The Mary Somerville Lectureship Program is committed to increasing the proportion of women in professorships and promoting parity between women and men in science.
"I am delighted that we are once again funding 20 lectureships for women at universities of applied sciences and thereby supporting them on their way to a professorship. The demand for the Mary Somerville Lectureship Program remains high. This shows the high level of acceptance and importance of the project. The proportion of women in professorships is still only growing at a slow pace. Compared to male researchers, female researchers still leave the academic system disproportionately often before reaching a professorship. This underscores the need for further efforts to achieve gender parity at our universities, particularly with regard to professorships, and to retain qualified women in academia in the long term,” said Katharina Heil, Ministry Department Head from the Ministry of Science and Health. Today, she presented Mainz University of Applied Sciences with approvals for six new applications and three extension applications that the university had submitted to implement the lecturer program.
"We are delighted that nine applications for the Lectureship Program have been approved, which means more women will be interested in a professorship at our university. The Mary Somerville Program is very important to us because it helps us to promote equal opportunities in science,” emphasized Prof. Dr. Susanne Weissman, President of Mainz University of Applied Sciences.
A total of 20 female researchers in Rhineland-Palatinate will be supported by the Mary Somerville Program on their way to a professorship at a university of applied sciences in the 2024/2025 winter semester. The total funding volume of the state amounts to up to 90,000 Euro per semester. In addition to Mainz University of Applied Sciences, Trier University of Applied Sciences submitted three new applications and six extension applications, while Bingen Technical University of Applied Sciences submitted two new applications. All 20 applications submitted met the necessary requirements. According to the terms and conditions of the grant, proof must be provided of either a particular aptitude for academic work or at least three years of full-time professional experience outside the university sector. The requirements also include not previously holding a teaching position at the university submitting the application. In the spring round of 2024, 25 women have already been funded through the program.
The Mary Somerville Lectureship Program has been offered at universities of applied sciences in Rhineland-Palatinate since the winter semester of 1998/1999. The aim of the program is to increase the chances of qualified women university graduates of obtaining a professorship at a university of applied sciences by giving them early teaching experience and contacts with universities of applied sciences. This gives women academics the opportunity to increase their chances of applying for an advertised professorship at a later date.
