A Paper Discussion on Gender Dynamics at Scientific Conferences

SWMS @ VIMS and Professional Development Club

Think back to the most recent conference you attended. Did you present an oral or a poster presentation at this conference? Do you consider yourself to be an early-career scientist? How did your answers impact your conference experience?

These were just a few of the questions explored at our most recent SWMS at VIMS event held on March 19, 2025. In collaboration with the Professional Development Club (PDC), we hosted a paper discussion open to the VIMS community. We began this event last year, and after receiving positive feedback, we decided to host the event again. SWMS at VIMS seeks opportunities to collaborate with other clubs across the Batten School & amp; VIMS campus, fostering meaningful connections and organizing engaging events, like this paper discussion.

To initiate this event, the SWMS at VIMS and PDC executive boards selected a paper that would focus on the experiences of women in marine science careers. The paper that was chosen for this year’s paper discussion is titled “Gender and early career status: variables of participation at an international marine science conference” by Johannesen et al. We had seven participants attend, ranging from graduate students to staff, circling up with our lunches to discuss the study conducted in this paper.

The study examined data from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea’s (ICES) annual science conference (ASC) to highlight gender and early-career patterns. One of the key findings was that early career scientists were more often women, while established scientists were more often men. This dynamic influenced presentation types—early-career scientists were more likely to present posters, while established scientists more often gave oral presentations. Attendees reflected on their conference experiences and drew parallels to this pattern. A few participants recently returned from Aquaculture Triennial 2025, so this paper provided an avenue for discussing their observations and encounters. The group also discussed other gender patterns, such as disparities in awards and keynote speakers, along with representation among early- career scientists at conferences. Overall, participants found the paper thought- provoking and considered the statistical data from the study especially impactful.

Offering events like this paper discussion is crucial for fostering well-rounded perspectives within students, faculty, and staff by providing an open, thoughtful space for exchanging ideas. We hope that participants will take what they learned at this event into future conferences to create a more inclusive space for early-career scientists, regardless of gender. Collaborating with other clubs at the Batten School & VIMS remains a rewarding experience, and we look forward to hosting another paper discussion next year!

Paper Citation: E Johannesen, F Barz, D J Dankel, S B M Kraak, Gender and early career status: variables of participation at an international marine science conference, ICES

Journal of Marine Science, Volume 80, Issue 4, May 2023, Pages 1016–1027, https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsad028

Written by Bayleigh Albert, Communications Manager of SWMS @ VIMS, William &

Mary’s Batten School of Coastal & Marine Sciences & VIMS