Women in Informatics
We actively support and encourage women and girls in informatics through a set of initiatives—in school, student life, and their academic careers.
Picture: Amélie Chapalain / TU Wien Informatics
On This Page
Our Aims
The goal of gender balance in informatics is not just a matter for women. It is equally in the interest of men. For example, more and more companies are looking to improve existing labor and research conditions by introducing mixed teams. Our central tasks in the field of women’s advancement are the sustained increase in the proportion of women among scientific staff as well as an increase in the number of female students and graduates. Both are a social goal and a requirement of the economy.
Actions We Take
We have a long history of opening doors for women and girls in informatics, from the classroom to the laboratory. We achieve this by considering the different life situations and interests of women and men in research and teaching. The actions we take to foster the advancement of women make an impact and raise awareness in every stage of life.
In School
To inspire female pupils, we offer and participate in low-threshold introductory programs such as Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCS), Daughter’s Day, FIT info events, techNIKE-Workshops, online mentoring, ADA and its “Diary of a Computer Scientist”, and the dedicated introductory course “Programming For Female First-Year Students”.
In Student Life
We support and promote our female students with measures that aim at highlighting and rewarding female excellence, and with raising awareness among students and faculty alike: We award the annual Siemens Award for Excellence and the Helmut Veith Stipend to excellent female students, hold lectures on gender awareness and offer dedicated student research assistantships.
In Research
We are convinced that to bring more women into our faculty, we need to take a variety of actions. We regularly post job openings specifically dedicated to the promotion of female researchers. Since 2006, we have filled more than ten post-doctoral and created four doctoral positions. We have established a tenure track position exclusively for women, introduced a mentoring program for female researchers, promote women’s participation at conferences, and implemented a women’s quota for guest professorships.