Equal Opportunities

Lecture Series "Gender and Neuroscience"

Women talk a lot, men don't. Women don't have good spatial reasoning, men do. Women are emotional, men are rational. There are two clearly distinguishable genders and clear differences between them that can be proven scientifically, e.g. with the help of neuroscientific studies of the brain - right? Whether this gender binary and differences between the sexes, often perceived as natural, are really so unambiguous, what research on biological gender differences can and cannot say, and what other perspectives there are on gender within the natural sciences - these and similar questions will be addressed in the lecture series. All researchers, students and interested parties are welcome! For questions and registration please contact Sarah Czerney.

26.10.2022 (15:00, online) Emily Ngubia Kessé (University of Freiburg) „Neuro SCIENCE – What’s race got to do with it? How societal values contaminate” Neuroscience research, theory and practice“
Neuroscience theory, research and practice (like any other natural science) is essentially tangled up in social power structures and discourses that it has -for as long as its existence- been unaware of, or unwilling to acknowledge. Where does this “contamination” take place, and is inevitable? How can it be operationalized to productively to enrich the way in which neuroscience research is conducted, the way the brain is theorized and in fact even the paradigms and methods used in collecting and analyzing the data? In this talk I would like us to think about the necessity of implementing the concept of intersectionality (that is, how we can take social values into consideration) and weave them into neuroscience research and theorizing.

07.06.2022 Daphna Joel (Tel Aviv University): " Rethinking sex, brain, and gender beyond the binary" (15:00, online)

Are the brains of women and men the same or different? Or maybe it’s the wrong question? Sex-related variables affect brain structure and function and there are group-level differences between women and men in specific measures of brain and behavior. These are often taken as supporting the existence of ‘male’ and ‘female’ brains. Studies in rats reveal, however, that sex effects on the brain may be different under different conditions – an observation that led me to formulate the ‘mosaic’ hypothesis – the claim that sex differences in the brain do not add-up consistently in individuals; rather, most brains comprise of both features that are more common in females and features that are more common in males. I will describe the development of the binary conceptualization of the relations between sex and the brain in response to the challenge posed by the mosaic hypothesis and its supporting evidence, and present the results of our recent studies, in which we applied machine learning algorithms to better understand the relations between sex and the brain beyond the binary.

09.03.2022 Cordelia Fine (University of Melbourne): "Avoiding Neurosexism in Neuroscience: 8 things you need to know about sex, gender and the brain" (10:00, online)

Biological explanations of differences in behaviour between women and men or girls and boys are to be found everywhere: from scientific articles, to bestselling self-help books, diversity and inclusion workshops, and Hollywood movies. However, researching, understanding, and interpreting male/female differences in brain and behaviour is surprisingly complicated, and particularly so when humans are involved. To help everyone parse the next biological explanation of female/male differences in behaviour that appears in the academic literature or popular media, this talk will review eight things everyone should know, look out for, and ask: from the nitty-gritty of whether there even is a difference, to the grand sweep of evolutionary explanations. (This talk is based on work co-authored with Gina Rippon and Daphna Joel.)

01.12.2021 Hannah Fitsch (HU Berlin/Goethe-Universität Frankfurt/M.): „What Leibniz has to do with binary (sex/gender) categories in neuroscience. Mathematical logic in the methods of computational neurosciences“ (14:00, online)

There has been a desire to formalize the complex structure of the brain and its neuronal processes for some centuries. This talk traces the history of the new approaches by using the concept of the mathematization of perception to show how methods and models from computer science and mathematics have found their way into brain research.

29.09.2021 Mercedes Küffner (Universität Freiburg): "Sex & Gender as biological Variables (SABV) - selected foundations“ (15:00, online)

Does the historic sex bias in neuroscience and biomedical research still exist? How can we integrate Sex and Gender to improve Human Health? The sexually dimorphic brain, similar to most sex differences, does not fall into a hard binary readout—but rather is on a continuum or spectrum with each cell and each brain region comprised of varying degrees of ‘male' and ‘female' (Hines, 2005; Joel and McCarthy, 2016). Sex and gender are therefore important variables to consider when designing studies and assessing results within biomedical research. Let’s have a look on how some publications and research policys in the US, Canada and Europe have shaped a new way of thinking and what efforts already have been made by Funding Organizations, Peer-reviewed journals and Universities to advance consistent sex and gender analysis within the research community. Moving away from a strict binary view of how sex/gender is manifested in the brain will be illustrated by selected publications and future challenges on how to establish SABV. By raising awareness from the biological perspective we may contribute to building a society where individuals identifying themselves in between the labels of male and female and feel included rather than discriminated.

17.06.2021 Kerstin Palm (HU Berlin): „Sex/Gender studies in biology - the critical view of sex/gender within the life sciences“ (14:00, online)

Gender studies is primarily characterized by a plethora of studies in the humanities and social sciences on Gender relations. Less well known is the critical sex/gender research within biology that has been taking place since the 1970s, which has been researching the biological foundations of sex/gender, sexuality and sex/gender difference. The lecture presents this biological research on gender with examples and explains the theoretical self-understanding of this research.

03.03.2021 Anelis Kaiser (Universität Freiburg): „From the female-vs.-male-brain to the human brain continuum“ (15:00, online)

The topic of sex/gender crosses the research field of neuroscience on different levels. But for some time now, studies have maily focused on examinations of sex/gender difference, i.e., research that reveals differences between women´s and men´s brains. Recently, however, the sex/gender variable has been started to be explored in terms of a human brain continuum. The talk will highlight this progression. 

23.10.2020 Sigrid Schmitz (HU Berlin): „The Gendered Brain:  Gender Research in Dialogue with the Neurosciences“ (14:00, online)

The lecture series will be continued in the second half of 2022. Further dates will be announced here in due time.

• 21.02.2019 Career Talk „Herausforderungen und Möglichkeiten für Nachwuchswissenschaftlerinnen in Medizin und Naturwissenschaften“ mit Prof. Jessica Bertrand:
  In informellem Rahmen erzählen erfolgreiche Wissenschaftlerinnen von ihrem Werdegang, geben Tipps und beantworten Fragen der Nachwuchswissenschaftlerinnen.
   

• 20.06.2019 Roundtable „Scientific Career and Child(ren)“ auf dem Career Day
  Scientific career and parenting still seem to be quite incompatible. Many young scientists, especially women (but also more and more men), are wondering if they can pursue a career and start a family at the same time. In this informal discussion, scientists who are also parents talk about their experiences: How do they experience the balancing act between career and family life? How do they organize their careers and their everyday life? What challenges do they see? And what advices would they give to young scientists?
   

• 16.01.2020 Workshop Career Development mit Annette Hoeschen
   

• 16.01.2020 AGG-Schulung für Beratungspersonen mit Sandra Dänekas (AGG-Netzwerkstelle)
   

• 02.03.2020 „Symposium for Novel frontiers in molecular and systems neuroscience“
   

• 04.05.2020 Workshop Career Development für Multiplikator*innen (PhD und PostDoc) mit der Graduate Academy der OvGU
   

• 23.10.2020 Sigrid Schmitz: „The Gendered Brain:  Gender Research in Dialogue with the Neurosciences“ - Vorlesungsreihe „Gender and Neuroscience“
   

• 28.10.2020 Workshop „Gleichstellungspläne als Mittel der Qualitätssicherung“ mit Genderkompetenzzentrum Sachsen
   

• 23.11.2020 AGG-Schulung für Führungskräfte mit Sandra Dänekas (AGG-Netzwerkstelle)
   

• 02./03.12.2020 Workshop und Coaching „Female Leadership“ mit Deborah Ruggieri:
  The workshop will focus on development of personal potentials as well as on empowerment of junior scientists. Based on a look at gender and stereotype, socially imprinted patterns of female behaviour will be looked at, and the implications at the workplace environment will be discussed. Conflict management, handling of male dominance and the development of your personal leadership style (and how it differs) will be further topics.
   

• 26.01.2021 2.Sitzung Gleichstellungskommission zu gender bias
   

• 03.03.2021 „From the female-vs.-male-brain to the human brain continuum“ - Vorlesungsreihe „Gender and Neuroscience“ mit Anelis Kaiser
  The topic of sex/gender crosses the research field of neuroscience on different levels. But for some time now, studies have maily focused on examinations of sex/gender difference, i.e., research that reveals differences between women´s and men´s brains. Recently, however, the sex/gender variable has been started to be explored in terms of a human brain continuum. This talk will highlight this progression.
   

• 08.04.2021 Career Talk mit Anne Albrecht
  In informellem Rahmen erzählen erfolgreiche Wissenschaftlerinnen von ihrem Werdegang, geben Tipps und beantworten Fragen der Nachwuchswissenschaftlerinnen.
   

• 28.04.2021 3. Sitzung Gleichstellungskommission
   

• 11./ 12.05.2021 Workshop und Coaching "Female Leadership" für Nachwuchswissenschaftlerinnen mit Deborah Ruggieri:
  Knowledge about power or status games could lead to a broader view and bigger toolset of communication/negotiation skills as a leader. The participants will get support to recognise the specific patterns of communication and status behaviour in organisations and to develop tools to handle them.
   

• 21.05.2021 Führungskräfteschulung „Excellence through gender-sensitive leadership“ mit Dr. Sabine Blackmore:
  Die Anforderungen an Führungskräften im Wissenschaftssystem haben sich in den letzten 20 Jahren massiv verändert. Waren einst die Forschungsleistung und Reputation zentrale Qualifikationen einer Führungskraft in der Wissenschaft, sind heute Kernkompetenzen wie Personalmanagement und -entwicklung sowie Konfliktmanagement unabdingbar. Aber auch Gender- und Diversitätssensibilität gehört zur modernen Führung in Forschungseinrichtungen, um den Ansprüchen an Führung und „Exzellenz in allen Bereichen“ begegnen zu können. Diese Schulung setzt genau an diesem Punkt an und eröffnet in 4 Veranstaltungen ein Themenrepertoire der gender- und diversitätssensiblen Führung.
   

• 03.06.2021 FEM Café mit career talk: Dr. Sanja Bauer Mikulovic
   

• 09.06.2021 Impulsvortrag und Roundtable auf dem Career Day  mit Prof. Dr. Kathrin Pittius
  "It’s a matter of self-management – or not? Science and parenthood in the context of New Work"
   

• 17.06.2021 Prof. Dr. Kerstin Palm: „Sex/Gender studies in biology - the critical view of sex/gender within the life sciences“
  Vorlesungsreihe "Gender and Neuroscience":
  Gender studies is primarily characterized by a plethora of studies in the humanities and social sciences on Gender relations. Less well known is the critical sex/gender research within biology that has been taking place since the 1970s, which has been researching the biological foundations of sex/gender, sexuality and sex/gender difference. The lecture presents this biological research on gender with examples and explains the theoretical self-understanding of this research.
   

• 23.06.2021 Virtual film screening "Picture a Scientist" & Online panel discussion " How male is science?"

  When you picture a scientist – what do you see?A man in a white coat, wearing large protective goggles, looking through a microscope or swirling a test tube - for many, this is probably still one of the first images that comes to mind when they hear the word ”scientist”. The documentary PICTURE A SCIENTIST gets to the bottom of the question as to why science in our minds is still a field dominated by men. Biologist Nancy Hopkins, chemist Raychelle Burks, and geologist Jane Willenbring take viewers on a journey through their own experiences in the sciences, ranging from brutal harassment to years of subtle slights. Along the way, from cramped laboratories to spectacular field stations, we encounter scientific luminaries - including social scientists, neuroscientists, and psychologists - who provide new perspectives on how to make science itself more diverse, equitable, and open to all. The screening will be followed by the panel discussion „How male is science?“. Together with scientists from Magdeburg, amongst others the rector of the Hochschule Magdeburg-Stendal, Prof. Dr. Anne Lequy, we want to discuss how male science really still is and what we all can do to change it. Everybody is welcome to join and exchange ideas with us! Bericht zur Veranstaltung hier.
   

• 18.08.2021 FEM Café "Book Club: The Gendered Brain by Gina Rippon"
   

• 23.09.2021: FEM Café "How to get funding for your research" mit Dr. Christina Spilker
   

• 29.09.2021 Mercedes Küffner „Sex & Gender as biological variables (SABV) - selected foundations“
  Vorlesungsreihe „Gender and Neuroscience“:
  Does the historic sex bias in neuroscience and biomedical research still exist? How can we integrate Sex and Gender to improve Human Health? The sexually dimorphic brain, similar to most sex differences, does not fall into a hard binary readout—but rather is on a continuum or spectrum with each cell and each brain region comprised of varying degrees of ‘male' and ‘female' (Hines, 2005; Joel and McCarthy, 2016). Sex and gender are therefore important variables to consider when designing studies and assessing results within biomedical research. Let’s have a look on how some publications and research policys in the US, Canada and Europe have shaped a new way of thinking and what efforts already have been made by Funding Organizations, Peer-reviewed journals and Universities to advance consistent sex and gender analysis within the research community. Moving away from a strict binary view of how sex/gender is manifested in the brain will be illustrated by selected publications and future challenges on how to establish SABV. By raising awareness from the biological perspective we may contribute to building a society where individuals identifying themselves in between the labels of male and female and feel included rather than discriminated.
   

• 20.10.2021 FEM Café Career Talk mit Career Talk: Dr. Nicole Angenstein
   

• 17.11.2021 Führungskräfteschulung „Excellence through gender-sensitive leadership“ mit Dr. Sabine Blackmore
  Die Anforderungen an Führungskräften im Wissenschaftssystem haben sich in den letzten 20 Jahren massiv verändert. Waren einst die Forschungsleistung und Reputation zentrale Qualifikationen einer Führungskraft in der Wissenschaft, sind heute Kernkompetenzen wie Personalmanagement und -entwicklung sowie Konfliktmanagement unabdingbar. Aber auch Gender- und Diversitätssensibilität gehört zur modernen Führung in Forschungseinrichtungen, um den Ansprüchen an Führung und „Exzellenz in allen Bereichen“ begegnen zu können. Diese Schulung setzt genau an diesem Punkt an und eröffnet in 4 Veranstaltungen ein Themenrepertoire der gender- und diversitätssensiblen Führung.
   

• 29./30.11.2021 Individuelles Karrierecoaching für Nachwuchswissenschaftlerinnen des LIN mit Deborah Ruggieri
   

• 01.12.2021 Dr. Hannah Fitsch: „What Leibniz has to do with binary (sex/gender) categories in neuroscience. Mathematical logic in the methods of computational neurosciences“ (14:00, online), Vorlesungsreihe "Gender and Neuroscience":
  There has been a desire to formalize the complex structure of the brain and its neuronal processes for some centuries. This talk traces the history of the new approaches by using the concept of the mathematization of perception to show how methods and models from computer science and mathematics have found their way into brain research.
   

• 02.12.2021 FEM Café "Goodbye 2021 - Hello 2022"
   

• 09.12.2021 5. Sitzung Gleichstellungskommission: Workshop „Unbewusste Denkmuster und Stereotype in Organisationen erkennen“ für die Gleichstellungskommission und AGG-Berater*innen des LIN mit Ken Kupzok (Vierfältig)
  Unser Unterbewusstsein steckt Menschen in Schubladen: Diese sind notwendig, um die immense Komplexität unserer Umwelt zu vereinfachen. Diese Denkmuster führen z.B: dazu, dass wir Menschen, die uns ähneln, sympathisch finden. Gleichzeitig ist uns Ungewohntes erst einmal suspekt. Diese Verzerrungseffekte passieren ganz automatisch und unbewusst: wir nehmen mentale Abkürzungen, in dem wir fehlende Information über andere automatisch ergänzen. Das reduziert Vielfalt in Organisationen, denn es beeinflusst wer eingestellt wird, Förderung erhält oder den nächsten Karriereschritt macht. Der Impuls- und Austauschworkshop zielt mit einer Mischung aus Information, Erleben & Diskussion darauf ab, kognitive Funktionsweisen zu verdeutlichen, das Bewusstsein für Vielfalt zu schärfen und Rahmenbedingungen für die eigene Praxis zu entwickeln. Denn es braucht strukturelle Unterstützung, sonst denkt unser Gehirn alleine.
   

• 13.01.2022 Workshop: "Developing and maintaining resilience in challenging times" für Doktorand*innen mit Angela Daalmann
  During challenging times, there is a quality that is more in demand than ever: resilience, i.e. maintaining or quickly restoring mental health during and after adversity. Some also refer to it as our mental immune system. The good news is that resilience is not innate but can be learned. Resilient people manage to master great demands and complex situations with inner serenity, sovereignty and strength. In this workshop you will receive impulses on how to regain strength even during difficult times, focus your energy on the positive and take care of your own stabilization. You will develop action steps in order to live your life with confidence and self-efficacy.
   

• 26.01.2022 FEM Café mit career talk für Wissenschaftlerinnen des LIN
  Das FEM Café ist ein Ort, an dem sich Wissenschaftlerinnen des LIN in informellem Rahmen und vertrauter Runde austauschen, gegenseitig unterstützen und netzwerken können. In regelmäßigen Abständen sprechen etablierte Wissenschaftlerinnen in career talks ehrlich über ihren beruflichen Werdegang, über Erfolge, Herausforderungen, aber auch über das Scheitern, sie geben Tipps und beantworten Fragen. Dieses Mal wird Dr. Liudmila Sosulina von ihrem Werdegang berichten. Bitte schreiben Sie an Sarah Czerney, wenn Sie teilnehmen möchten.
   
• 17.02.2022 FEM Café mit career talk: Wissenschaftskommunikation mit Dr. Esther Kühn
   

• 24.02.2022 Workshop „Umgang mit Widerständen gegen Veränderungen in Organisationen“ für Gleichstellungsakteur*innen
  Trotz aller Beteiligungen, Vorabsprachen und Planungen kommt es in der Implementierung von Maßnahmen im Bereich Chancengleichheit und Diversität immer wieder zu Ablehnung oder Abwehrhaltungen gegenüber den Initiator*innen, der Arbeitsweise oder dem Thema. Im Workshop werden Modelle zur Gestaltung von Veränderungsprozessen vorgestellt, die eigene Praxis an Beispielen analysiert und aufbauend darauf Handlungsoptionen entwickelt. Der Workshop richtet sich an die Gleichstellungsbeauftragten, die AGG-Berater*innen und alle, die Interesse am Thema haben. Wenn Sie teilnehmen möchten, schreiben Sie bitte eine Email an Sarah Czerney.

• 9.03.2022 Prof. Dr. Cordelia Fine (University of Melbourne): „Avoiding Neurosexism in Neuroscience: 8 things you need to know about sex, gender and the brain“ (Vorlesungsreihe "Gender and Neuroscience")       
  Biological explanations of differences in behaviour between women and men or girls and boys are to be found everywhere: from scientific articles, to bestselling self-help books, diversity and inclusion workshops, and Hollywood movies. However, researching, understanding, and interpreting male/female differences in brain and behaviour is surprisingly complicated, and particularly so when humans are involved. To help everyone parse the next biological explanation of female/male differences in behaviour that appears in the academic literature or popular media, this talk will review eight things everyone should know, look out for, and ask: from the nitty-gritty of whether there even is a difference, to the grand sweep of evolutionary explanations. (This talk is based on work co-authored with Gina Rippon and Daphna Joel.)
   

• 24.03.2022 FEM Café career talk für Wissenschaftlerinnen des LIN: mit Dr. Janelle Pakan, Group Leader "Neural Circuits & Network Dynamics" at CBBS 
  Das FEM Café ist ein Ort, an dem sich Wissenschaftlerinnen des LIN in informellem Rahmen und vertrauter Runde austauschen, gegenseitig unterstützen und netzwerken können. In regelmäßigen Abständen sprechen etablierte Wissenschaftlerinnen in career talks ehrlich über ihren beruflichen Werdegang, über Erfolge, Herausforderungen, aber auch über das Scheitern, sie geben Tipps und beantworten Fragen.
   

• 30./31.03.2022 Workshop und Coaching „Female Leadership“ für Wissenschaftlerinnen des LIN mit Deborah Ruggieri:
  Kenntnisse über Macht- oder Statusspiele könnten für Führungskräfte zu einer breiteren Sichtweise und einem größeren Instrumentarium an Kommunikations- und Verhandlungsfähigkeiten führen. Die Teilnehmenden werden dabei unterstützt, die spezifischen Muster des Kommunikations- und Statusverhaltens in Organisationen zu erkennen und Werkzeuge zu entwickeln, um damit umzugehen.
   

• 28.04.2022 FEM Café career talk from science to science management für Wissenschaftlerinnen des LIN mit Dr. Christina Spilker 
   

• 10.05.2022 Führungskräfteschulung "Excellence through gender sensitive leadership" mit Sabine Blackmore
  Die Anforderungen an Führungskräften im Wissenschaftssystem haben sich in den letzten 20 Jahren massiv verändert. Waren einst die Forschungsleistung und Reputation zentrale Qualifikationen einer Führungskraft in der Wissenschaft, sind heute Kernkompetenzen wie Personalmanagement und - entwicklung sowie Konfliktmanagement unabdingbar. Aber auch Gender- und Diversitätssensibilität gehört zur modernen Führung in Forschungseinrichtungen, um den Ansprüchen an Führung und Exzellenz in allen Bereichen begegnen zu können. Die Workshopreihe setzt genau an diesem Punkt an und eröffnet in 4 Veranstaltungen ein Themenrepertoire der gender- und diversitätssensiblen Führung.
   

• 07.06.2022 „Rethinking sex, brain, and gender beyond the binary“ mit Dr. Daphna Joel (Tel Aviv University), im Rahmen der Vorlesungsreihe „Gender and Neuroscience“
  Are the brains of women and men the same or different? Or maybe it’s the wrong question? Sex-related variables affect brain structure and function and there are group-level differences between women and men in specific measures of brain and behavior. These are often taken as supporting the existence of ‘male’ and ‘female’ brains. Studies in rats reveal, however, that sex effects on the brain may be different under different conditions – an observation that led me to formulate the ‘mosaic’ hypothesis – the claim that sex differences in the brain do not add-up consistently in individuals; rather, most brains comprise of both features that are more common in females and features that are more common in males. I will describe the development of the binary conceptualization of the relations between sex and the brain in response to the challenge posed by the mosaic hypothesis and its supporting evidence, and present the results of our recent studies, in which we applied machine learning algorithms to better understand the relations between sex and the brain beyond the binary.
   

• 08.06.2022 FEM Café mit career talk: "How to start you own business as a freelancer" mit Dr. Juliane Handschuh
   

• 04.10.2022 FEM Café mit career talk: "I want it all! How female scientists can balance career and family plans" mit Dr. Carina Giesen
   

• 17./18.10.2022 Einzelcoachings für Nachwuchwissenschaftlerinnen mit Deborah Ruggieri
   

• 26.10.2022  „Neuro SCIENCE – What’s race got to do with it? How societal values contaminate Neuroscience research, theory and practice" mit Dr. Emily Ngubia Kessé (University of Freiburg), im Rahmen der Vorlesungsreihe „Gender and Neuroscience“
  Neuroscience theory, research and practice (like any other natural science) is essentially tangled up in social power structures and discourses that it has -for as long as its existence- been unaware of, or unwilling to acknowledge. Where does this “contamination” take place, and is inevitable? How can it be operationalized to productively to enrich the way in which neuroscience research is conducted, the way the brain is theorized and in fact even the paradigms and methods used in collecting and analyzing the data? In this talk I would like us to think about the necessity of implementing the concept of intersectionality (that is, how we can take social values into consideration) and weave them into neuroscience research and theorizing.
   

• 16./17.11.2022  Landesweiter Tag der Genderforschung Sachsen-Anhalt 
   

• 24.11.2022 FEM Café  mit Career Talk mit Dr. Barbara Schweitzer von der Deutschen Forschungsgesellschaft (DFG)
   

• 29.11.2022 Führungskräfteschulung "Excellence through gender-sensitive leaderhip" mit Dr. Sabine Blackmore
   

• 16.12.2022 FEM Cafémit Career Talk mit Dr. Carina Fürst (Boston Consulting)
   

• 01.02.2023, FEM Café: Miniworkshop "Bye Bye 2022 - Hello 2023! Retrospective, learnings, goals"