

WINGS has a steering group that is elected on an annual basis, with members from the three faculties that financially support WINGS.

EPWS: What are its recent achievements?

JS: WINGS have shown role models both from within and outside Lund University through lectures and workshops and involved women and men from the three faculties in the work to create equal opportunities. We receive a lot of positive feedback from PhD students at different departments that appreciate that we organize lectures on different research topics and ask the speakers to also present their career paths and tips to the younger generation.

EPWS: What is your agenda for the coming months?

JS: We will have seminars by highly skilled researchers and leaders from different departments and will also organise a workshop on how to lead to succeed and one on unconscious bias.

EPWS: Are you collaborating with other EPWS members?

JS: Not now, but we really want to support EPWS in the work for women in science and usually attend the General Assembly to get updates on the ongoing work.

EPWS: What do you expect from EPWS? In what ways can it help you develop your action?

JS: To further the questions on equal opportunities for scientists regardless of gender in Europe. Individual members of the organisations that are members of the EPWS serve as role models for younger scientists and through EPWS work to make these women visible they can contribute to an improved situation in science.