Leila Alizadehsaravi 2023 DEWIS Award Winner
The 2023 DEWIS Award goes to Leila Alizadehsaravi, in recognition of her outstanding contributions to diversity and inclusion within our academic community! In her role as a postdoctoral researcher, Leila has demonstrated an exceptional commitment to diversity and inclusion. Leila has been instrumental in driving positive change by actively working to improve equality and diversity practices. Her unwavering commitment to empowering under-represented groups, with a particular focus on women, serves as an inspiration to all members of our academic community!
Leila's extraordinary work as a co-organiser of the Bicycle and Motorcycle Dynamics Conference held in Delft in October 2023 sets her apart. As the first female co-organiser in the history of this conference series, Leila has played a key role in changing its demographics. Through her initiatives, including travel awards for women and early career researchers from developing countries, expanded promotional efforts, and encouragement of increased female representation on the scientific committee, she has significantly increased female participation from less than 5% to an impressive 20%.
These achievements may seem modest in numerical terms, but in the context of this conference series they represent a monumental step towards a more diverse and inclusive future. Leila's efforts have received positive feedback from regular conference attendees, signalling a promising trajectory for increased diversity in the years to come.
Her tireless efforts to promote diversity not only shape the present, but also lay the foundation for a more vibrant and inclusive academic community in the future.
The selection process for the 2023 DEWIS Award proved to be a challenging task, a testament to the richness and diversity of the proposals put forward by our nominees. From the nominations we selected three top candidates. Each candidate has demonstrated remarkable commitment and excellence in their respective contributions to advancing gender equality and inclusivity.
We are also immensely proud of the outstanding efforts that the other two nominees have made to promote gender equality and foster inclusion within our academic institution:
- Medina Bandic, a PhD candidate in Quantum & Computer Engineering Department from the Faculty of EEMCS and in QuTech institute. She has been recognised for her exceptional commitment to diversity and inclusivity within the academic community. As well as being an outstanding PhD who has made a significant contribution to the field of science, Medina goes above and beyond to promote diversity in academia.
- Grazia Bastasin, Program manager at QuTech Academy and Diversity and Inclusion Officer at QuTech, contributing in an outstanding way to gender diversity at QuTech. Grazia's unwavering commitment has significantly enhanced the experience of female staff at QuTech, creating inspiring spaces for discussions, sharing resources, and addressing challenges.