Janet Hering
@janethering.bsky.social
Supporter of women in STEMM academic leadership.
In the midst of extreme summer heat and geopolitical tensions, we may forget how important it is to take time to observe, think, relax, unplug, and meditate. Patricia Maurice describes her experience at an onsen bath in our @epistimi-stemm.bsky.social post. www.epistimi.org/blog/reflect...
Reflections from a Japanese onsen — epistimi
For senior women leaders, it is important to take time to observe, to think, and sometimes to relax, unplug and meditate.
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Daruma dolls are ubiquitous symbols of resilience in Japan. In the current climate of retrenchment, women in STEMM need to cultivate resilience and to support each other. See: www.epistimi.org/blog/the-dar...
The Daruma and need of women in STEMM for resilience — epistimi
The Daruma symbolizes the Japanese ‘fall down seven times, stand up eight’ philosophy of resilience. Women in STEMM need to be resilient, both individually and collectively.
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As an undergraduate journalist at Stanford, Theo Baker investigated allegations of scientific misconduct by the university’s president. Patricia Maurice comments on his hot-off-the-press book in her post in the @epistimi-stemm.bsky.social blog series See: www.epistimi.org/blog/how-to-...
“How to Rule the World” provides lessons for leaders in STEMM — epistimi
Theo Baker’s 2026 book “How to Rule the World: An education in power at Stanford University” warns about dubious scientific research and flawed ethics and provides insight into an undergraduate’s ex...
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As women leaders in #STEMM academics, we hope to be role models for early career researchers. But what if the role that we’re modelling is not a realistic aspiration? Read our latest post in the @epistimi-stemm.bsky.social. See: www.epistimi.org/blog/on-not-...
On not perpetuating academic survivorship bias — epistimi
As senior women in STEMM academics, we are proud to be role models for our junior colleagues. But we should take care to avoid the potential pitfalls of the survivorship bias that pervades acade...
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As senior women leaders in STEMM, we enjoy many privileges. One of these is the opportunity to travel as part of our work or for leisure. In this post in the Epistimi blog series, we describe how we can put our travel dollars to work for the good of women. See: www.epistimi.org/blog/women-s...
Women supporting women around the world — epistimi
As senior women leaders in STEMM we know we are stronger together — we all benefit when we support one another. But this is also true when we support women outside of STEMM, including women whose path...
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Navigating dual careers is a challenge for many senior women in STEMM academics, which Patricia Maurice and I discuss in the latest post in our @epistimi-stemm.bsky.social blog series. This post focuses on the first step of job searches and negotiation. See: www.epistimi.org/blog/a-begin...
A ‘beginner’s guide’ for dual-career academic STEMM couples: Job search and negotiations — epistimi
The first step for most dual-career academic STEMM couples is to find and negotiate two faculty positions. Here, we focus on this step at institutions in the US and Europe.
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The 2025 book “Labwork to Leadership” by @jenheemstra.bsky.social is an invaluable resource for aspiring academic leaders. Patricia Maurice and I reviewed this book for the @epistimi-stemm.bsky.social blog series. Read our review at: www.epistimi.org/blog/when-do...
When do we learn about leadership? — epistimi
Prof. Jen Heemstra’s 2025 book “Labwork to Leadership” is one we wish that we had been able to read when starting out as assistant professors. Even senior women leaders in STEMM will be able to ...
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Kara Swisher’s 2024 “Burn Book: A Tech Love Story” provides an insider’s view of the tech industry based on the author’s many years of interviewing tech leaders. Read the review by Patricia Maurice in the @epistimi-stemm.bsky.social blog post: www.epistimi.org/blog/a-woman...
A woman’s eye view of the very bad boys of tech — epistimi
Tech Journalist Kara Swisher’s 2024 Burn Book: A Tech Love Story is an irreverent, humorous, and at times downright frightening memoir that helps drive home the many reasons why we need more women at ...
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Patricia Maurice and I address the seeming paradox of women's decreasing representation in STEMM academics with increasing rank in our @epistimi-stemm.bsky.social blog post: www.epistimi.org/blog/who-ben...
Who benefits from the lack of advancement of women in STEMM academics? — epistimi
Cicero famously asked “who benefits?” to expose interests motivating crimes. We can pose the same question regarding the motivations that underlie the lack of women’s advancement in STEMM academ...
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Many universities are struggling to keep up with rapid advances in Generative AI. This Epistimi blog post by Eva Akesson (edited by me and Patricia Maurice) describes the work behind the Lund University policy and provides a link to the current document. See: www.epistimi.org/blog/develop...
Development of generative AI policy at Lund University — epistimi
Eva Åkesson, Professor of Chemical Physics at Lund University (Sweden) and former Rector of Uppsala University, kindly shares some of her observations from working on university policy for generative ...
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Generative AI (GenAI) is advancing with nearly unbelievable speed and has made inroads into every sector, including research and education. See our @epistimi-stemm.bsky.social blog post for some key aspects that women leaders in STEMM should be aware of at: www.epistimi.org/blog/what-ev...
What every senior woman academic leader should know about artificial intelligence — epistimi
In this post on artificial intelligence (AI), we focus on the ‘Top 10’ things every senior woman leader in academia should know about AI, especially generative AI (GenAI). We hope that this will...
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Women in STEMM academics take on a disproportionate amount of service tasks. Although essential for the functioning of academic institutions, these tasks are often severely undervalued. Read more in our latest Epistimi blog post at: www.epistimi.org/blog/service...
Service activities in academia need to be properly valued and supported — epistimi
In US and UK universities, the job responsibilities of most professors are often grouped into three categories — teaching, research, and service. In European universities, service is often less ...
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Our first @epistimi-stemm.bsky.social blog post in 2026 is a guest post by Prof. Heike Mayer and Joel Schaad from the University of Bern. They describe the Better Science Initiative and its 10 measures to promote a sustainable research culture in academia. See: www.epistimi.org/blog/better-...
Better Science Initiative: Sustainable research culture for all — epistimi
The Better Science Initiative aims to rethink the notion of academic excellence and promotes best practices for a healthy research culture in which all researchers can thrive.
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Here’s an uplifting post from @epistimi-stemm.bsky.social blog co-editor and writer Patricia Maurice. A young girl who had learned about earthquakes and tsunamis in school was able to warn her parents before the 2004 tsunami. See: www.epistimi.org/blog/a-tsuna...
A tsunami, a girl, and the power of STEMM education — epistimi
During the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami disaster, one young girl was able to save at least 100 lives by recognizing the impending cataclysm based on what she had learned in a recent geography class. Her st...
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Guest author Karen Kelsky @professorisin.bsky.social offers valuable advice for today’s stressful academic job market in her post in the @epistimi-stemm.bsky.social blog series. See: www.epistimi.org/blog/career-...
Career Advice in U.S. Academia’s Moment of Crisis — epistimi
Dr. Karen Kelsky, author of “The Professor Is In”, reflects on the second edition of her career advice book for PhDs and the state of academic career advising more generally. Her comments are es...
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Women leaders of European universities can support each other through the EWORA network. The EWORA conference in Lisbon was held in June 2025. Read about it in our latest @epistimi-stemm.bsky.social blog post. See: www.epistimi.org/blog/women-l...
Women leading European universities discuss values-based leadership — epistimi
Values-based leadership offers a path for engaging both academic colleagues and external stakeholders in the university mission. By Janet G. Hering with Patricia A. Maurice ...
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Did you know that Patricia Maurice, co-editor and co-author of the @epistimi-stemm.bsky.social blog, has written a book about her experiences in science? Read about it in her post: www.epistimi.org/blog/our-goa...
Our goal as women should not be to do science as well as any man, but to do it better — epistimi
Blog (co)editor Patricia Maurice introduces her new book, “Do Science Like a Girl: how women in science are changing the world.”
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Thanks to Prof. Paul Walton for his allyship for women in #STEMM academics and his guest post in our @epistimi-stemm.bsky.social blog series. See: www.epistimi.org/blog/equity-...
Equity for women in STEMM academics as a strategic priority — epistimi
Prof. Paul Walton describes his commitment to building diverse research teams and faculties, using evidence and literature as the basis for action.
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Why don’t we talk about power and power dynamics in STEMM academics? Read our most recent post in the @epistimi-stemm.bsky.social blog series. www.epistimi.org/blog/an-intr...
An introduction to power for women in STEMM academic leadership — epistimi
Understanding power and its dynamics in STEMM academics can help women leaders to avoid being subjected to abuses of power and to exercise our own power ethically, responsibly, and for the benefit of ...
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Patricia Maurice and I are delighted to have reached the milestone of publishing our 50th post on the @epistimi-stemm.bsky.social blog! We provide an overview of our many profiles, book reviews, and topical postsPlease repost widely! www.epistimi.org/blog/what-we...
What we’ve learned from two years of celebrating senior women leaders in STEMM — epistimi
In honor of the 50 th post in this blog series, we take a moment to review what we’ve learned thus far and to ponder the evolving role of senior women leaders in STEMM.
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Our latest post in the @epistimi-stemm.bsky.social blog series provides insights into the excitement of scientific fieldwork and how to deal responsibly with potential hazards. www.epistimi.org/blog/leading...
Leading through the joys and hazards of scientific field work — epistimi
There are few aspects of scientific research and teaching more exciting than getting out into ‘the field’. Good leaders need to ensure safe and appropriate behavior whenever faculty, students and staf...
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Michael Pullin describes the role of US community colleges in opening doors to STEM education for first-generation, low income, and underrepresented students. See: www.epistimi.org/blog/us-comm...
U.S. community colleges provide entry to STEMM education for first-generation, low income, and underrepresented students — epistimi
Michael Pullin, Dean for Academic Initiatives at Queensborough Community College in New York, highlights the importance of community colleges for STEMM education in the U.S. He reminds us of the impor...
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Read Ilene Sheffer’s inspiring story of helping Rwandan students at Southwestern Michigan University. In her post on the @epistimi-stemm.bsky.social blog, her message is “When you feel you can right a wrong — don’t hesitate. To save one life is to save mankind!" www.epistimi.org/blog/ilene-s...
Ilene Sheffer and the power of women in academia to do good in the world — epistimi
In “Watching Over Rwandans,” author Ilene Sheffer describes her efforts to help save students from Rwanda during the 1994 genocide and relates the personal stories of seven Rwandan international stude...
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This is an appalling travesty and a clear violation of academic freedom.
AAUP@aaup.org · last yr.You can never bend the knee enough to appease an authoritarian bully. This is a devastating blow to academic freedom & freedom of speech at Columbia. Never in the history of this nation has there been an administration so intent on the utter destruction of higher education as we know it.
We like to think of #STEMM as a meritocracy, but it can be poisoned by favoritism. Read the post by Patricia Maurice and me on the @epistimi-stemm.bsky.social blog: www.epistimi.org/blog/the-dan...
The dangers of favoritism in STEMM academics — epistimi
Favoritism can occur in any workplace. It can be especially pernicious in STEMM academics, where it undermines meritocratic ideals. As senior women leaders, we should promote fair and equi...
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It is inspiring to learn about the accomplishments of women in STEMM throughout history. Patricia Maurice and I briefly tell the story of the 18th century Italian physics professor Laura Bassi in our post on the @epistimi-stemm.bsky.social blog: www.epistimi.org/blog/laura-b...
Laura Bassi: 18th century Scientist and Academician Extraordinaire — epistimi
On a recent trip to Milan, we stumbled upon a street named for 18 th century female scientist Laura Bassi, reminding us that women have been accomplishing extraordinary things in STEMM for hundreds o...
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Read the post by @paolalaurino.bsky.social on the @epistimi-stemm.bsky.social blog about @rozforum.bsky.social, which offers great tools for professional development and diversity. See: www.epistimi.org/blog/welcome...
Welcome to ROZ: the “Rosalind Franklin Forum for Female Scientists, Open to All” — epistimi
Here, we introduce our readers to ROZ, an interactive career advisory platform that offers a global network of mentors and other tools to help advance scientists’ careers and promote diversity.
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Read aboutthe rewards of teaching and advising in our recent post on the @epistimi-stemm.bsky.social blog: www.epistimi.org/blog/our-stu...
Our students are our greatest gifts and our proudest legacies — epistimi
At a time when universities (at least in the USA) are under fire, let’s take a moment to remind ourselves how fortunate we are to be educators.
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Thanks to Angeliki Rigos (Diane), founder of @epistimi-stemm.bsky.social, for her guest post on leadership training. See: www.epistimi.org/blog/underst...
Understanding leadership development leads to better programs for women — epistimi
Understanding the dynamics by which leadership emerges, including the relationships within groups, can help us design and choose the leadership training program that best serves our needs.
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