Here you will find news about CWM related or sponsored events, activities, announcements and awards. Further information on CWM, events for women in mathematics, etc. can be found on the various dedicated pages of the CWM website. Suggestions for CWM News and other themes can be sent to cwm.info@mathunion.org.
Half of the world population consists of women. However, women represent only about a third of scientists; this proportion falls under 15% among the leaders of the scientific community. An increasingly large number of initiatives seek to remedy this situation, which is detrimental to science as well as to women. These initiatives are at the local, national, regional, or international level, within or across scientific disciplines. The Standing Committee for Gender Equality in Science (SCGES) has launched on August 20 2026 a worldwide online directory of these initiatives, so as to give them better visibility. Due to the recent creation of the directory the list of initiatives is currently very short. Please help us make it longer by submitting the initiatives from your union or its members !
CWM is happy to report on the success of the two activities it organized around ICM 2026 in Philadelphia in partnership with the Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM): the third edition of the World Meeting for Women in Mathematics (WM)² and the panel discussion "Finding and Defining Success in Mathematics: Pathways and Measures.”
Held on the day preceding the ICM, (WM)² aims to strengthen professional networks among women mathematicians while promoting their full participation in the Congress. It highlights the contributions of women mathematicians from the region in which the ICM is held and is open to the entire mathematical community.
The third edition of (WM)² took place on 22 July 2026 in a hybrid format at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia and online via Zoom. The meeting had approximately 280 registered in-person participants, 150 of whom were recipients of ICM travel support from developing countries. In addition, nearly 120 people participated online. Altogether, (WM)² brought together participants from 78 countries.
The scientific program reflected the breadth and vitality of contemporary mathematics. Participants enjoyed outstanding lectures by Kirsten Eisenträger, Luz de Teresa, Chelsea Walton, and Melanie Weber, covering topics ranging from cryptography and partial differential equations to algebra and deep learning. The program also included small-group discussions over lunch, a poster session featuring approximately 50 posters, and opportunities for networking throughout the day.
The meeting opened with welcoming remarks by Ulrike Tillmann, incoming President of the IMU, Ravi Vakil, President of the American Mathematical Society, and Talitha Washington, Past President of the AWM, highlighting the importance of international collaboration in fostering an inclusive mathematical community.
The day concluded with the panel discussion "Imagining Mathematics in the Future: Hopes and Challenges,” featuring Maria Klawe, Jaqueline Mesquita, Talitha Washington, and Lauren Williams.
Photo: by Dan Z. Johnson; CWM
The panel explored how mathematics is being transformed by technological advances, evolving educational practices, and changing societal needs, while reflecting on the role mathematicians can play in shaping a more inclusive, creative, and impactful future for the discipline. The meeting closed with remarks by IMU President Hiraku Nakajima and Tiffany Vlaar, representing the organizing committee of ICM 2030, who invited participants to the fourth edition of (WM)², to be held in Glasgow in July 2030.
The following day, the ICM officially began. CWM warmly congratulates all IMU Prize winners, especially Fields Medalist Hong Wang and Leelavati Prize recipient Hannah Fry, whose achievements are an inspiration to the mathematical community.
The collaboration between the CWM and the AWM continued during the ICM itself with the jointly organized panel "Finding and Defining Success in Mathematics: Pathways and Measures," held on 24 July 2026. Featuring Annalisa Crannell, Fern Hunt, Emily Riehl, and Shelby Wilson, the discussion challenged traditional notions of success in mathematics by highlighting diverse professional trajectories spanning research, leadership, industry, and public engagement. Through personal experiences and thoughtful reflections, the panel encouraged participants to embrace broad and inclusive perspectives on achievement and impact within the mathematical community.
CWM thanks everyone who contributed to the success of these activities and looks forward to continuing this work with the international mathematical community at ICM 2030 in Glasgow.
We warmly invite the entire mathematical community to attend or watch the panel discussion “Finding and Defining Success in Mathematics: Pathways and Measures,” which will take place on July 24, 3:00-4:30 PM, at the ICM 2026, with the participation of Annalisa Crannell, Fern Hunt, Emily Riehl, and Shelby Wilson.
Mathematics has often emphasized a narrow vision of what a successful career can look like. This panel expands that horizon by celebrating the many dynamic ways success can emerge across research, leadership, industry, and public engagement. Bringing together diverse experiences, perspectives, and insights, the discussion will explore how mathematicians navigate, shape, and define success along different professional pathways. Our hope is to inspire broad and inclusive understandings of achievement and impact across our field.
This panel is jointly organized by the Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM) and the Committee for Women in Mathematics (CWM).
CWM is happy to share news about the third edition of the World Meeting for Women in Mathematics (WM)², a satellite event of the ICM 2026, which will take place on July 22, 2026, at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, and will also be accessible online. The program includes four research lectures, group discussions over lunch, a poster session, and a panel discussion. Please visit the (WM)² webpage for details and updates.
There will be limited travel support for students, postdoctoral fellows, and other early-career researchers to attend (WM)². This funding has been generously provided by Pacific Institute for the Mathematical Sciences, Centre de Recherches Mathématiques, and Fields Institute for Research in Mathematical Sciences. The deadline to apply is June 4, 2026. The webform for submitting applications for financial support is now available here.
Submissions for the poster session are now open to participants attending (WM)² in person. We welcome contributions in any area of mathematics, broadly construed, aimed at a general mathematical audience, as well as outreach projects or activities related to women in mathematics. The deadline for submissions is June 4, 2026. The webform for poster submissions is available here. The call for topics for the group discussions will be available soon.
Instructions for registering for (WM)² can be found here. (There is no registration fee for online participation.)
The May12 website for the 2026 edition is now available at may12.womeninmaths.org. In 2026, two films are available to watch freely, from 1st to 20th of May (registration link). - "Je suis Sophie Germain/I am Sophie Germain" with subtitles in many language, in the occasion of the 250th aniversary of Sophie Germain's birth on 1st of April 1876. - "Secrets of the surface: the Mathematical Vision of Maryam Mirzakhani", courtesy of Zalafilms and director George Csicsery.
Organizing Collectives will be able to propose their events of the year 2026 (taking place from May 1 to June 15) using the dedicated form on the May12 website. The event will appear on the website (including map and list).
The Association for Women in Mathematics and the American Mathematical Society are pleased to announce that Gigliola Staffilani, Abby Rockefeller Mauzé Professor of Mathematics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), will be the 2027 AWM-AMS Emmy Noether Lecturer. The Noether Lecture will be delivered at the Joint Mathematics meetings, to be held in Chicago, IL, January 12–15, 2027. AWM established the Emmy Noether Lectures in 1980 to honor women who have made fundamental and sustained contributions to the mathematical sciences. In April 2013 the lecture was renamed “AWM-AMS Noether Lecture” and in 2015 was jointly sponsored by AWM and AMS.More information here.
Please note the following instructions: - If you have already registered for the ICM, click on the “Already registered?” link on the ICM registration page and modify your registration using your confirmation code by selecting “Modify Registration.” Under the tab “Additional Information,” you will find “Sessions,” where you can register for (WM)². If you are a recipient of the ICM travel support grant, your registration fee will be waived at the final step. - If you are registering for the ICM at the same time, you will find the option to register for (WM)² under the tab “Additional Information” > “Sessions.” - If you plan to attend only (WM)² (either in person or online), and not the ICM, you may register for (WM)² only. - There is no registration fee for online participation.
The Association for Women in Mathematics and the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics are pleased to announce that Professor Fioralba Cakoni will be the 2026 Sonia Kovalevsky Lecturer. The Kovalevsky Lecture will be delivered at the 2026 SIAM Annual Meeting taking place in Cleveland, Ohio, July 6 –10, 2026. The Kovalevsky Lecture honors Sonia Kovalevsky (1850–1891), the most widely known Russian mathematician of the late-nineteenth century. More information here.
The Association for Women in Mathematics and the Mathematical Association of America are pleased to announce that the 2026 Etta Zuber Falconer Lecturer will be Christina Edholm, associate professor at Scripps College. The Falconer Lecture will be delivered at the MAA MathFest, to be held in Boston, MA, from August 5–8, 2026. The Falconer lectures were established in memory of Etta Zuber Falconer (1933–2002). Her many years of service in promoting mathematics at Spelman College and efforts to enhance the movement of minorities and women into scientific careers through many forums in the mathematics and science communities were extraordinary. Falconer lecturers are women who have made distinguished contributions to the mathematical sciences or mathematics education. More information here.
This report "Towards gender equality in scientific organizations - Assessment and recommendations" by International Science Council, InterAcademy Partnership and Standing Committee for Gender Equality in Science presents the most comprehensive global assessment to date of gender equality in scientific organizations. The analysis draws on institutional data from 136 organizations, survey responses from nearly 600 scientists, and a dozen interviews with representatives of scientific organizations. Together, these sources support a multi-level assessment of women’s representation, participation, leadership, and recognition, combining structural analysis with lived experience. More information here.
