Issue 27: Women of Science Feb '25
News, profiles, research, reviews, recommendations on all things women in science
Welcome back to another edition of WOSc - the weekly newsletter covering all things women in science 📈🧠📚𝞹
🔬 What to expect?
All subscribers receive the free edition covering highlights in media, awards and discovery as well as things to read, see and watch re: women in science. Drops every Tuesday. Tell your friends:
Thank you for joining. Enjoy the read.
A quick run-down of this issue:
Abstract & Intro: News and updates on all things women of and in science
Materials, Methods, Discussion: Interviews and talking points of note
Conclusions & Further Reading: Our media & content recommendations for your week
Abstract & Intro
Your rundown of headlines, news, notes & media snippets re: women of science
🥼 Industry & Life sciences
📌 Innovate UK unveils full 50 Women in Innovation Awards winners after U-turn
50 women leading the charge in groundbreaking industries to each receive £75k grant after female collective forced screeching U-turn in 2024.
📌 Billionaire’s record $100m donation to University of Sydney aims to increase diversity in Stem sector
Tech founder Robin Khuda wants to make ‘positive societal impact’ by increasing opportunities for women in sector where he made his fortune
📌 New UK Seed Funding Initiative Offers Up to £10,000 to Innovate Women’s Cancer Care
Life Sciences Hub Wales and the Academy of Medical Sciences have launched the Innovation in Women's Cancer Accelerator Fund.
📌 ‘Mind-boggling’: US CDC orders gender-related terms cut from scientific papers
Over in the U.S., a mandate from the health agency is a response to President Donald Trump's crackdown on 'woke ideology' , with big implications for researchers.
💻 Tech
📌 Lightbox VC-Backed Femtech D2C Brand Nua Nets INR 35 Cr To Expand Its Retail Portfolio
Femtech D2C brand Nua has raised INR 35 Cr (around $3.9 Mn) in a Pre-Series C funding round led by Mirabilis Investment Trust.
TechRound have announced an open call for nominees in their 2nd 50 Women In Startups and Tech campaign, celebrating the female entrepreneurs changing the tech industry.
📌 Ex-Meta employee sues the tech giant, alleging a 'toxic pattern of silencing women'
A former employee at Meta filed a lawsuit against the company earlier this week. Kelly Stonelake alleges sex discrimination and harassment.
🤖 AI
Nearly 700000 women across the UK will take part in a world-leading trial to test how AI tools can be used to catch breast cancer cases.
📌 Women’s health app raises $1.7 million to ramp up AI focus
Ovum is creating a women-specific AI dataset and its platform integrates and stores blood tests, imaging reports & other medical information.
🔧 Engineering
F1 team Haas have promoted Laura Mueller to (the first) Race Engineer for new recruit Esteban Ocon with Carine Cridelich set to join.
💊 Healthcare
Femtech apps promise to free women in the language of wellness. But there are serious risks.
📌 What the new field of women’s neuroscience reveals about female brains
Neuroscientist-turned-entrepreneur Emilė Radytė is using brain stimulation to explore how things like premenstrual syndrome and period pain manifest neurologically.
Materials, Methods, Discussion
This week - interviews, discussions, and more:
🖊️ Interviews and features of note:
🖊️ Pods and vids:
🧠 STAT First Opinion: Abortion is just another part of medicineAbortion is just another part of medicine from STAT First Opinion podcasts this week - host Torie Birsch interviews a family physician arguing that U.S. abortion care should be accessible at a GP practice.
🤖 ‘Power hours’: how to make the most of your working day‘Power hours’: how to make the most of your working day in just one 20 min listen from the FT’s “Future of Work” learning series.
Conclusions & Further Reading
More links & signposts for you to enjoy this week…
The Written Word:
🧠Multitasking is not the answer to your feelings of ‘overwhelm’🧑💻 Mark Zuckerberg wants business to ‘man up’, but what it really needs is more women entrepreneurs
❤️ ‘Female narcissism is often misdiagnosed’: how science is finding women can have a dark streak too
🤖 How women are using AI, what they need and what’s holding them back
Events & opportunities:
🎯 Sign up to be a healthtech mentor (or mentee) with Sixty Twelve: Is this something we at WOSc are building ourselves? Keep your eyes peeled (and pass on the message)!
📍 Open deadline
🎯 Gut health & probiotics webinar with Symprove (for healthcare professionals): The free webinar will cover research on the gut microbiome, the role of probiotics in clinical practice, and practical insights for HCPs
📍 19th Feb
🎯 Great Debate on NHS Data | Free event at RSM HQ in London - open to all members and non-members, involving a debate on the motion: “This house believes that the NHS should not monetise its data".
📍 10th Feb
🎯 Tech4Eva Global Femtech Accelerator 2025
Applications are open for the Tech4Eva Global Femtech Accelerator 2025. Tech4Eva is a global Femtech community and 6-month equity-free tech accelerator programme for companies developing innovative women’s health solutions.
📍 15th Feb
🎯 Free Online Event: Emerging technologies: A strategic playbook for business leaders from the peeps at NewScientist
📍 26th Feb
🎯 Innovation in women's health and FemTech from the RSM Obs&Gynae Section - one for the diary!
📍 28th Feb
That’s all for this issue!
Thank you for reading: The WoS mission is to support, share and promote the innovative and groundbreaking work that has been and continues to be done by women across all scientific disciplines, and to empower and inspire the next generation of female leaders in the field.
If you liked it, here’s another reminder to share us with your friends, network, neighbours, coffee baristas ☕ etc.: