Women continue to be underrepresented in STEM disciplines—not only at the beginning of the academic pipeline, but throughout their careers. At each successive career stage, their representation declines: from undergraduate and graduate students to doctoral researchers and professors, the proportion of women steadily decreases. This phenomenon is commonly referred to as the leaky pipeline. It is not a question of women's ability or potential, but of structural barriers that accumulate at key transition points. At the Cluster, we are committed to addressing these challenges through both community-building and structural measures.
With , researchers from Tübingen's machine learning community have established a network that brings members together at least twice a year for exchange, mentoring, and professional networking. This is complemented by an empowerment group for female Master's and PhD students, which meets regularly. Our commitment is also reflected in public outreach initiatives such as , where women scientists present their research to the public, and, in the future, through our participation in the , where we aim to inspire schoolgirls to pursue studies in machine learning.
