The second edition of the Rector's Joanna Schopenhauer Award is now open. The award is given to female researchers from the University of Gdańsk who take into account the gender perspective of their research for the highest-rated achievement that forms the basis for the award of the title of professor. Applications for the competition can be submitted until 15 December this year.

The annual Rector's Joanna Schopenhauer Award was established as part of the EU Horizon 2020 project Modifying Institutions by Developing Gender Equality Plans (MINDtheGEPs), implemented at the University of Gdańsk in 2021-2025 and led by prof. dr hab. Ewa Łojkowska. It is one of the measures (measure 4.6) provided for in the Plan for the implementation of gender equality policy at the University of Gdańsk for 2024-2028.

Although more and more women are obtaining academic degrees, there are still significantly fewer female professors than male professors. The Joanna Schopenhauer Award is one of the measures designed to support and recognise outstanding female scientists, as well as to inspire younger female researchers to pursue academic careers.

The winner of the first edition of the Rector's Joanna Schopenhauer Award was prof. Małgorzata Lipowska from the Institute of Psychology at the Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of Gdańsk. The competition committee recognised her achievement entitled ‘Beauty and health - the psychology of physicality in clinical and developmental terms’. (Prof. Małgorzata Lipowska, Dr hab., was the winner of the first edition of the Rector's Joanna Schopenhauer Award | News - University of Gdańsk).

In the second edition of the competition, researchers who obtained their academic title in 2024-2025 and included the gender perspective of the research subject in their studies are eligible to apply for the Award. Applications for the competition can be submitted until 15 December 2025.

Detailed rules and regulations and the schedule for the Award are available at Rector's Joanna Schopenhauer Award | University of Gdańsk.

We would like to remind you that applications are also being accepted for the 4th edition of the Rector's Special Award ‘I include gender in my research’, for the highest-rated master's and doctoral theses and scientific achievements of persons with a postdoctoral degree who have included the gender perspective in their research.