Biotechnology, psychology, or maybe oceanography - gender equality issues can appear in any scientific field and research work. On April 9, we will find out which master's theses and doctoral dissertations are the best in including gender in research! The 3rd edition of the competition will be officially opened at 10:00 a.m. in the Senate Hall of the Main Library of the University of Gdańsk.
‘I include gender in research’ is a competition organised as part of the MINDtheGEPs project, Modifying Institutions by Developing Gender Equality Plans, (EU Horizon 2020) led by prof. dr hab. Ewa Łojkowska. The competition recognises young researchers who include a gender perspective in their research. Every year, the project is becoming increasingly popular among young female and male researchers studying at the University of Gdańsk. The current, third edition of the competition has met with record interest from the academic community of the University of Gdańsk.
During the Gala, the Rector of the University of Gdańsk, prof. Piotr Stepnowski, will present four awards and five honourable mentions as part of the ‘I include gender in research’ competition and, for the first time in the history of the University of Gdańsk, the Joanna Schopenhauer Rector's Award for female researchers who have obtained the title of professor and include the gender perspective in their research. The first winner of the award was prof. dr hab. Małgorzata Lipowska from the Faculty of Social Sciences.
‘The fact that I have basically taken gender into account in my research from the very beginning stems from clinical practice,’ commented prof. dr hab. Małgorzata Lipowska on receiving the award. ‘The majority of disorders are represented to varying degrees in groups of boys and girls, and research has often focused only on the group in which the disorder was more common. There has been a lack of adequate diagnostic tools sensitive to the gender context, as well as methods of therapy for neurodevelopmental disorders that take this context into account.’
After the awarding of diplomas, the winner of the Joanna Schopenhauer Rector's Award, prof. dr hab. Małgorzata Lipowska, will give a lecture entitled ‘Gender, Neuro, ... Diversities in Clinical Psychology’. In addition, the winners of this year's ‘I include gender in research’ competition will talk about their master's theses and doctoral dissertations. The event will conclude with a lecture entitled ‘How do we build an equal and inclusive research environment in the SEA-EU?’, which will be given by prof. dr hab. Natasza Kosakowska-Berezecka. The event will be held in English as part of the Staff Week ‘Empowering minds: A Staff Week for Mental Health & Neuroinclusive Teaching’, which will be attended by representatives of the partner universities of the SEA-EU alliance.
It is worth noting that the ‘I include gender in research’ competition recognises not only work related to the social sciences or humanities.
‘I believe it is very important to draw the attention of the academic community to the inclusion of the gender dimension in research,’ says prof. Ewa Łojkowska. ‘Including the gender perspective in scientific research serves to improve the quality of the research itself, as well as its application to the society of knowledge, technology and innovation. Taking the gender aspect into account in research is enshrined in the HORIZON EUROPE programme and has been included in the ‘Plan for the implementation of gender equality policy at the University of Gdańsk for 2024-2028’, which is currently being implemented at the University of Gdańsk.’
The gala of the 3rd edition of the ‘Incorporating gender into research’ competition and the 1st edition of the Joanna Schopenhauer Rector's Award are one of the first events this year to present equality activities carried out at the University of Gdańsk, the only Polish institution honoured with the ‘EU Award for Gender Equality Champions’ for gender equality leaders, awarded by the European Commission.