February 11 marks a significant day dedicated to celebrating and advocating for the involvement of girls and women in science. This day serves as a reminder to inspire young women to follow their scientific interests and creativity while reflecting on how support for their ambitions can be strengthened. Established by UNESCO and the United Nations, this occasion highlights the essential contributions of women in science and acknowledges their accomplishments.

Moreover, it brings attention to the necessary structural changes still needed in the scientific community globally. While progress has been made, women are still underrepresented in senior academic and decision-making roles. For instance, although women make up 48% of doctoral graduates in the EU, they constitute only about one-third of researchers across Europe (She Figures 2024). Additionally, women in research often experience shorter, lower-paying careers and face ongoing systemic hurdles in their pursuit of scientific professions.

 As the United Nations put it:

“Closing the gender gap in science requires breaking stereotypes, promoting role models to inspire girls, supporting women's advancement through targeted programmes, and fostering inclusive environments through policies and actions that promote inclusion, diversity, and equity."

With the atom*innen community, this is precisely the area in which we aim to make a difference. Over the past year, we have published an in-depth interview every 11th of the month, highlighting inspiring women in quantum physics, including their research, career paths and perspectives. Through these conversations, we want to demonstrate that it is possible to change the narrative, and that science requires ALL talents in order to thrive.Special thanks to our inspiring interview partners (pictured below) who generously shared their stories, insights and experiences with our community.
From left to right:

• Dr. Ticijana Ban
• Prof. Christine Silberhorn (picture: University Paderborn, Besim Mazhiqi)
• Prof. Tanja Mehlstäubler (picture: Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt)
• Prof. Monika Aidelsburger (picture: private)
• Prof. Francesca Ferlaino (picture: Roland Ferrigato) - founder of atom*innen
• Prof. Síle Nic Chormaic (picture: SPIE)
• Prof. Ana Maria Ray
• Prof. Anna Sanpera (picture: private)
• Prof. Hélène Perrin (picture: Olivier Ezratt)
• Prof. Christiane Koch (picture: David Ausserhofer)
• Prof. Jelena Vuckovic (picture: Linda Ciccero)

All interviews are available here. Feel free to share :-)

We are thrilled to share some wonderful news: Prof. Francesca Ferlaino, founder of Atominnen, was awarded Austria’s Scientist of the Year 2025.

This prestigious award, presented by the Austrian Association of Science and Education Journalists, recognises not only her outstanding scientific achievements, but also her exceptional dedication to communicating science. It recognises her remarkable dedication to making complex quantum phenomena accessible to the general public, and to emphasising the importance of fundamental research for society.

Beyond her internationally acclaimed research, Francesca Ferlaino is deeply committed to opening up science by sharing knowledge beyond academia, engaging diverse audiences and fostering dialogue between research and society.

„I am deeply honored by this prestigious recognition. I have always been convinced that science is not a solitary effort, but a shared good whose value grows when knowledge is exchanged and communicated. This award gives special recognition to the importance of science communication and to the role it plays in making research meaningful for society. I am particularly proud if, through my work, I have been able to contribute to a broader understanding of the importance of fundamental science,” says Francesca Ferlaino.

This award also recognizes her tireless advocacy for equality and inclusion in physics. She is committed to encouraging girls and women that they are urgently needed in physics and science and that we would all do well to break down stereotypes - after all, science is for everyone.

We warmly congratulate Francesca on this well-deserved honour, and thank her for being such an inspiring role model, mentor and driving force for an inclusive scientific culture. Atom*innen could not be more proud :-) 

Photos by Roland Ferrigato

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We are pleased to announce that a new article about atom*innen has been published in Optics & Photonics News (November 2025).

In the article “Taking on Gender Disparity in Quantum,” we present the atom*innen platform and outline the motivation behind its creation: to establish a visible, accessible and supportive hub for women and gender minorities in quantum science. The contribution discusses current challenges related to gender disparity in physics and highlights the need for inclusive, community-driven approaches in quantum research. We are very grateful to Optica for providing us with the opportunity to present our work and our vision. 

Read our article here :-) 

On November 27, Francesca Ferlaino was invited to present the atom*innen project at the University of Vienna. The event, organised by Brigitte Bischof, Diversity Coordinator at the Faculty of Physics, focused on women in quantum science and offered an engaging forum for discussion.

In her presentation, Francesca Ferlaino highlighted recent activities on the atom*innen platform: A current focus of the project is the systematic analysis and visualisation of data on women in physics: How many women study physics, and at which academic levels? How do these figures compare internationally? What trends can be observed over time? She also introduced the Women4Quantum initiative, demonstrating how such efforts help translate ideas into concrete measures that promote gender equity in quantum physics.

The programme also included two keynote contributions:

Andrea Reichenberger (Technische Universität München) offered new insights into the history of quantum physics, emphasising the contributions of women whose work has often been overlooked. She pointed to the lack of comprehensive historical studies in this area and discussed how established narratives shape today’s perception of research and scientific culture.

Simone Rademacher (Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München) presented a data-driven analysis of women’s participation in mathematical physics. Drawing on registration data from the International Congresses of Mathematical Physics (2016–2021), evaluated together with Serena Cenatiempo, she identified an encouraging upward trend, though the proportion of women remains below the overall average for mathematics. Their findings also indicate that female students and doctoral candidates continue to face structural barriers.

We look forward to further collaborations with the spekaers. Meanwhile, you can have a look at our visualizations here: https://atominnen.at/inform/statistics 

 

Program

Please register by 13 November 2025!

Find out more here!

A few weeks ago, we took part in the “Quantastisch – What’s up in the quantum world?” outreach event. Over 1,000 students aged 13 to 18 gathered at the Austrian Academy of Sciences - Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften (ÖAW) to explore the fascinating world of quantum science. Quantum Science Austria researchers demonstrated exciting experiments and showed how quantum research is shaping future technologies but also everyday life.

We ran an information stand and even got to take part in a Quantum Game as a joker! It was wonderful to talk to so many curious girls who were eager to learn more about quantum physics. We know that stereotypes start shaping us from an early age, so it's never too early to start challenging them.

Want to learn more about atom*innen? The next possibility to meet us is on 6 November at Vienna City Hall at Willkommen Quantenwelt where we will celebrate the quantum world: There will be a special stage program with the satirical duo Stermann & Grissemann, a creative science slam and lots networking opportunites. Come and visit our stand, say hello, and find out more about our community! :-)

Thanks a lot for the great pictures Daniel Hinterramskogler!