
The gender gap in STEAM education is an enduring issue that extends into the professional world, leading to significant social challenges. This gap limits innovation, slows scientific progress, and has economic consequences by underutilizing the full potential of all individuals. Closing this gap is crucial for promoting equality and maximizing contributions to both scientific and societal advancements.
One of the central goals of the annual EELISA Roundtables, held in celebration of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science (11 February), is to address this issue.
In this fourth edition of the roundtable, we will explore the role that European University Alliances play in driving the transformative changes occurring within European higher education. However, the implementation of gender equality plans often encounters challenges, while also yielding unexpected positive outcomes.
This session offers the perspective of representatives from EELISA, ENHANCE and EUt+, three tech-oriented alliances, who will provide insights into the measures being promoted within this transnational context, as well as giving access to the voices of students, the ultimate recipients of these initiatives.
WHEN
Tuesday 11th of February, 2025, from 11:00 to 12:30 (CET)
WHERE
Online, via Zoom
FOR WHOM
Everyone!
MEET THE MODERATOR

Andrea Mina
Andrea Mina is a Full Professor of Economics and Pro-Rector for International Relations at the Institute of Economics, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna. Previously, he was a University Lecturer in Economics of Innovation at the Cambridge Judge Business School, holding roles such as Senior Research Associate at the Centre for Business Research, Director of Economic Studies and Fellow at St Edmund’s College, and Policy Fellow at the Centre for Science and Technology Policy of the University of Cambridge. He has led and contributed to numerous research projects funded by institutions like the EPSRC, ESRC, MRC, NESTA, the European Commission, and the Italian Ministry of Education.
Currently, he serves as Associate Scientific Coordinator of the L’EMbeDS Department of Excellence at Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna and is a Visiting Professor at the Collège d’Europe, Bruges. He is also part of the EELISA Executive Board.
MEET THE PANELISTS

Raphaela Hettlage
Dr. Raphaela Hettlage serves as the Team Leader of ETH Diversity at ETH Zurich, where she coordinates the development of diversity strategies and promotes an inclusive culture within the university. She holds a PhD in Social Anthropology, with research expertise in gender, migration, and age.
Prior to her current role, she held equal opportunity positions in various diversity and inclusion projects across Switzerland. In her role as Team Leader of ETH Diversity Raphaela is representing ETH Zurich in the Diversity and Inclusion Work Package 10 of the ENHANCE alliance.

Scarlet Song
Scarlet Song is bachelor student in industrial engineering at RWTH Aachen. She is currently in coursing the 5th semester. Scarlet has a strong interest in equal opportunities in industry. She has joined several ENHANCE initiatives is an active ambassador at RWTH Aachen promoting the alliance initiatives.

Inês Pinto
Inês Pinto is Policy Advisor and Strategy Facilitator at the EELISA Central Office. She works in the coordination of the alliance’s operations and in the facilitation of joint processes and policies. As part of this work, she is member of the EELISA Gender Equality and Diversity Work Group, the expert group that leads the different diversity and inclusion initiatives of the alliance. Prior to this appointment, Inês worked as Policy Officer at the Young European Research Universities Network, coordinating the policy activities and advocacy actions of the network. She also worked as Policy Assistant in the Higher Education Unit of DG EAC at the European Commission where she followed the development of the European Universities Initiative. Inês holds a MA in International Public Management from the Paris School of International Affairs (PSIA) of SciencesPo and a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from SciencesPo.

Dóra Baranyai
Dóra Baranyai is a 4th-year Civil Engineering student at Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BME). She is the BME student representative in the EELISA Student Council and has been involved in different initiatives of the alliance. She is a passionate student about making science and engineering more inclusive.

Deirdre McQuillan
Deirdre McQuillan is project team lead on the EUt+ (European University of Technology) alliance for Transitions and Society. Her responsibilities include championing the ongoing transitions to a just, sustainable and equitable society aiming to reach the 2050 targets of the twin transition by incorporating the green and digital transitions. Within this work is oversight of work on equality, diversity and inclusion. Her research interests are in inclusive entrepreneurship and creative industry strategy and work contexts. She has recently published on gender issues of women technology entrepreneurs within the university ecosystem.
Check previous roundtables: 1st EELISA Roundtable: “Women Who Make Science Happen” (2022), the 2nd EELISA Roundtable: “Parenting and STEM in the 21st Century: raising children, giving up science?” (2023) and the 3rd EELISA Roundtable for the International Day of Women and Girls in Science: Women do ̶n̶o̶t̶ like science, wemen do ̶n̶o̶t̶ love maths: Reshaping narratives for more inclusive STEM fields.