Teaching award for Elena Hassinger: Unpacking the impact of gender stereotypes on scientific careers

Elena Hassinger, Professor of Low-Temperature Physics of Complex Electron Systems at the Würzburg-Dresden Cluster of Excellence ct.qmat – Complexity and Topology in Quantum Matter, has received TU Dresden’s 2023 Diversity-Aware Teaching Award for her interdisciplinary seminar “The Big Bang Theory Syndrome: Why should we care about stereotypes?” The award honors teaching staff or concepts that bring the subject of diversity to the fore and foster a greater awareness of its importance among students. The ceremony took place on August 9, 2023, during a session of the university‘s senate.

What gender stereotypes are there – and how do they affect scientific careers? What are the consequences of gender biases – and how do they influence our behavior? In the English-language seminar “The Big Bang Theory Syndrome: Why should we care about stereotypes?” offered within the studium generale, Elena Hassinger aims to raise awareness of the gender stereotypes that scientists encounter throughout their careers.

Sharpening perception
“This course is designed for students who are eager to sharpen their perception and bring professionalism into their interactions,” states Professor Hassinger. “Ultimately, the aim is to help them take decisions driven by clear, defined criteria, rather than by entrenched stereotypes.” Through the lens of scientific literature, the seminar takes a closer look at scenarios where gender-specific role models come into play. In weekly sessions, students discuss a range of topics, including the representation of scientists in the media, employee evaluations, leadership quality, and career aspirations.

A stellar scientific career
Professor Elena Hassinger dedicates her research at TU Dresden’s Institute of Solid State and Materials Physics to investigating the intricate workings of unconventional superconductors. A member of the Grete Hermann Network and a Max Planck Fellow, she was appointed a cluster professor at ct.qmat in September 2022. Milestones in her career include heading a research group at the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids in Dresden since 2014 and holding a tenure-track professorship at TU Munich from 2016 to 2022.