The Technion welcomed a record number of women in senior academic positions in the 2021-2022 academic year, with nine new faculty members and a total of seven deans. This is a significant milestone in the ongoing effort to improve gender representation on campus at all levels.
The achievement of seven female deans serving at the same time is especially significant, given the relatively low representation of women in the fields of science and engineering. The seven deans are Prof. Ayelet Fishman, Dean of Students; Prof. Stavit Alon-Shalev of the Continuing Education and External Studies Division; Prof. Marcelle Machluf of the Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Engineering; Prof. Gitti Frey of the Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering; Prof. Idit Keidar of the Andrew and Erna Viterbi Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering; Prof. Yael Mandel-Gutfreund of the Faculty of Biology; and Prof. Tali Tal of the Faculty of Education in Science and Technology.
One-third of this year’s 27 new faculty members are women: Dr. Naama Lang-Yona, the Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering; Dr. Shira Wilkof, Architecture and Town Planning; Dr. Charlotte Vogt and Dr. Renana Poranne of the Schulich Faculty of Chemistry; Dr. Hila Peleg and Dr. Sarah Keren of the Henry and Marilyn Taub Faculty of Computer Science; Dr. Anna Keselman, Faculty of Physics; Dr. Dana Harari and Dr. Atar Herziger of the Faculty of Industrial Engineering and Management.
Diversity fosters creativity
Following his nomination in 2019, Technion President Prof. Uri Sivan established a dedicated committee together with Prof. Ayellet Tal, his advisor on advancement of women in science and engineering. The committee examined gender representation of women in the senior academic faculty, committees, and management, and focused on aspects that can be changed in the near-term: increasing the number of women candidates for faculty positions, increasing the number of women in management positions, on committees, and other key positions, and improving the organizational culture to prevent unconscious biases.
As a result of the committee’s evaluation, in July 2021 the Technion Senate released a historic declaration regarding gender representation: “The Technion’s doors are open to faculty and staff members, as well as to students of all genders, ethnicities, religions, and nationalities. The Technion recognizes the value of human diversity for ensuring a social environment that fosters curiosity, imagination, creativity, achievement, and critical thinking.”
Women constitute 42% of undergraduate students
The effort to improve representation on campus is also evident on other fronts. Through the work of Prof. Shimon Marom, Vice President for Academic Affairs, female representation has risen to 40% in key committees responsible for senior appointments, promotions, and tenure. Female representation also increased among students – 44% of the students who began their studies at the Technion this year were women, and the total percentage of undergraduate students at the Technion increased to 42%.