Gender equality in science does not happen by accident. It is rarely shaped by one discipline, one institution, or one country. It emerges at the intersections—between research fields, academic generations, leadership roles, and everyday practices inside universities—from who gets encouraged to apply for grants to who is invited to lead research teams.
Organized for the second year in a row to mark the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, the Women in Science (WinS) International Conference has expanded far beyond its initial scope becoming a platform for meaningful dialogue across disciplines and borders. WinS creates a space where gender equality is discussed as a shared responsibility across the entire academic ecosystem. It returns to Mykolas Romeris University (MRU) in Vilnius on 11–12 February 2026.
Scientific Committee: diversity as a working principle
One of the strongest features of WinS is its Scientific Committee, which reflects the truly international and interdisciplinary nature of the conversation. The committee brings together 46 scholars from 15 countries, representing a wide range of academic ranks—from university presidents and rectors to early-career and postdoctoral researchers—as well as disciplines spanning STEM and STEAM fields, social sciences, and the humanities, underlining that gender equality in science cannot be addressed from a single disciplinary angle.
This diversity is not accidental. It signals a broader understanding that meaningful change in academia requires dialogue between different ways of producing and interpreting knowledge.
According to dr. Maria-Jose Martinez-Bravo, Deputy Director of the MSc Drug Discovery Program at University College London, science is ultimately about the future we are all shaping together. She emphasizes that curiosity—across disciplines and at all stages of life—is the foundation of scientific thinking and a key condition for building a more knowledgeable and resilient society.
Leadership that sets the tone
The Scientific Committee is chaired by the Rector of MRU prof. dr. Inga Žalėnienė, whose academic leadership extends well beyond the national context. Her role at the head of the committee signals a clear message: gender equality in science is not an “add-on” topic, but one that deserves visibility, authority, and institutional support at the highest level.
As a Board member of EWORA (European Women Rectors Association) and Vice-President of International Association of Universities (IAU), the Rector actively contributes to broader European and global discussions on gender equality and leadership. That makes her role in the conference particularly meaningful.
“Academic leadership can help remove barriers for women in various fields by breaking down the 'glass ceiling' and enabling them to enjoy successful careers in traditionally male-dominated areas.
Academia should prepare women for a variety of successful professional careers. Therefore, we need to educate women who are ready to take up decision-making roles in any field, not just science,” stressed Prof. Dr. Inga Žalėnienė.
From project to platform: the role of PSGENEQ
WinS is co-organized by MRU and ACEBaltic (the Association of Spanish Scientists in the Baltic Countries), with the support of EWORA, the Embassy of Spain in Lithuania and the Ramón Areces Foundation. This partnership strengthens the international reach of the conference and enables collaboration with universities and research institutions worldwide.
The conference itself has grown out of the PSGENEQ* project (Postdigital Storytelling for Gender Equality), led by Dr. Isabel Palomo Domínguez. She is also the main initiator and organizer of WinS. What began as a research project exploring how postdigital narratives shape our understanding of gender roles, professional identities, and social norms—and how these narratives can be consciously reimagined—has gradually evolved into a shared academic platform connecting research, leadership, and institutional practice.
In addition to her role at Mykolas Romeris University, Dr. Isabel Palomo Domínguez serves as Vice President of ACEBaltic, acting as a bridge between the two co-organizing institutions and strengthening international academic collaboration.
In addition to her role at Mykolas Romeris University, Dr. Isabel Palomo Domínguez serves as Vice President of ACEBaltic. She's like a bridge between the two co-organizing institutions and strengthening international academic collaboration. In this sense, WinS extends the PSGENEQ project beyond the research framework, translating its insights into a broader space for academic exchange, dialogue, and cooperation.
Rethinking gender equality
Dr. Isabel Palomo Domínguez emphasizes that the under-representation of women in science is not solely a women’s issue. It is also a challenge that affects society as a whole. A diverse and inclusive scientific ecosystem, she notes, allows for a broader range of perspectives, experiences, and ideas—an essential condition for meaningful progress that is both fair and beneficial to all. Addressing this challenge therefore requires shared responsibility, involving not only scientists, but also institutions, policymakers, and society at large.
By bringing together scholars with diverse academic backgrounds and lived experiences, WinS aims to foster conversations that go beyond statistics or formal policies. Instead, it focuses on how academic cultures are shaped—and reshaped. Through everyday practices, leadership choices, and the stories institutions tell about who belongs in science.
Dr. Kim De Vidts, researcher at the Research Center for OPEN Arts & Futures at the Brussels Erasmus University of Applied Sciences & Arts, emphasizes that interdisciplinary is essential for advancing gender equality in science. Futures-oriented and arts-based approaches, she argues, help surface assumptions and power structures that often remain invisible in traditional research. Especially in early education, where ideas about who belongs in science begin to form.
International collaboration as everyday practice
MRU Rector stresses that open dialogue and the exchange of experience are essential for breaking down barriers that still prevent women from competing on equal footing—both nationally and internationally. Such conversations, she notes, are key to creating sustainable change within academia and beyond.
MRU’s strong international orientation—reflected in its international study programs, openness to international students, participation in numerous research projects, and membership in the European Reform University Alliance (ERUA)—provides a natural foundation for initiatives such as WinS. In this sense, WinS is not only a conference, but an ongoing conversation—one that continues well beyond two days in Vilnius.
ABOUT THE EVENT:
Date: 2026 February 11-12
Venue: MRU, Ateities g. 20, Vilnius, room I-414/ MRU LAB, Didlaukio g. 55, Vilnius
Registration link (necessary).
More information can be found on the official conference website.
* The project funded by the State Budget titled "Establishment of Centers of Excellence at Mykolas Romeris University," which is implemented under the initiative "Centers of Excellence Initiative" initiated by the Ministry of Education, Science and Sports of the Republic of Lithuania