Canadian Women in STEM
Leading by Lifting
2700+

Canadian Women in STEM Members

Thank you for your support and participation in Canadian Women in STEM; Moving Forward in STEM Careers.

We look forward to seeing you at our next event in Fall 2025.

The challenges women face in Canada's STEM ecosystem are multifaceted and rooted in systemic barriers.

Underrepresentation in Leadership Roles

Women are significantly underrepresented in senior academic and leadership positions, such as department chairs, deans, and presidents.

Pay Gaps and Funding Inequities

Women researchers often earn less than their male counterparts and receive smaller research grants.

Harassment and Hostile Work Environments

Women often experience harassment, microaggressions, and exclusionary practices in academic and research settings.

Bias in Peer Review and Evaluation

Women face biases in peer review processes for publications, grant applications, and tenure evaluations.

Lack of Intersectional Support

Women from marginalized groups (e.g., Indigenous women, women of color, LGBTQ+ women) face compounded challenges.

Our Initiatives

Networking Opportunities
Create platforms for women in STEM to connect, share experiences, collaborate, and gain mentorship. Networks provide opportunities for collaboration, co-authorship, and joint grant applications, and overall support and mentorship. Our network also provides a platform to amplify the achievements of women in STEM fields, through talks, publications, and social media.
Career Opportunities
Help women secure jobs, internships, leadership roles, and funding for research. We aim to connect established women in STEM with early-career professionals, including graduate students and postdocs.
Scholarships & Subsidies
Reduce financial barriers for women pursuing STEM education, research, and professional development. We strive to help find scholarships or subsidies to attend conferences and further their careers.

Our History

Driven by her passion for EDIA, Dr. Paola Marignani founded Canadian Women in STEM in 2016, and has since connected thousands of women, providing a supportive network that enhances their career development in science and engineering. Canadian Women in STEM has held events in collaboration with other organizations where panel discussions have covered topics such as dealing with microaggressions in the workplace and navigating the path to success in male-dominated fields. Canadian Women in STEM is also active on social media and regularly shares and amplifies the success stories of other women in research.

Through Canadian Women in STEM, primary school, highschool and university girls and women are given the opportunity to conduct experiential learning in research laboratories and learn how to do science. We want to excite the next generation of GirlSTEM to pursue careers in STEM. In the past, CDNWomenSTEM has held workshops that provide guidance on how to navigate the complex world of academia, and industry.

Leading
by lifting

Our overarching goal is to contribute to the design and development of a national strategy for equity, diversity and inclusion in Canada. Our network is representative of female and women Canadian scientists from across the STEM spectrum.