WOMEN IN STEM Stakeholders Report

Progress Update 

July 2025

Introduction

The Success Toolkit Book Series for Women in STEM Has Launched

Last month we launched the Success Toolkit Books for Women in STEM, a practical and empowering publishing initiative designed to help women build soft skills, confidence, and strategic presence across their careers. All titles are available in Kindle, paperback, hardback, and audiobook formats. All profits support the Women in STEM Network’s global mission.

Two books are now available:

Explore the books and support our mission: https://womeninstemnetwork.com/books

20 New Interactive Worksheets Now Live for Members

We’ve added a new Members-Only Worksheet Library with 20 downloadable, guided activities to support reflection, growth, and leadership. These worksheets focus on topics such as confidence, communication, boundaries, burnout, inclusive leadership, and strategic career planning.

Highlights include:

• Overcoming Imposter Syndrome
• Designing Your Networking Strategy
• Reclaiming Your Time: Energy Mapping for STEM Professionals
• Balancing Confidence and Humility in Male-Dominated Spaces
• Creating Psychological Safety in Your Team
• Intersectionality Reflection: Seeing the System, Shaping the Change

These are exclusive to members and can be found in the Members Portal: https://womeninstemnetwork.com/members-home-page/

New International Partnership: Empowering Women in STEM Across East Africa

We are delighted to announce a new collaboration with the Nishati Initiative East Africa (NIEA), an organisation committed to empowering women and youth in the energy sector across East Africa, particularly in Uganda.

WiSN and NIEA will co-develop soft skills training and events that provide mentorship, capacity-building, and leadership development for women in energy-rich regions. Initial activities will include joint workshops to boost women’s visibility, confidence, and access to global STEM networks.

Planning is underway, with discussions focused on a one - two year strategy for scaling impact across the region.

To learn more about our partner, visit: https://theniea.org

July Ambassadors Meeting

Our July Ambassadors Meeting was held on 23 July, chaired by Dr Shara Cohen and filled with energy, ideas, and cross-regional momentum. 

Highlights included:

Karan and Mathew volunteered to support the upcoming African meetings collaboration, helping coordinate speakers, pre-meetings, live events, and recordings

Dr. Vasiliki Kalodimou volunteered to contribute as a writer for the Success Toolkit Book Series, with more titles in development

Diksha Diundi will provide updates at our next meeting on her role liaising with nonprofit partners and exploring global partnership opportunities

We are currently seeking a volunteer to take over the Member Spotlight Series, which involves coordinating featured members and moderating sessions

Ambassadors were invited to represent WiSN as panellists at the Biologics, Discovery & Formulation event in San Diego

Everyone was reminded to ensure their teams are listed on the WiSN website and that each team has a designated leader. Sponsorship outreach remains an ongoing focus.Social Media Milestones 

Meet Our Global Volunteer Team

The Women in STEM Network is powered by a passionate and growing community of over 50 volunteers spanning five continents. These dedicated individuals contribute their time and expertise to support our mission—from leading events and fundraising efforts to amplifying our message online and building local impact.

Founding Ambassadors

• Dr. Marisa Amato (United Kingdom)
• Dr. Yvonne Anesta (Sri Lanka)
• Dr. Liesl Arendse (South Africa)
• Mireille Barsoum (Egypt)
• Ekroop Grewal (Canada)
• Victoire Mukamitari (Rwanda)
• Segen Kubrom (United States)
• Ing. Gloria Sitsofe Selase (Ghana)
• Catherine Maina (Kenya)
• Nesredin Hassen Yesuf (Ethiopia)
• Dr. Ida Wilson (South Africa)
• Kamila Morad (Canada)
• Heba Nashid (United Kingdom)
• Tracey Martin (Australia)
• Candy Muthoni (Kenya)
• Silpa Anoop (India)
• Diksha Diundi (United States) – Non-Profit Liaison Manager

Volunteer Fundraising Team

• Dr. Tamar Zehavi Chkola (Israel) – Grants Manager
• Salma Moosa (India) – Crowdfunding Lead
• Suneeksha Shinde (India) – Sponsorships Manager Lead
• Dr. Karan Kanhai (Spain) – Councillor to Sponsorship Team
• Wilson Luong (Vietnam) – Sponsorship Manager
• Mathew Mbwogge (United Kingdom) – Sponsorship Manager
• Varnika Singh (South Africa) – Volunteer Sponsorship Manager

Volunteer Events Management Team

• Hannah Mikkelson (Australia) – Team Leader
• Taisiia Mukii (Ukraine) – Community Event Coordinator (Ukrainian Women in the UK)
• Vasiliki Kalodimou (Germany) – Event Moderator
• Jaci Harman (Portugal/United Kingdom) – Event Moderator
• Shilu Mathew (Qatar) – Event Moderator
• Ruth Morse (United Kingdom) – Events Features Writer
• Zakia Alioua (Algeria)
• Vilashini Saravanan (Malaysia)
• Eeda Rijal (United States)
• Elizabeth Kuponiyi (Nigeria) – Post-Event Technical Support
• Sunbin Samin (Bangladesh)
• Polina Aliev (Israel)
• Nina Rezec (United Arab Emirates)

Social Media Managers

• Nicole Kaszczak (United Kingdom) – Team Leader
• Izzy Walford (United Kingdom) – Twitter Manager
• Kira Ward (United Kingdom) – Facebook Engagement Coordinator
• Salma Ahmed (United Arab Emirates)
• Maimoona Waseem (United Kingdom) – LinkedIn Engagement Coordinator
• Yoyo Yung (United Kingdom) – Facebook Engagement Coordinator
• Kaosolu (Linda) Chinwuba (Nigeria) – Facebook Engagement Coordinator
• Rose Mutende (Kenya) – Facebook Engagement Coordinator
• Sophie Maliakal – Facebook Engagement Coordinator
• Lydia Russell (United Kingdom) – Facebook Engagement Coordinator
• Dr. Ikram Mahmoudi (France) – Facebook Engagement
• Riya Gill (Australia) – Facebook Engagement
• Carolina Endara (United States) – Visual Artist

We are deeply grateful to every volunteer for their time, expertise, and energy. 

Growth

Together, we’re building a platform where women in STEM around the world can thrive.  We are welcoming approximately 50 new paid members every month from across the world. This consistent growth shows strong engagement but still falls short of covering our platform development costs. To address this, we are scaling our fundraising efforts through sponsorship, grants, and crowdfunding.

Our online community continues to grow steadily across all platforms—thanks to the consistent efforts of our Social Media Team and the support of ambassadors, partners, and members who continue to share our message.

Current stats (as of July 2025):

Facebook: 36,000 followers (up from 32,000 in June and 30,000 in April)

Instagram: 2,725 followers (up from 1,587 in June)

Twitter/X: 4,758 followers (slightly up from 4,748 in June)

LinkedIn Company Page: 1,823 followers (up from 1,647 in June and 1,564 in April)

LinkedIn Newsletters 

Women in STEM: Science & Life: 1,064 subscribers (up from 935 last month)

Science, Cancer, STEM and Me : 5,242 subscribers (up from 5,221)

Closing Remarks

Thank you for continuing to support the Women in STEM Network. None of this progress would be possible without our incredible global team of volunteers—from board members and sponsors to event organisers and engagement coordinators and our members.

As you’ve seen this month, our ambassadors are actively shaping strategy, developing international partnerships, launching new resources, and contributing to a truly inclusive community for women in STEM. With over 50 volunteers across disciplines, countries, and career stages, our momentum is growing—and so is our impact.

We are always open to collaboration, partnership, and support. Whether you’re an individual championing equity in STEM or part of an organisation ready to get involved, we’d love to connect.

If you are interested in sponsorship, donating, or partnerships—or becoming a founding member—please reach out today.

Thank you for being part of our journey.