VisNET: Virtual in situ networking to reinvent the rules of international collaborations and reduce gender differences in academic careers

女性学者，特别是在STEM学科，在衡量国际[1]和工业合作[1]的指标上的得分一直低于男性学者。这两个相关的评估标准在学术生涯的各个阶段都很重要，对于获得最高价值的研究资助和晋升尤其重要。虽然已经确定了一些阻碍妇女学术职业发展的障碍，并导致了国家和机构层面的战略干预，但仍然缺乏专门针对网络和协作的数据和行动——这是VisNET项目的重点。我们的愿景是1)确定女性工程学者国际合作的主要障碍2)设计和展示网络和合作中的干预措施和新的最佳实践，以定义新的和更有效的常态。支持地理上远程工作关系的技术的出现和快速发展提供了一个及时的机会。有效利用这些工具有助于纠正妇女在国际合作中遇到的不利条件。我们提出了一种干预，以确定和重塑网络和协作的隐性“规则”。这个试点项目是针对一批女性博士后研究人员（PDRAs）。从博士后到学者的过渡是工程领域女性的一个关键流失点。成功依赖于展示发展学术独立的手段。拥有一个强大的网络是至关重要的。与此同时，这个群体相对自由地尝试新的工作方法，并代表了展示和嵌入新方法的关键群体，包括让更成熟的学者参与进来的途径。因此，我们汇集的跨学科学术和工业联盟将引领发展、整合和倡导一种新的方法，在这种方法中，网络和合作主要是在现场进行的（即从国内机构）。我们相信，在这个关键的博士后阶段，战略网络和合作的实施可以定义职业生涯，为建立信心、建立未来的学术独立和资助成功提供关键途径。此外，它有可能减轻未来职业中断和为人父母的影响。通过证明不需要经常出差也能建立人际网络，它还将解决这样一种看法，即学术生涯与工作与生活的平衡或家庭责任不相容，这是初级研究人员在被问及是否选择离开学术界时确定的因素。虽然我们在这里看到了一个机会，可以对有限的一群女性的学术生涯产生迅速而切实的影响，但VisNET也将作为一个有效的途径，将我们的方法融入到我们大学的工作实践中。有效的现场网络有可能直接解决学术界对工作与生活平衡的负面看法，有助于促进灵活的工作模式，并促进其他少数群体学术界（如残疾或偏远地区的学者）的包容性。这个项目的协调成果直接符合EPSRC和我们大学的战略计划，以建立领导力，加速影响和平衡能力，确保英国新兴研究领导者的持续发展，通过增强他们的经验和嵌入职业稳定期。[10] larivi<e:1>等人，“文献计量学：全球科学中的性别差异”，《国家新闻》，第504卷，第5期。[3]李晓明，《企业与企业合作的性别差异研究》，《政策研究》，第11卷，第1期。2015[3] Shaw & Stanton，“管道中的泄漏：将人口惰性与学术界正在进行的性别差异分开”，Proc. R. Soc。B杂志。科学。，第279卷，第279号。1743, p. 3736, 2012

Female academics, particularly in STEM subjects, score consistently lower than male academics in metrics measuring international [1] and industrial collaborations [2]. These two related assessment criteria are key at all stages in academic careers and particularly important at senior levels to secure the highest value research grants and promotions. While several barriers have been identified to academic career advancement for women and have led to strategic interventions at national and institutional levels, there remains a lack of data and action specifically targeting networking and collaboration - the focus of this VisNET programme. Our vision is 1) To identify key barriers to international collaboration for female engineering academics2) To design and demonstrate interventions and new best practices in networking and collaborations to define a new and more effective normal. The emergence and rapid development of technologies that support geographically remote working relationships presents a timely opportunity. Effective use of such tools could help to correct the disadvantages experienced by women in international collaboration. We propose an intervention to determine and remodel the implicit 'rules' of networking and collaboration. This pilot project is aimed at a cohort of female post-doctoral researchers (PDRAs). Transition from post-doc to academic is a key attrition point for women in engineering. Success is reliant on demonstrating the means to develop academic independence. Possession of a strong network can be crucial. At the same time this group has relative freedom to trial new approaches of working and represents a critical mass to demonstrate and embed novel methods, including a route to involve more established academics. Thus, the interdisciplinary academic and industrial consortium we have brought together will lead the way in developing, integrating and advocating a new approach where networking and collaboration is conducted predominantly in situ (i.e. from home institutions). We believe that at this critical postdoctoral stage implementation of strategic networking and collaboration can be career defining, providing crucial routes to build confidence, establish future academic independence and funding success. Furthermore, it has the potential to mitigate the impact of future career breaks and parenthood. By demonstrating that networks can be built without frequent travel, it will also address the perception that an academic career is incompatible with work-life balance or family responsibilities, factors identified by junior researchers when consulted about their choice to leave academia [3]. While we see here an opportunity to have a rapid tangible impact on the academic career of a finite group of women, VisNET will also act as an effective route to embed our approaches into the working practices of our universities. Effective in situ networking has the potential to directly tackle negative perceptions of work-life balance in academia, contribute to the promotion of flexible working patterns and advance inclusivity for other minority academic communities such as academics with disabilities or remotely located. The coordinated outcome of this programme fits directly into EPSRC's and our Universities' strategic plans to build leadership, accelerate impact and balance capabilities ensuring the continued progression of UK emerging research leaders by enhancing their experiences and embedding career robustness. [1] Larivière et al., "Bibliometrics: Global gender disparities in science," Nat. News, vol. 504, no. 7479, p. 211, 2013[2] Tartari & A. Salter, "The engagement gap: Exploring gender differences in University - Industry collaboration activities," Res. Policy, vol. 44, no. 6, pp. 1176-1191, 2015[3] Shaw & Stanton, "Leaks in the pipeline: separating demographic inertia from ongoing gender differences in academia," Proc. R. Soc. B Biol. Sci., vol. 279, no. 1743, p. 3736, 2012