The full story

Our Vision, Mission,
Impact, Approach and History

Our Vision

Women in Neuroscience UK (WiNUK) aims to improve gender equity in neuroscience careers.

Historically, scientific environments were not made for women.

Today, neuroscience remains to be male dominated, especially in leadership roles.

Active changes must be made for people of all genders to feel equally safe, happy and successful in neuroscience.

We are a community that proudly supports those who identify as female in neuroscience.

We stand against gender-based biases and discrimination, which remain too common in science workplaces.

We believe that women should feel included in their workplaces and receive the recognition, citations, funding, pay and job security that they deserve for their scientific work.

By improving the inclusion of women and their diverse viewpoints in neuroscience, WiNUK has the capacity to improve research cultures and support scientific advancements, to the benefit of us all.

Our Mission

At Women in Neuroscience UK (WiNUK), our mission is to

inspire, connect, and advocate for gender equity in neuroscience.

We achieve our aims through a multi-platform community approach that includes virtual events, newsletters, blogs, and social media engagement.

Our Impact

WiNUK has achieved progress in our aims and continues to show a strong trajectory.

Our valuable work has garnered recognition from prominent charities and international companies, leading to collaborations on event talks, blogs, and social media campaigns addressing gender inequities in neuroscience.

We were recently nominated for the Community Award for Gender in the National Diversity Awards 2023:

To read about what people think of WiNUK and to leave feedback, see our testimonials page.

Through the multi-platform work of WiNUK, we are starting to see necessary improvements for women in neuroscience and science overall.

For more detail on how we have achieved the following impacts, visit our approach section.

INSPIRE

We have successfully inspired talented women and girls to pursue careers in science. By providing them with confidence, scientific knowledge, networking opportunities, careers advice, and training in leadership and science communication, we have opened new avenues for women in our network. Members of our volunteer team have credited WiNUK for their professional growth, securing roles in academia and science communication careers.

We also inspire change through our crucial advocacy work.

CONNECT

WiNUK has fostered genuine connections within our close-knit volunteer team and broader community. From its inception in 2022 with a 30-person volunteer team, we have produced engaging blogs, social media content, and virtual events that have attracted attendees from around the world. Our global audience continues to grow, with over 1,000 blog reads, 80 website members, 400 mailing list registrants, and 2,000 social media followers. We take pride in providing safe and supportive spaces for women and girls at all career stages to discuss gender inequity, connect with others, seek advice, and participate in mentoring opportunities, which are unfortunately scarce but vital in the scientific community.

ADVOCATE

By identifying and voicing the barriers faced by women in science, we can help to improve the access, satisfaction and retention of women in neuroscience.

The first WiNUK event poll revealed that many attendees had never noticed gender bias in neuroscience. By close of this BNA collaboration event, after listening to female neuroscientists and getting involved in thought-provoking Q&A, many were considering their gender biases for the first time and submitted feedback describing the session as ‘inspirational’, ‘empowering’ and ‘useful’.

By encouraging people of all genders, locations, ages and career areas to engage with our content, we have helped and continue to help people to recognise the problems facing women, and to consider how they can mitigate their gender biases for the benefit of everyone.

Another notable success was our advocacy work in collaboration with UKDRI, when Lizzie took over their Twitter account for International Women’s Day, using graphics, captions, images and blogs to highlight gender inequities in dementia research and showcase inspiring women in the field. The Tweets united charities, universities, and researchers, resulting in a seven-fold increase in retweets and a twenty-four-fold increase in replies for the UKDRI’s account and hugely amplifying the conversation on gender disparities in research and dementia care.

Our Approach

INSPIRE

We inspire talented women and girls to pursue or continue careers in science by providing scientific knowledge, confidence-building opportunities, networking, leadership training, science communication skills, and careers advice...

Scientific knowledge: We educate the community through talks, blogs, and social media posts on a wide range of neuroscience-related topics, from fundamental brain science of dementia to stroke, to treatment of neurological conditions. Our events provide diverse perspectives: our speakers have included individuals with neurological conditions sharing their experiences, alongside leading scientists, clinicians and charity representatives, for example at our recent 'Time is Brain' event.

Mentorship: WiNUK offers personal and professional development support through virtual Q&A sessions at events and in-person meetups. Our volunteers gain leadership and teamwork skills while helping others, and our community members report increased confidence and improved wellbeing following our virtual events.

Science communication training: Our core team and guest bloggers gain valuable experience in science writing, event organisation, graphic design, social media management, and more, benefiting their current and future careers.

Careers advice: We facilitate lively discussions and networking sessions, both virtually and in-person, to address career-related topics and provide advice on internship, university, and job applications. Our career-focused events explore diverse career paths within neuroscience, for example 'Opportunities in Dementia Research' discussed science illlustration, science writing, science presenting and conference programming.

CONNECT

Through our regular multi-platform activities, including virtual event networking, blog comments and social media interactions, we aim to initiate discussions and foster connections among individuals interested in gender equity and brain science.

Global community: WiNUK has formed a thriving and considerate community across the UK and beyond, with plenty of friendly interactions and advice sharing between community members at our events and on our other platforms. Our volunteers enjoy working with you to improve access, experiences, retention, and success in neuroscience for those identifying as female and other marginalized groups.

Membership: WiNUK membership is currently free! To connect with our community, sign up here. You are welcome to join whatever your location, career stage or profession, provided you have an interest in gender equity and science. Members are added to our searchable members webpage and have the opportunity to connect with wonderful women in neuroscience via our blogs, events and forums.

Social media: Stay connected through our YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn

Email updates: Access our Newsletter by joining our mailing list.

ADVOCATE

WiNUK advocates for more inclusive environments in academic and broader settings, raising awareness of gender disparities in science through events, blogs, and social media engagements. We facilitate discussions and networking sessions that involve individuals from around the world and at all career stages.

Honest experience sharing: Female neuroscientists volunteer as bloggers and speakers at our events, sharing their authentic career experiences and providing advice for other women and girls. Our organisation is quite unique in creating these safe spaces to discuss crucial topics related to gender inequity in scientific research environments.

Everyone's invited: We invite people of all genders, locations, ages, and career stages to engage with our content to catalyse greater change.

Collaborations: WiNUK is keen to engage with charities and companies. Several organisations have requested to collaborate on event panels, blogs, and social media campaigns. Together, we can develop more impactful and wide-reaching schemes to support women in science. We also seek connections with funders and policymakers to help us drive tangible changes in working conditions for female scientists.

To learn more about our advocacy work, we invite you to explore our blog posts, events, and

social media platforms.

Our History

Women in Neuroscience UK (WiNUK) was founded in February 2022 by Lizzie English to address the lack of support for female neuroscientists in the UK.

As Lizzie began her PhD in Alzheimer's disease research at the University of Cambridge, she faced a male-dominated research environment and a lack of female peers and role models. Determined to find a network for women in neuroscience to connect and support each other, but unable to find this in-person or online, Lizzie took the initiative to establish her own! Women in Neuroscience UK (WiNUK) is the first UK-based organisation specifically designed to support female neuroscientists.

With glowing feedback from our first event, with audience members acknowledging their gender biases for the first time and considering positive changes to implement, Lizzie realised the immense value and potential of WiNUK’s impact.

When Lizzie opened applications for volunteers to join her mission, the response was greater than could be imagined, in terms of applicant numbers and enthusiasm for the cause, leaving Lizzie feeling affirmed but also distressed to find this huge need for WiNUK’s work.

2022 saw WiNUK develop from an idea into a mighty force of volunteers: Lizzie has recruited over 30 fantastic volunteers from diverse career stages, ethnicities, nationalities and locations, contributing to a rich and inclusive community.

The WiNUK team produce blogs, social media posts, and virtual events attracting hundreds of attendees, not only from the UK but across the world. Our impact continues to expand, with over 15 blogs, 5 newsletters, 8 events, 400 mailing list members and 2000 social media followers. WiNUK's reach has extended to over 20 countries, fostering a global audience of supporters and volunteers.

WiNUK remains committed to creating inclusive and equitable changes in neuroscience communities through the unwavering dedication of our volunteers and our collaborative efforts. We’re excited to see what the future brings.

Why?

Stay tuned for our upcoming blog post

taking a deep dive into the current data on the gender disparities in neuroscience research.

Who for?

WiNUK is a female-led organization, bringing together a diverse supportive community across the UK and beyond.

While we are keen to provide spaces for female neuroscientists to discuss their questions and challenges, we believe in engaging people of all genders, ages, locations, and career areas to best address gender disparities and promote change - everyone is invited to join our discussions!

Despite being based primarily in the UK, we welcome individuals from around the world, ensuring accessibility through free and virtual options.

Feedback from our community is invaluable for shaping our future initiatives.

Our Vision, Mission, Impact, Approach and History