MSRI provides a number of services to support researchers who identify as women in the mathematical sciences.
- Family Services: Schooling and child care assistance, and family-friendly events for mathematicians who are members of each semester's scientific programs and/or workshops.
- Family Support Grants for Child Care: To allow visitors to fully participate in its scientific activities, MSRI is pleased to be able to offer childcare grants to researchers with children under the age of 17. One of the objectives of MSRI’s family support program is to contribute toward MSRI’s goal of enabling the participation of women and members of other historically underrepresented groups in its programs, workshops, and summer graduate schools.
- Complementary Program: For mathematicians who are the partners/spouses of MSRI program members.
- Nursery: Private room on site for parents to nurse or feed infants.
- Connections Workshops: Workshops which provide an enhanced opportunity for early-career researchers, especially women, gender-expansive individuals, and minorities, to connect with potential senior mentors with similar research interests and to showcase their own research.
- Summer Graduate Schools: Additional support for women nominated for MSRI's Summer Graduate Schools.
- Marie A. Vitulli Graduate Fellowship for Women Graduate Students: Support for one advanced graduate student in mathematics, per academic year, to attend an MSRI Program with her advisor.
- MSRI Advisory Committees: Rotating committees tasked to ensure equitable representation and build community among women and underrepresented minorities in MSRI's research programs and workshops.
- Summer Research in Mathematics: Support for small groups of mathematicians, especially women and gender-expansive individuals, to work on a research project at MSRI.
- Noetherian Ring: A member-run organization of gender-minority graduate students, postdocs, professors, and staff in the Mathematics Department of the University of California at Berkeley.
Family Services
MSRI strives to maintain a diverse community of mathematicians in its programs by actively assisting mathematicians with partners/spouses and children. The Institute has a dedicated Family Services Consultant on staff who assists mathematicians in finding schools and childcare in Berkeley. Between Fall 2014 and Spring 2018, as an example, MSRI's Family Services coordinator assisted 169 members with securing childcare services and school enrollment for over 200 children. Contact the consultant at familyservices@slmath.org. Learn more: Family Services →
The Institute hosts occasional family-friendly gatherings for scientific program participants with children, including potluck dinners for mathematicians with children to meet each other, and outings to local parks and family-friendly venues.
To allow visitors to fully participate in its scientific activities, MSRI is pleased to be able to offer Childcare Grants to researchers with children under the age of 17. MSRI prides itself on welcoming mathematicians from all backgrounds and on actively promoting the participation of members from groups historically underrepresented in the mathematical sciences. We encourage members of these groups to apply for family support grants. Historically underrepresented groups include women, Native Americans, African Americans, Latinos/Hispanics, persons with disabilities, and members of the LGBT+ community.
These flexible grants may be used for reimbursement of childcare expenses incurred in Berkeley, or at home, including airfare for children and support for companion caregivers or hired childcare providers in Berkeley or to cover the costs of such help at home. Please note that, because these funds are taxable, they are available only to US Citizens and Permanent Residents, and foreign visitors with a visa status that allows for compensation, such as a J1. We are deeply grateful to our Family Support Donors for their generosity.
If you are interested in receiving a child care grant, please fill out this form. Questions? Contact coord@msri.org.
Complementary Program
The Institute gives special consideration to applicants of the Complementary Program who are partners/spouses of an invited member of a Core Program. MSRI’s Complementary Program is for mathematicians whose interests are not closely related to its Core Programs. Interested partners (spouses) should include their partner (spouse’s) name in their cover letter.
Nursery
MSRI is pleased to be able to offer a private room for parents to nurse or feed infants. For information and access, contact Chris Marshall, MSRI Program Manager.
Connections Workshops
Every semester-long research program at MSRI starts with this 2-day workshop (immediately preceding the weeklong Introductory Workshop). Connections Workshops have a long, successful history of encouraging early-career women and gender-expansive individuals in the profession.These workshops have three overarching goals: (1) to give accessible introductions to the main themes of the program and exciting new directions in related research; (2) to provide participants the opportunity to become acquainted with the work of women in the field; and (3) to connect early-career researchers, especially women, gender-expansive individuals, and minorities, to potential senior mentors. A typical workshop consists of introductory lectures, presentations by post-doctoral researchers and graduate students, and a panel discussion addressing the challenges faced by all young researchers, but especially by women, in establishing a career in mathematics.
Throughout the workshops, special effort is made to foster mentoring relationships between established and early-career researchers at the lunches, dinners, and coffee breaks. Participants of the Connections Workshop are encouraged to stay for the following week for the Introductory Workshop to the semester’s program. The workshop organizers are also encouraged to propose week-end activities for small groups of women with similar research interests to discuss problems and perhaps to begin work on a joint research project (e.g. forming small research or study groups that would work on predetermined problems, read a paper, or leanr new techniques). As is the case for all MSRI workshops, registration to attend Connections workshop lectures is open to all interested persons.
Summer Graduate Schools
Additional support is provided to those Academic Sponsoring Institutions that nominate women students to attend. For full-level academic sponsors, MSRI provides support for two students per summer; a third student will be supported if at least one nominee is a women or is a U.S. citizen/Permanent Resident from a group that is underrepresented in the mathematical sciences (URM). MSRI will support four students from a full-level academic sponsor if at least one nominee is a woman and at least one other nominee qualifies as URM.
Marie A. Vitulli Graduate Fellowship for Women Graduate Students
Beginning in academic year 2021-22, the Marie A. Vitulli Graduate Fellowship for Women Graduate Students will support one advanced graduate student in mathematics, per academic year, to attend an MSRI program with her advisor.
MSRI Advisory Committees
The Institute engages in a number of efforts to increase participation of women in MSRI activities. All Institute programs and workshops have women mathematicians on the organizing committees, and women participate in all levels of scientific membership, from graduate students to Research Professors and program organizers.
The Human Resources Advisory Committee (HRAC) is a rotating group of ten mathematicians (50% women / 50% underrepresented minorities in the mathematical sciences) which augments the Scientific Advisory Committee's care for human resources issues. HRAC members help to recruit participants from under-represented groups and develop new MSRI activities to promote these groups' involvement in the mathematical sciences. In addition, it advises on selection of special programs aimed at under-represented groups (such as the Blackwell-Tapia Prize and Conference) and aids MSRI in the evaluation of its programs and diversity efforts. Learn more: HRAC members →
The Committee on Women in Mathematics is a rotating group of six mathematicians (66% women) who work collaboratively with the Directorate to create annual plans for activities to increase the participation of women in MSRI’s major programs and associated fundraising for such initiatives. Members also interface with the Institute's academic sponsors on projects that could be undertaken at many universities with the goal of increasing the participation of women in mathematics, and periodically review MSRI's existing program for women.
The committee's recommendations led to the creation of the Summer Research for Women in Mathematics program; increased funding for family support for women mathematicians; and two named postdoctoral fellowships (honoring mathematicians Dusa McDuff and Karen Uhlenbeck). Learn more: CWM members →
Summer Research in Mathematics Program
The Summer Research in Mathematics Program provides space, funding, and the opportunity for in-person collaboration to small groups of mathematicians, especially women and gender-expansive individuals, whose ongoing research may have been disproportionately affected by various obstacles including family obligations, professional isolation, or access to funding. Through this effort, MSRI aims to mitigate the obstacles faced by these groups, improve the odds of research project completion, and deepen their research experience. The ultimate goal of this program is to enhance the mathematical sciences as a whole by positively affecting the research and careers of all of its participants and assisting their efforts to maintain involvement in the research community.
Groups of two to six mathematicians with partial results on an established project may submit an application to the program. Each member of the group must have a Ph.D. in mathematics or advanced graduate standing. Each group may apply to be in residence at MSRI for a minimum of 2 weeks, although longer visits are possible.
In exit surveys, participants have remarked on the benefits of distraction-free, in-person collaboration; the value of candid discussions among peers regarding family and work/life balance; and their unexpected sense of relief and comfort in sharing partial or incomplete ideas and asking questions in a women-focused environment.
Noetherian Ring (at UC Berkeley)
The Noetherian Ring at UC Berkeley invites you to participate in their community of gender minorities in math during your stay at MSRI. The group has weekly teas, discussions on special topics, and other informal meetings and events.
If you would like to be added to the email announcement list, please inform Chris Marshall at MSRI. Individuals often co-organize one-off events, so if you have a specific idea, you can contact nring@math.berkeley.edu to discuss how to make it happen.