The event, held this year in 78 countries, will reflect on the limitations and opportunities for women scientists in the field of chemistry

A roundtable discussion on “the growing leadership of women in chemical research”, organised by the URV’s Faculty of Chemistry and School of Chemical Engineering, along with other local institutions working in the field of chemistry, analysed the main challenges to achieving full equality of opportunities between men and women in chemistry research. The event brought together about 50 attendees and was held as part of the Global Women’s Breakfast, a worldwide initiative coordinated by the International Union for Pure and Applied Chemistry, which has organised nearly 450 activities in 78 countries to celebrate the International Day of Women and Girls in Science.

The roundtable was moderated by URV professor Montserrat Diéguez and addressed the conditions of women chemists in both industry and research. While large companies have a significant percentage of women in leadership and managerial positions, things are different in academia. Despite an initial gender balance at undergraduate level, parity diminishes at higher academic stages. A gradual decrease in the numbers of women is observed throughout the master’s and doctoral stages, ultimately leading to a relatively low percentage of women in key research positions. The discussion explored strategies to bridge these gaps, emphasising the importance of gender equality education from an early age, and promoting careers in science to young girls. Finally, the debate highlighted the need for specific programmes to promote women’s academic careers after they have completed their PhDs.

The event, held at ETSEQ’s facilities, was supported by the Catalan Institute for Chemical Research (ICIQ), the EURECAT Technology Centre of Catalonia and the Association of Chemical Business of Tarragona (AEQT). Participants included Amaia Bastero, Associate Director of Packaging & Specialty Plastics at Dow, representing the AEQT; Adrianna Nogalska, Head of the Hydrogen Technologies Line at the Chemical Technology Unit of the Catalan Institute for Research and Technology; Elisabet Romero, leader of the research group “Design and Construction of Bio-Inspired Systems for the Conversion of Solar Energy to Fuel” at ICIQ; and Professor Marta Sales, co-leader of SEESLAB (Science and Engineering of Emerging Systems) and researcher at the Department of Chemical Engineering (ETSEQ) at the URV.