- Serge Villemure – Chair of the Regional Steering Committee, Director, Research Grants and Scholarships Directorate, Scholarships and Fellowships Division, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), Canada
- Dr Maryse Lassonde – Co-Chair of the Regional Steering Committee, Scientific Director, Fonds de Recherche du Québec-Nature et Technologies (FRQNT), Canada and President, The Royal Society of Canada (RSC), Canada
- Dr Elizabeth Pollitzer - Director, Portia Ltd, UK; founder Gender Summit
- Dr Cindy Bell – Executive Vice-President, Corporate Development, Genome Canada, Canada
- Dr Pierre Charest – Vice-President, Research Grants and Scholarships Directorate, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), Canada
- Dr Janine Clayton – Associate Director for Research on Women’s Health and Director, Office of Research on Women’s Health, National Institutes of Health (NIH), USA
- Dr Danika Goosney – Executive Director, Tri-Agency Institutional Programs Secretariat, Canada
- Linda Henderson – Policy analyst and trainer in the Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA+) Unit at Status of Women Canada (SWC)
- Dr Joy Johnson - Vice-President, Research and International, Simon Fraser University (SFU), Canada.
- Dr Eve Langelier - Associate professor, Université de Sherbrooke, Canada
- Claire Millington - Senior policy analyst, Universities Canada
- Dr Anne Pépin – Senior Policy Officer, European Commission, DG Research and Innovation, Unit B7-Science with and for Society, Gender Sector
- Jeanette M. Southwood - Vice-President, Strategy & Partnerships, Engineers Canada
- Dr Julia Tagüeña -Deputy Director General, CONACYT, Mexico
- Dr Cara Tannenbaum - Scientific Director, Institute of Gender and Health, Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Canada.
- Dr Wanda E. Ward – Assistant Director, Broadening Participation, Science Division, Office of Science and Technology Policy, The White House, USA
- Dr Ann Weston – Program Leader, Foundations for Innovation program, International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada
- Dr Nur Zincir-Heywood - Professor of Computer Science, Dalhousie University (DAL), Canada
Director, Research Grants and Scholarships Directorate, Scholarships and Fellowships Division, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), Canada.
Serge Villemure graduated in 1989 with a BSc in Kinesiology and obtained his Masters in 1991 in Administration from the University of Ottawa. Serge joined NSERC in 1991 where he worked as a Program Administrator in different disciplines within the Research Grants Division. In 1997, he became Team Leader for Physical and Mathematical Sciences. He spent one year, from June 2000 to June 2001, at the Canada Research Chairs as a Senior Administrator, where he contributed to starting up the program and then returned to his position within the Physical and Mathematical Sciences. In 2004, he led the Physical and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering team as Director. Since 2010, he has been Director of the Scholarships and Fellowships Division. In 2013, he also became Director of the Chairs for Women in Science and Engineering Program. To maintain a well-balanced life, Serge cycles to work, and also enjoys yoga and jogging. He lives in Gatineau with his wife and daughters.
Scientific Director, Fonds de Recherche du Québec-Nature et Technologies (FRQNT), Canada and President, The Royal Society of Canada (RSC), Canada.
Dr. Maryse Lassonde completed a PhD in neuropsychology at Stanford University. She became professor at the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (1977–1988) and then at the Université de Montréal (1988–2013), where she was nominated emeritus professor. She is a Fellow of the Canadian Psychological Association (1994), the Royal Society of Canada (1997) and the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences (2010), and she held a Canada Research Chair (2001–2013). Dr. Lassonde was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2012 and a Chevalière of the Ordre national du Québec in 1999. She was President of the Association francophone pour le savoir (1993–1994) and presided the Conseil de l’Ordre national du Québec (2008–2010). Dr. Lassonde became the Scientific Director of the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Nature et technologies in 2012 and is President of the Royal Society of Canada, the Academies of Arts, Humanities and Sciences.
Elizabeth Pollitzer, (PhD (InfSc), BSc (Bio/Phys)) is the founder and director of Portia, which set up the Gender Summit in 2011 and has co-convened each summit since then. She is expert evaluator and adviser for the European Commission, and is involved in several EU projects. Elizabeth Pollitzer PhD is founder and Director of Portia, an organization devoted to improving gender equality in STEM and promoting the inclusion of the gender dimension in STEM. She has 20 years’ experience teaching and researching in the Departments of Computing and Management at Imperial College, University of London. Her original training was in Biophysics. She now applies this scientific background to her work as director of Portia. Portia was the coordinator of the genSET project, the Gender Summits were established as part of the genSET project.
Executive Vice-President, Corporate Development, Genome Canada, Canada
Cindy Bell joined Genome Canada in August 2000. From July to December 2015 she took on the role of Interim President and CEO. Since 2008, in her role as Executive Vice-President, Corporate Development she provided leadership in the development and implementation of strategic initiatives, partnerships and approaches to enhance Genome Canada’s business model and secure funding to support genomics research in Canada.
From 2000-2008 she held the position of Vice-President, Genomics Programs in which she was responsible for providing policy and strategic advice on scientific and other aspects of Genome Canada’s programs. Prior to joining Genome Canada, Dr. Bell was a Deputy Director in Programs Branch at the Canadian Institutes of Health Research from 1994 to 2000. From 1986 to 1994, Dr. Bell was a researcher at the University of California, Riverside. Her research focused on investigating the basic defect in the genetic disease, Cystic Fibrosis. She obtained her Ph.D. in Genetics from McGill University in 1986.
Vice-President, Research Grants and Scholarships Directorate, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), Canada
As Vice-President, Research Grants and Scholarships Directorate, Pierre oversees the management of NSERC’s discovery research grants and scholarships programs. As well, his directorate also delivers programs to promote science awareness among Canadian youth – with an emphasis on underrepresented groups like girls and young women as well as Indigenous youth – and to foster gender equity and diversity across the full spectrum of science and engineering disciplines. He has close to 30 years of experience in the public service, having held positions at several public organizations, including Health Canada where he served as the Director General of the Biologics and Genetic Therapies Directorate and Office of Biotechnology and Science and later as the Director General of the Science Policy Directorate. He has had a productive research career as author or co-author of 77 scientific publications and presenter of 80 scientific communications and over 25 invited lectures. Pierre holds a BASc. and an MSc in agronomy from Université Laval and a PhD in molecular biology from Carleton University.
Associate Director for Research on Women’s Health and Director, Office of Research on Women’s Health, National Institutes of Health (NIH), USA
Dr. Janine Clayton was appointed Director for the Office of Research on Women’s Health (ORWH) and Associate Director for Research on Women's Health with National Institutes of Health (NIH) in 2012. Prior to that, she has held various positions with the NIH, notably as the ORWH Deputy Director and Co-Chair of the NIH Working Group on Women in Biomedical Careers. As a board certified ophthalmologist, Janine is interested in research topics including autoimmune ocular diseases and the role of sex and gender in health and disease. Janine is the author 80 scientific publications, journal articles, and book chapters. She received her undergraduate degree with honors from the Johns Hopkins University and her medical degree from Howard University College of Medicine.
Dr. Danika Goosney is the Executive Director of the Tri-Agency Institutional Programs Secretariat, housed at the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. Danika obtained a BSc (Hons) from St. Francis Xavier University. She completed her PhD at the University of British Columbia in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology and the Biotechnology Laboratory (now the Michael Smith Labs). She conducted her postdoctoral training as a Canadian Institutes of Health Research Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Immunology at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California. Following her postdoctoral research, she pursued a career as a research scientist at two Vancouver-based biotechnology companies. In 2006, she moved to Ottawa and began her career at CIHR. She was a member of CIHR’s executive team since 2008, holding key director general positions within the Research, Knowledge Translation and Ethics Portfolio. In 2015, she was named one of Canada’s emerging leaders as a member of the Governor General’s Canadian Leadership Conference.
Policy Analyst, Policy and External Relations Directorate, Status of Women Canada, Canada
Linda Henderson is a policy analyst and trainer in the Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA+) Unit at Status of Women Canada (SWC). Her career includes over 25 years of experience in international development in the design of programs, policies and training with a leading Canadian non-governmental organization, prior to joining the Canadian government in 2010 to develop and deliver GBA+ training with the Public Health Agency of Canada and Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada. Since 2011, Henderson has helped lead the SWC team responsible for building capacity for GBA+ across government. This includes developing and delivering GBA+ training and tools; collaborating with partners on GBA+ learning events, and providing expert advice and support to science, economic, research, and health sectors across government in the implementation of GBA+. Henderson has a degree in business from the University of Ottawa and professional training in gender analysis, adult education and facilitation, cultural adaptation and program design and evaluation.
Vice-President, Research and International, Simon Fraser University (SFU), Canada.
Dr. Joy Johnson leads Simon Fraser University’s (SFU) strategic research initiatives and facilitates international opportunities that foster research collaborations and student exchange. Her work focuses on facilitating research excellence and helping SFU respond to new opportunities. She works with members of SFU’s eight faculties to ensure they have the support and resources required to conduct excellent cutting-edge research in all its forms. Building on her long-standing leadership and research experience, she works with the faculty, students and staff to secure research partnerships within the community and industry. Dr. Johnson has a highly productive program of research focusing on health promotion and health behaviour change. Drawing on a broad array of theoretical perspectives, her work explores the social, structural and individual factors that influence the health behaviour of individuals. A major thrust of her work focuses on sex and gender issues in substance use and mental health.
Eve Langelier, (Eng, PhD, MSc) has a backgroubnd in mechanical and biomedical engineering. She currently is an associate professor at Université de Sherbrooke. She holds the Chair for Women in Science and Engineering from NSERC in the region of Québec which main goal is to increase the participation of women in these fields. Her chair program targets women at different stages in their life, from 5th grade to the workplace. Dr Langelier is also active in bioengineering research. She studies the mechanobiolgy and biomechanics of tendons in order to improve prevention and healing of injuries.
Claire Millington is a senior policy analyst in the Research and Policy group at Universities Canada. In this role, she conducts research and policy work with respect to international research collaborations, equity in academia, copyright, and the impact of digital technologies on Canadian universities. She previously managed international development programs for the association. Claire holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) from McGill University and Master of Science in Planning from the University of Toronto.
Senior Policy Officer, European Commission, DG Research and Innovation, Unit B7-Science with and for Society, Gender Sector
From 2012 to June 2017, Anne Pépin was Director of the Mission for the Place of Women at the French National Centre for Scientific Research (Mission pour la place des femmes au CNRS), a strategic unit in charge of designing, coordinating and assessing all actions aimed at fostering gender equality within the organization. She is a CNRS senior researcher, holding a BSc in physics from the Université de Montréal (Canada), an Engineering Degree from the École supérieure d’électricité (France) and a PhD in electronics from the Université Paris 6 (France). Anne Pépin was awarded the CNRS Bronze Medal in 2003 for her contribution to nanotechnology, and was appointed Chevalière de l'Ordre national de la Légion d'Honneur in 2016. She was coordinator for EU FP7-funded projects INTEGER and GENDER-NET ERA-NET, and also represented CNRS within Science Europe's Working Group on Gender and Diversity. Since June 2017, Anne Pépin has been on leave from her CNRS position to join the Gender Sector of the European Commission's Directorate General for Research and Innovation as Senior Policy Officer.
Vice-President, Strategy & Partnerships, Engineers Canada.
Jeanette M. Southwood, MASc, PEng, FEC, FCAE, is Vice-President, Strategy and Partnerships, at Engineers Canada, the national organization overseeing the 12 engineering regulators that license Canada’s 290,000 members of the engineering profession. She leads a team that focuses on the profession’s future, particularly on strategies to sustain and grow the profession for the continued benefit of society. Prior to joining Engineers Canada, she led the Canadian Urban Development and Infrastructure Sector and the Global Sustainable Cities teams at a large global consulting firm. Southwood is a Fellow of Engineers Canada and the Canadian Academy of Engineering, a recipient of the Province of Ontario’s Leading Women Building Communities award, and a Canada’s Clean 50 2014 honouree. In 2015, she received the Ontario Professional Engineers Awards Engineering Excellence Medal and was named one of the Women’s Executive Network Top 100. She will be recognized as one of the Women of Innovation in 2017.
Deputy Director General, CONACYT, Mexico
Dr Julia Tagüeña holds the post of Deputy Director General for Scientific Development af the Mexican National Council of Science and Technology (CONACYT). In this role, she has strengthened the efforts of scientists, both in the basic and applied fields, to advance their research, and encouraged innovation that is based on science. For over 25 years, she has been a research professor at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM). She studied physics at UNAM and obtained a PhD at Oxford University. Her main fields of research are solid-state physics and renewable energies, and she has also worked extensively on science communication. She is a member of the Mexico's National Research System, with the highest rank, and of different societies, such the Mexican Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Physics of the United Kingdom. She has also worked on science communication, and she is a former director of RedPOP, the Latin American and Caribbean Network for the Popularization of Science and Technology.
Scientific Director, Institute of Gender and Health, Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Canada.
Dr. Cara Tannenbaum is the Scientific Director of the Institute of Gender and Health for the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). She was awarded the AFMC–May Cohen Equity, Diversity and Gender Award by the Association of Medical Faculties of Canada, the Betty Haven’s Knowledge Transfer Prize in Aging by the CIHR, and the 2015 YWCA Women of Distinction Award in Health. She obtained her medical degree and training in epidemiology and biostatistics at McGill University. She holds the Michel Saucier Endowed Chair in Geriatric Pharmacology, Health and Aging at the Université de Montréal. Dr. Tannenbaum advocates internationally for the integration of sex and gender into mainstream research and practice. She works as a practising internist, women’s health specialist and geriatrician in Montréal.
Assistant Director, Broadening Participation, Science Division, Office of Science and Technology Policy, The White House, USA
Senior Advisor, National Science Foundation (NSF)
During her tenure at the United States National Science Foundation (NSF), Dr. Wanda E. Ward has served in a number of science and engineering policy, planning and program capacities, including Head of the Office of International and Integrative Activities, Senior Advisor to the NSF Director; Assistant to the NSF Deputy Director for Human Resource Development; Deputy Assistant Director for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences; and Deputy Assistant Director, Education and Human Resources. Wanda provided critical leadership for the development of several NSF-wide activities, including the Human and Social Dynamics priority area, the Science of Learning Centers program, Cyberinfrastructure and the Social Sciences, the ADVANCE program, the Innovation through Institutional Integration activity, and the Career-Life Balance initiative. She has also served on the President's National Science and Technology Council subcommittees and interagency working groups in the areas of science education and workforce development and the social, behavioral and economic sciences. Prior to joining NSF, Wanda was an associate professor of psychology and founding director of the Center for Research on Multi-Ethnic Education at the University of Oklahoma, Norman. She received a BA in psychology as well as the Afro-American Studies Certificate from Princeton University and a PhD in psychology from Stanford University. Wanda chaired the Organizing Committee of the Gender Summit 3 – North America and Gender Summit 5 – Africa.
Program Leader, Foundations for Innovation program, International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada
An economist by training, Dr. Ann Weston is an expert on issues of trade and poverty and has worked all over the developing world. She is widely published and has a wealth of experience in research, training, evaluation, and management. Her past work at the International Development Research Centre led her to oversee the Canadian Partnerships Program, which facilitates Canadian participation in international research networks, and the Fellowships and Awards program, which provides financial support to scholars in Canada and in developing countries. She has worked at the UK’s Overseas Development Institute, the Commonwealth Secretariat in London, the North-South Institute, and has had a long association with the Canadian Association for the Study of International Development. Ann holds an MSc in economics from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.
Professor of Computer Science, Dalhousie University (DAL), Canada.
Dr. Nur Zincir-Heywood is a full professor of computer science at Dalhousie University, in Halifax, Canada. She is a founding member and faculty advisor of the Women in Technology Society (WiTS) as well as the founding Chair of the Culture of Respect in Computer Science (CoReCS) committee at Dalhousie University. Since 2005, WiTS reflects the interests of the women and the evolving context of the information and communications technology world, both academic and professional. Since 2015, CoReCS addresses inclusiveness, fairness, and respect for all stakeholders involved—students, faculty and staff—by engagement and education. This is unique in the university and has become the model for other faculties. She was also responsible for the first screening of the documentary movie, “Big Dream: Empowering Girls to Pursue a Future in STEM fields" outside of the United States. She organized and co-hosted the screening event in March 2015 together with Women in Science and Engineering Atlantic and the Atlantic Association for Research in Mathematical Sciences.
Director, 
Executive Director, 
Associate professor,