Events and initiatives to celebrate girls and women in science at the Institut Pasteur

In connection with the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, the newsletter team is focusing on some female staff members and presenting some of the initiatives, highlights and upcoming events that emphasize the Institut Pasteur's commitment to promoting gender equality and encouraging and highlighting the participation of women in science.
 

"Three questions to Rachel Torchet, UX Lead at the Institut Pasteur and a mentor for the Science Adventures scheme"

 

Last year, the newsletter team presented "Science Adventures," a scheme in which the Institut Pasteur was involved through the efforts of dual-education student Juliette Bonche and UX Lead Rachel Torchet (see the April 5, 2024 issue of the newsletter). This original mentoring scheme, led by the Science Technology Society Association (ASTS), was a way of building bridges between the Institut Pasteur, middle- and high-school students and several Institut Pasteur scientists, to raise awareness and inform students about the role of women in science.

 

For this special newsletter section on "Women and girls in science," the team wanted to interview Rachel Torchet, who has been working since 2024 alongside Juliette Bonche for the "Science Adventures" scheme. We asked her three questions to find out more about her work, her commitment to women in science and more specifically her role as a mentor for the scheme.

 

What is your role at the Institut Pasteur – what does it involve?

At the Institut Pasteur, I am a UX Lead, which means that I am responsible for designing and improving user experience of our digital products and services (ABSD, Aedes cell atlas, PaRis project, etc.). My role is to make sure that our interfaces are intuitive, easy to use and effective for users. I do this by carrying out research and analyzing user needs and behaviors. On a day-to-day basis I work with Juliette Bonche, a second-year dual-education student on the Scientific and Technical Information and Outreach Master's at Claude Bernard Lyon 1 University, who is in charge of some of the graphics for web developers and product managers with the aim of creating smooth, logical user flows. My goal is to ensure that our solutions meet the needs of both users and the Institut Pasteur. 

Can you tell us a little more about your commitment to women in science? 

My commitment to promoting women in science is based on a deeply held belief that diversity is essential to advancing research and innovation. All too often, women and gender minorities come up against obstacles in these areas, whether in terms of visibility, positions of responsibility or even encouragement at a young age.

For several years now, I have been working to improve the representation of women in science through awareness campaigns and by supporting initiatives to make scientific careers more accessible and inclusive. What drives me is the conviction that every act, however small, can inspire and open doors for future generations, change mentalities and encourage new vocations.  

 

How are you involved in the Science Adventures scheme? 

The Science Adventures scheme involves assigning female scientists as mentors to secondary school classes for the school year. The project has been rolled out across the Greater Paris region and is a great way for students to interact directly with professionals from different backgrounds so that they can widen their perspectives on scientific careers.

Since she started her dual-education program, Juliette has been actively involved in this project. She designs a whole range of teaching resources, such as booklets and games, that can be used to stimulate and enhance discussions between students and scientists, and she adapts the scientific language so that the students can understand it.

This year, we will be mentoring class 3C (final-year middle-school students) at Simone de Beauvoir school in Créteil, in the Greater Paris region. Following our initial meeting in January, the students will have the opportunity to visit the Institut Pasteur in March to speak to scientists about their careers and their research.
Keep your eyes peeled as the newsletter team will be sure to report on this campus visit in a future issue!

 

Stay tuned, as BIP will be following this upcoming event on campus to bring you a “return on”!

Edit-a-thon workshop at the Institut Pasteur on February 7: boosting the visibility of women scientists on Wikipedia

 

To mark the 2025 edition of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, the Department of Communications and Public Affairs and the Department for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) organize,with the participation and support of the Centre de Ressources en Information Scientifique (CeRIS), an "edit-a-thon" collaborative workshop to create, translate or update Wikipedia pages about female scientists who worked at the Institut Pasteur. The edit-a-thon will be led by the association Les sans pagEs, which works to improve online visibility for women.

Registration for this event has now closed but a report on the event will also be included in a future edition of the newsletter, with several videos to give you an inside look at how an edit-a-thon works!
 

 

Recognition for the Institut Pasteur's female scientists

 

Profiles of female scientists at the Institut Pasteur

The International Day of Women and Girls in Science 2025 is an opportunity to shine the spotlight on committed and talented women researchers. In addition to their scientific work, these Institut Pasteur scientists, also called Pasteurians, are creative person involved in scientific outreach who work to make science accessible to all.

Consult the page dedicated to them on Pasteur.fr

 

2024 awards

Every year, many of the Institut Pasteur's female scientists are recognized with prestigious awards. The newsletter team wanted to give you the opportunity to (re-)read the articles about female scientists at the Institut Pasteur who received awards in 2024 for the excellence of their scientific research:

Zeynep Baharoglu, Agnes Ullmann Prize

Yasmine Belkaid,
•    Highly Cited Researchers 2024
•    Elected as a member of the French Academy of Sciences

Aude Bernheim,
•    Irène Joliot-Curie Award in the "Young Female Scientist" category
•    New Fellow of the European Academy of Microbiology

Ségolène Bernheim, Institut Pasteur Young Scientist Prize

Camille Berthelot,
•    Schlumberger Foundation for Education and Research Prize
•    Prix Jayle

Carmen Buchrieser, 2025 FEMS-Lwoff Award

Laura Cantini, 2024 CNRS bronze medal

Aleksandra Deczkowska, 2023 Joël Ménard Award for basic research

Alice Dejoux, 2024 L'Oréal-UNESCO "For Women in Science" French Young Talent award

Myrielle Dupont-Rouzeyrol, New member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO)

Ekaterina Gaydukova, 2024 André Blanc-Lapierre Young Researcher Award – Greater Paris

Marion Guérin, 2024 Cancéropôle Île-de-France award

Cassandra Koh, 2024 ERC Starting Grant

Marie Flamand, 2024 top 100 inventors list published by the magazine Le Point

Elisa Gomez Perdiguero, Prix Impulscience® 2024 de la Fondation Bettencourt Schueller

Malia Lasalo, 2024 L'Oréal-UNESCO "For Women in Science" French Young Talent award

Michaela Müller-Trutwin, New member of Academia Europaea

Lucie Peduto, 2023 ERC Proof of Concept Grant

Jessica Quintin, Sanofi iAwards

Mathilde Ruggiu, Prix solennel de la Chancellerie

Nell Saunders, 2024 L'Oréal-UNESCO "For Women in Science" French Young Talent award

Nathalie Sauvonnet, Sanofi iAwards

Maria Semitekolou, 13th Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation call for proposals
 

 

Don't miss the upcoming DEI seminar on February 13


 

 

In line with the Institut Pasteur’s efforts to promote diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), the DEI community is pleased to invite you to the upcoming DEI seminar on February 13 at 11am, on the topic "Rêv'Elles: Mentoring for young women from less privileged backgrounds."

The guest speaker at this event will be Athina Marmorat, founder and President of Rêv'Elles.

Since 2013, the Rêv'Elles association has inspired and motivated young women from less privileged backgrounds and supported them in their personal and professional development. Rêv'Elles runs various programs for girls aged 14 to 20 to build self-confidence, help them develop a career plan and empower them to act as part of a community of women committed to the values of sisterhood and kindness. The association, based in Greater Paris and the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, has worked with more than 3,000 young women, providing long-term support for their economic and social empowerment within working-class neighborhoods. Athina Marmorat, founder and President of Rêv'Elles, will speak to us about the history of the association, from the initial observations that led her to want to work in this area to the different forms of support the association offers to young women today.

Practical information:

Date and time: Thursday February 13 at 11am

Place: Jean-Paul Aubert room (Fernbach building)

Teams linkLanguage: French