Sex in Science

The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute is a charitably funded genomic research centre located in Hinxton, nine miles south of Cambridge in the UK, leader in the Human Genome Project and translation of research fidnings into diagnostics, treatments or therapies that reduce global health burdens.

The Sex in Science programme is a joint initiative of the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and the EMBL-European Bioinformatics Institute (EBI) that aims to generate discussion and raise awareness about issues traditionally facing women in science, and to drive policy and practice changes to redress them.

Internationally, women are represented in diminishing proportions as career levels progress and significant numbers of women leave science altogether. Commensurate with societal and cultural shifts, the issues that cause this well-recognised leaky pipeline now affect not only female scientists, but increasingly also men in science. In our Sex in Science Programme we explore these issues, look to inspire researchers, develop discussion and drive change in current practices and policy.

The Sex in Science programme aims to:

• i. raise awareness of issues facing women (and increasingly men) in science
• ii. address and challenge preconceptions
• iii. inspire women and men at different stages of their scientific careers to progress to senior levels
• iv. foster constructive discussion
• v. inform and drive change in current practices and policy at the institutional level
• vi. explore and evaluate areas of partnership with other Institutes
• communicate activities in this area externally.

These objectives require long-term effort and we have the firm commitment and support of the Sanger Institute and EMBL-EBI directorates to continue with this work into the future.