Irène Joliot-Curie Conference

ESTABLISHING AN INDEPENDENT CAREER IN CHEMISTRY

Conference and networking day for early career chemists, 1–2 October 2012, University of Warwick

Conference name: Irène Joliot-Curie, together with her husband Frédéric, won the Nobel prize for chemistry in 1935 for synthesising radioactive elements. As the daughter of Marie and Piere Curie, wife of a famous scientist, and mother of two more scientists, Irène is often overlooked. However, in addition to sustained scientific success and passing her skills on to the next generation, she took a keen interest in the social and intellectual advancement of women being a member of Comité National de l'Union des Femmes Françaises and was actively concerned for world peace in a challenging world scene (nobel_prizes/chemistry/laureates/1935/joliot-curie). She is thus a superb role model for us all. Some more information about Irène Joliot-Curie may be found at http://www.rsc.org/learn-chemistry/collections/chemistry-calendar/september-12#otdic_content.

On arrival: The conference is on the top floor of Coventry House which is between carpark 7 and the Arts Centre. On arrival do not be confused by the fact that it looks like a bulding site, just keep going until you find a friendly face.

Why have a conference?: Establishing an independent academic career is an exciting and challenging process. The data available for UK chemistry suggests that more women than men find the process not exciting enough or too challenging. A key aspect of success in any career path is finding role models, establishing networks, and being tapped into good sources of information. Our aim is therefore to create opportunities for all of these in the first (and subsequent) Irène Joliot-Curie conference.

What: The University of Warwick and Imperial College will host jointly a 1 day conference to support postdoctoral chemists, especially women, as they plan for the next step in their careers. We have designed a programme where the experience of successful women can be shared. Speakers will include Lesley Yellowlees (President-elect of the RSC), Lesley Thompson (Director - Research Base, EPSRC), Joanne Thomson (Deputy Editor Chemical Science, Chemical Society Reviews), Rachel O'Reilly (Warwick), Tricia Hunt (Imperial).

Who: Postdoctoral researchers (female or male, but some of the content will be more relevant for women) who are considering moving to an independent career in academic chemistry.

When: 12.00 1st October – 13.00 2nd October, 2012.

Where: MOAC Doctoral Training Centre, top floor of Coventry House, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL.

How: To register please go to this page. Please consider registration a commitment to attend as we are limited for numbers.

Cost: The conference is free but you will need to cover your travel and subsistence costs. For information on travel and accommodation click here.

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