Discussing Academia’s Gender Problem with Dr Nafissa Ismail

 

 

On the occassion of International Women’s Day, we interviewed Dr Nafissa Ismail, Associate Professor at the School of Psychology, University of Ottawa and project leader of the ‘Women in Science’ Working Group at the Global Young Academy.

She discusses with us her experience as a first generation university graduate, her work researching the intricacies of the human brain, and how she is fighting back against gender discrimination on the college campus, particularly unconscious biases in hiring practices.

“Often I was in a room with colleagues and students sharing an idea and it was as though it wasn’t heard; then a male colleague would share the same idea and all of a sudden, it was a fantastic idea. The interesting thing is that I didn’t initially perceive it as discrimination. I thought it was my fault,” she explains.

We invite you to watch the interview, which is part of the ALLEA Digital Salon Women in Science Series. You can also read more about Dr Ismail’s work on stress-related mental illness here.