Women in Science and Engineering

Promoting careers for women in the natural sciences and engineering is a priority for NSERC. We are committed to increasing the number of women in these fields, facilitating the accommodation of career and family, and nurturing mentorship. Explore this page to learn more about the policies, programs and activities NSERC has developed to help achieve these goals.

For more information, contact us at cwse-cfsg@nserc-crsng.gc.ca.

What's New

• New NSERC Chairs for Women in Science and Engineering announced
•  Bias in Peer Review online learning module
• Improved access to paid parental leave for grant-funded students and fellows

Chairs for Women in Science and Engineering

The Chairs for Women in Science and Engineering Program (CWSE) was launched in 1996. Its goal is to increase the participation of women in science and engineering, and to provide role models for women active in, and considering, careers in these fields. The program is regionally based, with one Chair for each of the Atlantic, Quebec, Ontario, Prairie, and British Columbia/Yukon regions.

Learn about the current chairholders and their chair program.

Policies and reports

• Family and Medical Leave provisions
•  Gender Summit 11 North America Report: Toward a New Normal
• Policy Statement on Gender Equality in Science and Engineering

Scholarships and Fellowships Available

L’Oréal Canada For Women in Science Supplement

• NSERC and L’Oréal Canada, in collaboration with the Canadian Commission for UNESCO, offer one $10,000 supplement annually to a woman involved in a promising research project who has been awarded an NSERC Postdoctoral Fellowship (PDF). For more information, please consult the program description or view the winner's profile.


• L’Oréal Canada, with the support of the Canadian Commission for UNESCO and in partnership with the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada, offers two $20,000  Women in Science Research Excellence Fellowships to women postdoctoral fellows. The fellowships alternate each year between the fields of Life Sciences and Engineering/Pure and Applied Sciences.  
  
  

The Alice Wilson Award

•  The $1,000 award is given annually to three women of outstanding academic qualifications in the Arts and Humanities, Social Sciences or Science who are entering a career in research at the postdoctoral level. The recipient is chosen from the current year’s female winners of PDFs from the three granting Agencies - the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.