21 August 2026

Navigating Academia as Women Faculty: Insights from the Women Faculty SIG events at OHBM Bordeaux 2026

Roundtable event: Tuesday, June 16, 2026

Themes: Perfectionism, Pushback, and Picking Your Battles

The roundtable event this year included five esteemed panelists from around the world: Anna Roe (New York University, USA), Sharna Jamadar (Monash University, Melbourne, Australia), Hyang Woon Lee (Ewha Woman’s University, Seoul, Republic of Korea), Patricia Figueiredo (University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal), and Amanpreet Badhwar (University of Montreal, Montreal, Canada).

The conversation began right away with tackling imposter syndrome and perfectionism. All panelists described the pressure to be perfect in both research and their broader professional lives. In particular, on the topic of work-life balance, a common perspective that resonated with the entire group was to let priorities shift week to week, and sometimes even day to day; having flexibility in how you conserve your energy is not a failure, but a requirement for women faculty in academia.

One of the panelists then addressed the ‘elephant in the room’ on how many women are being labelled negatively with offensive words when they are direct or assertive. She mentioned scenarios of women often labelled as problematic scientists, and offered a solution to us all to become comfortable with not being liked by everyone. It was a moment of frankness that resonated with everyone in the audience.

Next up, the panelists discussed the topic of microaggressions after an audience member asked how to respond to dismissive or undermining behaviour from male colleagues. Many panelists agreed that during larger committee or event settings, you may not be able to push back at every slight, but that does not mean you stay silent. The key is to choose your moments intentionally and push back directly at the person that is causing these microaggressions, unfortunately usually from male peers and colleagues.

Another question from an audience member related to managing toxic collaborations. The simplest advice that was offered: to immediately cut them off, as early as possible, and don't engage with anyone who has no respect for you or your work. Women faculty need to protect their time and well-being and leave no room for collaborators that do not respect you.

Finally, the panel acknowledged the unique logistical realities that women navigate as scientists. Women in academia absorb impossible situations and usually must find a way to make them work without any guidance on the matter. The take home message for women faculty, and women researchers in general, is that there are systemic gaps that academia has yet to meaningfully address,

and this roundtable made it clear that the work of changing academia is collective and starts with open conversations like these.

Small group discussion: Wednesday, June 17, 2026

Themes: Mentoring, Boundaries, and Lab Handbooks

The small group discussion began with a topic growing in relevance across the field: contra-power harassment. Dr. Jean Chen and Dr. Linda Mah’s recent blog post on the terminology and research around this issue provided helpful framing on how these dynamics affect not just women faculty but also senior graduate students, postdocs, and anyone in a mentoring role.

One observation was that kindness is often misread as weakness in supervisory relationships. Several participants had similar situations where being accessible led to students expecting unlimited availability and ignoring boundaries. The opposite situation is also commonly faced, when women who maintain a clear distance between their personal and professional lives are perceived as cold or hostile, even by other women. The solution for mentors and women faculty is to recognize that mentorship is a privilege, not a service available on demand. Trainees should be guided by their mentors; however, supervisors and mentors are also entitled to set boundaries around how and when that relationship operates.

An actionable item in terms of setting up boundaries early was the idea of a lab expectations document or handbook. Many of the women faculty SIG leaders have a written document that sets up things like lab expectations and meeting structures among other things (e.g., requiring 2 weeks before the abstract due date). This shifts the conversation from implicit to explicit and may circumvent future contra-power harassment issues for women faculty. There was a strong interest among the group in making templates available as shared resources for the SIG community. Open resources are available through the Poldrack lab, the MemoLab, the CAN LAB, and the ALY LAB, to name a few.

The intriguing finding is that even though the incidents of contra-power harassment and crossing boundaries were experienced by many in the group, these events did not fundamentally change their personalities or how they work. Women faculty have taken these experiences to shape their professional demeanour; however they remain committed mentors and collaborators. What has changed is that now there are policies in place, such as documented expectations, clear lab agreements, and a supportive community of peers. That, in itself, is progress.

20 March 2026

OHBM Women Faculty SIG hosts a webinar on leadership, identity and well-being for International Women’s Day 2026

By Linda Mah, MD, MHS, Diversity and Inclusion Officer and Chair-Elect, OHBM Women Faculty SIG

In recognition of International Women’s Day 2026, the OHBM Women Faculty SIG hosted a webinar on March 6th, 2026 featuring Dr. Sonja Zaar from Maastricht University, Netherlands, to hear about her innovative work on leadership, identity and well-being.

Dr. Zaar began by reminding the audience of the structural and systemic barriers that make it challenging for women to achieve leadership roles – despite making up 50% of the workforce, less than 1/3rd of women are in leadership or senior academic positions. Women are three times more likely to be interrupted during meetings compared to men – an example of “microresistant behaviour”. Research suggests that certain (masculine) characteristics commonly associated with leadership, such as assertiveness and decisiveness, tend to be evaluated positively in leaders. However, when women display these same characteristics, they are often judged less favourably or seen as violating gender norms. This creates a double bind: women may be perceived as lacking leadership qualities if they do not display these traits, yet face social penalties when they do. Moreover, while progress in a greater number of women in leadership roles had been slow and steady over the past decade or so, there has been an alarming trend for a decline in this rate over the past two years. Dr. Zaar’s position is that it can be slow and challenging to change structural and systemic forces that impede leadership opportunities for women, and so her work has focused on how individuals can try to change themselves, particularly focusing on changing our thoughts or cognitions about ourselves and about what leadership means to individuals.

Some of these cognitive thoughts are “deep-seated fears” such as “I’m too old/too young to be a leader”; “I’m not good enough to be leader”. Dr. Zaar referred to an “anchoring bias” whereby individuals tend to use thoughts or decisions from the past to apply to current or future scenarios, which may not be helpful or appropriate. Her research has included interviews with women leaders and entrepreneurs, during which she asks what leadership means to them and how they identify as a leader. Dr. Zaar’s work has shown that broader, rather than traditional conceptualizations of leadership, as well as shifting perspectives on leadership, are linked to more effective leaders, and enhanced overall well-being. By engaging in self-reflection to understand our thoughts about leadership and identity, it may be possible to shift our perspectives and become more effective leaders. Dr. Zaar is continuing this line of research and invites those interested in participating to contact her by sending an email to: s.zaar@maastrichtuniversity.nl

27 June 2025

Annual meeting, career panel, and networking event

Following the symposium, we next held our Annual Meeting followed by a career panel and general networking. There was a strong turn out (quite significant as this was programmed at the same time as free drinks in the poster hall) and incredibly insightful questions and novel insights shared during the panel. Topics covered included how to say 'yes' and also when it is ok to say 'no' to new responsibilities, challenges which come with being a woman in science, balancing family and senior research/leadership positions, achieving career goals, advocating for one self and also working together to advocate for others. These are often highly sensitive topics which are hard to talk about openly. By providing an encouraging environment to discuss and explore these important issues, this provides a critical step towards developing strategies and new approaches to address these type of challenges.      

25 June 2025

Sex, Gender, and brain: From research to clinical practice

At OHBM Brisbane 2025, we were privileged to have leading researchers discuss complex ideas and research potential surrounding the rapidly emerging field of Sex, Gender and Brain.  Topics explored ranged across neurodevelopmental and ageing trajectories, neurocognition, and neuropsychiatric disorders. 

24 April 2024

Contra-power harassment: When the tables are turned

Written By Jean Chen & Linda Mah 

In recent years, increasing emphasis has been placed on existence of power imbalances between supervisee and supervisor and how to safeguard trainees against academic bullying (Manuel et al., 2024). No doubt this is essential for the flourishing and even survival of the research enterprise. But what if the supervisor needs protection? In fact, contra-power harassment is also a significant problem in academia. Contra-power harassment occurs when someone with seemingly less power (e.g., a student) harasses someone deemed more powerful (e.g. a professor or supervisor). This may occur in the form of disparaging comments in class, disrespectful emails, negative online reviews and more (Brinson, 2020; Lampman et al., 2009; MacLennan, 2000). In two recent surveys (DeSouza, 2011; Lampman et al., 2009) at major public universities in the US involving ~300 and ~400 respondents, respectively, 2-3% reported experiencing incivility and bullying from students.  

It is important to realize that gender plays a major role in the occurrence of contra-power harassment, with women faculty being particularly vulnerable to contra-power harassment (Lampman, 2012). In addition to reporting higher rates of harassment by superiors and peers (Burke, 2017), women faculty have reported higher incidences of being challenged by students, higher levels of stress and anxiety, and even thoughts of quitting academia. Sadly, many women do eventually leave science due to harassment (Karami et al., 2020; Lampman, 2012; Lampman et al., 2016, 2009; Jahren, 2016; Williams and Massinger, 2016) and such occurrences are not limited to North America (Christensen et al., 2021; Mawere and Seroto, 2022).  

Why are women faculty experiencing more negative impact from contra-power harassment? Gender bias plays a role. Women in traditionally male-dominated fields such as engineering or computer science may face skepticism about their qualifications (Casad et al., 2021). Additionally, it has been suggested that societal expectations of femininity can lead to women being seen as less deserving of respect or authority (King, 2021). Furthermore, women who are of racial or ethnic minorities experience even more harassment (Hune, 2011; Jean-Marie and Lloyd-Jones, 2011; Lampman et al., 2009).  What’s worse, it is likely that contra-power harassment is under-reported (Flaherty, 2018).  

The under-recognition of contra-power harassment may discourage women from staying or even entering academia. Combating this issue requires a multi-pronged approach. Universities need clear policies that define and address contra-power harassment.  Training for faculty and students on respectful communication and bystander intervention or allyship is crucial. Furthermore, fostering a culture of inclusion and diversity within departments can help dismantle gender biases that contribute to the problem. By acknowledging the issue, implementing effective policies, and promoting respectful interactions, universities can create a safe and supportive environment where all faculty, including women, can thrive and succeed.

If you identify as a woman faculty member, have you experienced contra-power harassment? If so, what do you think are other ways to address this issue and to provide support? We’d love to hear from you, please take a few moments to complete this survey.

8 March 2024

Please read the blog by our very own A.Prof Audrey Fan posted on OHBM communications regarding International Women's Day: Perspectives from the OHBM Women's Faculty SIG here. 

31 August 2023

OHBM Women Faculty Launch+: A Digest and Lessons from Our First In-person Meeting at OHBM 2023 in Montreal

A key mission of the OHBM Women Faculty Special Interest Group (WF-SIG) is to offer supportive and safe opportunities for women principal investigators to connect and network with each other. Peer-to-peer networking is an effective, low-cost intervention to encourage female neuroscientists to engage in research, gain from each other’s experiences, and develop cross-disciplinary teams that lead to creative breakthroughs. We took the first step in empowering women-centered investigators and teams at our recent in-person launch event at the OHBM annual meeting.

Logo Design: Jingyuan Chen, Arts Officer

At the launch event, we highlighted the new logo that was crafted for the OHBM Women Faculty SIG by Dr. Jingyuan Chen (Assistant Professor, Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging), our Arts Officer. The logo skillfully combines two elements of (1) women faculty with diverse background in the five female figures; and (2) brain mapping / community, as emblemed by a connectivity graph with nodes and edges spanning a brain shape.

“I designed the background connectivity graph first, referencing the ideas of other OHBM SIGs,” Dr. Chen described. “The connectivity graph captures both brain mapping and community.” She is most proud of the racial and ethnic diversity of the women faculty figures. “I hope the logo can convey how women faculty from diverse cultural, racial, and ethnic backgrounds work together as a community to provide peer support and address common challenges faced by women PIs in the human neuroimaging field.”

WF-SIG Launch Event, OHBM 2023

The WF-SIG was officially launched at an in-person event at the OHBM 2023 meeting in Montreal. The meeting was led by the inaugural chair of the SIG, Dr. Jean Chen (Professor, University of Toronto), and attracted more than 100 women members of the OHBM, which included over 50 women faculty, more junior female investigators, and allies. Dr. Chen introduced her vision for the OHBM WF-SIG to be an organization to promote equity and inclusion in science, to build a community of support for women faculty, to foster a space of learning, to help channel a stronger voice advocating for recognition of women faculty and to create a future in which more women in the OHBM will join the ranks of faculty.

The executive team of the SIG was then introduced, including Dr. Molly Bright (Secretary, Northwestern University), Dr. Hyang Woon Lee (Chair-Elect, Ewha Womans University), Dr. Ruchika Prakash (Secretary-Elect, Ohio State University), Dr. Marta Garrido (Past Social-Events Officer, University of Melbourne), Dr. Linda Mah (Diversity and Inclusion Officer, University of Toronto), Dr. Jingyuan Chen (Arts Officer, Harvard Medical School) and Dr. Audrey Fan(Communications Officer, University of California Davis). Dr. Aina Puce (Indiana University) was introduced as an Advisor. The introductory remarks were followed by a keynote lecture by Dr. Randy Gollub, the other Advisor of the SIG.

Keynote speaker: Randy Gollub, Past OHBM Council Chair

Dr. Randy Gollub (Professor, Harvard Medical School) served as the keynote to welcome the attendees. Dr. Gollub started by sharing her own research journey and leadership roles, reinforcing how OHBM has been a throughline in her career.

“My work spans so many domains and technology,” Dr. Gollub remarked, “that [OHBM] is where I can find the best people who I can do the things I want to do.” Because of this unique expertise and interdisciplinary community, Dr. Gollub find that one of her central roles is to propel others into successful leadership positions. In her own journey, she has leveraged leadership roles to make changes that she believed to be meaningful. For instance, she decided to serve on the Program Committee in 2013-2016 to add emphasis on translational impact of neuroimaging in the OHBM meeting; and chaired the formation of the inaugural Communications Committee in 2015 as a hub for diverse communications to the membership.

From these experiences, Dr. Gollub’s advice for woman PIs is to make yourself as visible as possible, whether through traditional or atypical avenues. She has also endeavored to be prepared with information to bring to the table, so that when the opportunity arises to effect change, she is ready to speak.

Interactive networking at the launch meeting

Sparked by the keynote and the ensuing discussion, participants were encouraged to interact with the whole room through the Menti app, with real-time information shared through the app on the projected screen. Through these interactions, the SIG solicited discussion and feedback on unique challenges and opportunities for women PIs, as well as the topics and activities that the SIG should pursue. Menti illustrated the global nature of the attendees (spanning 4 continents and > 10 countries), and revealed the majority of faculty attendees to be at the rank of Associate Professor or higher.

Participant were also encouraged to network deeply at the meetup, with the goal of each connecting with at least one new woman and making plans to have follow-up interactions. The goal of this one-on-one interaction was to foster a deeper appreciation that each (female) scientist is not alone in however she feeling.

Broadening our impact: Email list and follow-up

A key takeaway from the SIG launch is that many women who are most excited about the Women Faculty SIG are not yet in principal investigator roles, attested to by the > 50 trainee attendees. In follow-up discussions, the SIG executive committee unanimously voted to involve  non-PI women in appropriate SIG events. We believe this inclusive spirit will have benefits for women OHBM neuroscientists across all career levels and strengthen mentor-mentee relationships. We have now included Dr. Naomo Gaggi (New York University), the new chair of the Student-Postdoc SIG, as the trainee representative to share “up-and-coming scientist” perspectives to the Women Faculty SIG. We have also been joined by Dr. Sharna Jamadar (Monash University) as the new Social-Events Officer.

“This really matters to me, as my pre-faculty self would have immensely benefited from being active in that room[APF2] ,” shared SIG secretary Dr. Molly Bright (Northwestern University). Dr. Bright is spearheading a mailing list that is inclusive of diverse membership levels. To join the SIG, OHBM members can look forward a follow up email.

Further Insights: Suggestions for future events

There have been various proposals for future activities, such as regular online meetings or satellite events, especially at the next year’s OHBM conference in Seoul from June 23th  to 27th 2024. We are always open to any ideas in the future.