First research network for female scientists launched

A new research networking portal designed to provide crucial career development exposure for female scientists and engineers within Chicagoland's research community was launched today as part of the Chicago Collaboration for Women in STEM professional development program. The Chicago Collaboration for Women in STEM is a joint initiative of Northwestern University and the University of Chicago. It is aimed at enhancing the recruitment and advancement of women faculty in STEM disciplines at the two universities and women researchers at two Department of Energy national laboratories, Argonne and Fermilab. The portal is built on Elsevier's SciVal Experts platform and is the first professional development network for women researchers affiliated with the participating institutions. "In the past 10 years we have made great strides in increasing the presence of women in STEM careers, which is a vital part to broadening the pool of research scientists in the U.S." said Holly J. Falk-Krzesinski, vice president of global academic and research relations for Elsevier. "The next step to fuel the talent pipeline is supporting these women in their respective careers, making them more discoverable and enhancing their networks." The nascent site currently features more than 150 profiles of female researchers involved in the professional development program. It is an integral part of a three-year partnership between Northwestern University and UChicago to help advance female faculty members in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines.