International Women in Mathematics Day

What is the event?

The University of Queensland (UQ), Queensland University of Technology (QUT), and Griffith University with financial support from Women in Mathematics Special Interest Group (WIMSIG) are co-hosting a half-day International Women in Mathematics Day (IWiMD) event on 31st March 2025 at the Ship Inn, South Bank. While each co-organising university has held IWiMD events in the past, this will be the first Brisbane multi-university event for IWiMD.

Why the 31st of March?

IWiMD celebrates the achievements of female mathematicians annually in honour of mathematician Maryam Mirzakhani, the first woman to be awarded the Fields Medal for Mathematics. Normally this is celebrated on the 12th of May, but we’re hosting it early on the 31st March this year to accommodate presenters and organizers expecting to be on parental leave.

Event schedule:

Time	Activity	Description
9:00 - 10:30	Invited speakers	Seven short 8-minute talks from women excelling in mathematics across various disciplines and universities/industries. Speaker information below.
10:30 - 11:00	Morning tea	Networking over morning tea
11:00 - 12.30	Small group break-out event	There will be several discussion groups being led by academics on topics like “Applying for funding” and “how to support women in math”. Group leaders and information below.
12.30:13:30	Lunch	Networking over lunch
13:30:2:00	Closing	Closing remarks will focus on the significance of IWiMD

Speakers

Dr Age Zanca (University of Melbourne)
Dr Dan Li (QUT)
Dr Deborah Akinlotan (QUT)
Dr Ides Wong (the Australian digital health agency)
Jordan Holdorf (Griffith)
Renee Oldfield (UQ)
Tara Kemp (UQ)

Break-out groups

Groups (and some group leaders) will rotate at the 45min mark

1. Getting an ongoing job: Tony Roberts and Barbara Maenhaut

2. How to forge a position in industry. Meagan Carney

3. Experience with caring responsibilities in academia. Sara Davies & Viven Challis

4. How to support women in mathematics. Ben Burton and Tim Gould

5. Finding your spot - how someone found their spot in the community. Agnese Barbensi, Age Zanca

6. Apply for and being successful in grant funding Viven Challis and Maria Kleshnina

7. Becoming a competitive Postdoc. Leah South & Manuela Mendiolar

8. Promotions processes – how to prepare Barbara Maenhaut & Kate Helmstedt

9. Building a profile as a leader Kate Helmstedt

Who can come?

Anyone who is looking to support women in mathematics can attend the event. We're welcoming all women, gender-diverse individuals and allies who work in diverse areas of mathematics, statistics and data science. There will be opportunities for networking, career development discussions and advice for early-to-mid career mathematicians, including HDR students, individuals juggling work and caring responsibilities and individuals without continuing positions.

Childcare assistance

We recognize that caring responsibilities can be a barrier to attending events. To help with this, attendees will be able to request funding to offset additional carer costs. While the exact amount will depend on demand, we anticipate providing approximately $120 per person for up to 10 attendees. If this applies, please complete this short application form.