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This year, Utrecht ľ�ϸ���Ӱ�� proudly celebrates achieving its gender target of 35% female full professors, building on the milestone of 40% female associate professors in 2022. This success reflects the collective commitment of faculties, university leadership, and the entire community of Utrecht ľ�ϸ���Ӱ�� to fostering equal opportunities for women in academia through sustained efforts and targeted strategies.

Beyond the numbers, this milestone underscores the importance of recognising and rewarding talent, resilience, and leadership while providing an opportunity to honour the significant contributions of female academics to the university and society.

The journey to promotion

Promotion in academia is often a challenging and demanding journey, requiring perseverance, dedication, and focus. Federica Russo, full professor in Philosophy and Ethics of Techno-Science (Faculty of Sciences) and Lorena De Vita, associate professor in the History of International Relations (Faculty of Humanities), exemplify the resilience needed to achieve this milestone. Their experiences highlight not only the significance of such accomplishments but also the personal and professional growth that accompanies them.

For Federica, the appointment as full professor marked the culmination of a challenging path. “The appointment as full professor has meant a lot to me, marking the end of a long and challenging journey after years of limited prospects and near-misses at other universities,” she reflects. Her trajectory was far from linear, with achievements like becoming editor-in-chief of the European Journal for Philosophy of Science – one of the top journals in her field – coming before she was even tenured. These accomplishments, while significant, only gained true recognition once acknowledged by a formal committee. “Becoming a full professor fulfills my career aspiration and, more importantly, feels like a recognition of my merits and contributions,” she shares, emphasising the importance of institutional acknowledgment in validating one’s efforts.

Lorena’s path to promotion is a story of determination and adaptability. Arriving in the Netherlands as an outsider – unfamiliar with the language, the culture, or even the local mode of transportation – the bike – she began her academic career with a part-time, short-term teaching contract. Over the years, her perseverance paid off, earning her a  and a . Reflecting on her journey, Lorena says, “The news of the promotion was an important recognition for my work”. I had worked for years, faced numerous rejections, but did my best to stay motivated and focused.” While stressing that more work remains to be done, she also credits the supportive environment at Utrecht ľ�ϸ���Ӱ�� for recognising the contributions of young, female, international staff.

The role of mentoring and institutional culture

In academia, the journey to professional growth often intertwines with the culture of institutions and the influence of mentors. For Federica and Lorena, their experiences illuminate the challenges and triumphs of navigating this complex landscape.

Federica reflects on the dual-edged impact of institutional culture on her career. While her initial academic environments offered limited structured support, she found solace and guidance in the mentorship of her PhD advisors and the camaraderie of a colleague. “Institutional culture significantly affected my progression – unfortunately, not always positively,” she shares. This disparity underscored for her the importance of clear promotion policies that align with mentoring and training efforts. Federica’s advice is pragmatic: “Choose your mentors wisely, and ensure agreements are clear and, if possible, documented.”

For Lorena, the transformation came from shifting her focus from relentless productivity to sustainable balance. “Working in a group that values balance over burnout has been transformative,” she notes, describing her evolution from a ‘hustling’ mindset to one that prioritises meaningful contributions. Mentorship played a pivotal role in her journey, both formally and through informal networks like Women in International Security (WIIS). Reflecting on the challenges she encountered – including initial setbacks before eventually being accepted into the Westerdijk Programme – Lorena also underscores perseverance and self-initiated efforts to build supportive networks. She credits the Westerdijk Programme as a brilliant initiative that significantly contributed to her growth. Lorena emphasises the importance of staying grounded in one’s core values while navigating academic cultures. “Stay clear about the academic culture you want to foster,” Lorena advises, “and seek supportive colleagues and activities that help you remain grounded in your core values.”

Building inclusive organisations

Diversity and inclusion have become central to fostering innovation and equity in academic institutions. Utrecht ľ�ϸ���Ӱ��’s efforts, including the , the , the, , and various initiatives and training courses in the areas of social safety and Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) initiatives, highlight its commitment to creating an inclusive environment. However, as Federica and Lorena illustrate, there is still much to be done to ensure meaningful progress and increased representation of women in senior academic positions.

Federica advocates for tailored policies that address the specific needs of individual disciplines, underscoring flexibility in working hours and environments to support women balancing family and career. “Specific policies should be tailored to individual disciplines, but a robust Recognition & Rewards programme is essential,” she asserts. She also highlights the pressing need to address inequities in maternity leave, particularly for early-career researchers on mobility fellowships, and calls for institutional alignment between training and promotion policies to recognise contributions beyond research, such as teaching and coordination roles. 

Lorena’s perspective draws on insights from the , in which she uncovered parallels between the challenges faced by international staff which she argues can also be applied to building a more inclusive university more broadly. She stresses the importance of leveraging expertise, making institutional knowledge explicit, and scaling successful strategies. “Learning from success is crucial: what strategies work, and how can they be scaled?” she asks. Lorena also echoes Federica’s concerns about caregiving responsibilities and inconsistencies in maternity leave support across faculties of Utrecht ľ�ϸ���Ӱ��, noting that addressing these issues is vital for women to thrive in leadership roles.
Both Federica and Lorena stress the importance of EDI initiatives going beyond mere symbolism. “EDI initiatives must be meaningful and ongoing, not just window-dressing, and should support all groups facing discrimination,” Federica asserts. Lorena builds on this, underlining the tangible benefits of diversity: “Research  shows that ‘,’ making it essential to support EDI efforts in creating more diverse, innovative, and resilient universities.”