A Room Full of Women+ Physicists: Reflections from Women+ in Physics Canada 2025

When I first heard about the Women+ in Physics Canada (WIPC+) Conference at Queen’s University, I had no doubt I should participate. In my 20-year journey, from an undergraduate physics student to working in several countries and attending countless scientific events, this was the first time I had ever seen an entire conference devoted to women+ physicists.

I knew that many physics and astronomy departments including Perimeter Institute, have women+ working groups, but an event of this scale, fully dedicated to us, was new to me. I registered immediately. My excitement grew when I saw that the program included a session on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) talks. I submitted a proposal on “Void of Voids: Exclusion, Exile, and the Hidden Struggles of Displaced Women in Physics” , drawn from my own experiences, and was thrilled when it was accepted.

Seeing women+ physicists from across Canada gathered in one place was deeply inspiring. I noticed something beautiful: the dress style. Many of us wore more colourful and expressive clothing than at mixed conferences, perhaps because we felt freer and more comfortable, without the subtle pressure of being one of only a few women in the room.

The conference organization was impeccable, timely, smooth, and thoughtful, thanks to the dedicated female faculty members in Queen’s physics department who led it. One of the keynote speakers was Marcela Carena, the Director of Perimeter Institute, who spoke candidly about her career path, the challenges she faced as a woman, and later as a mother of two boys, both of whom became physicists. She shared with pride that, despite the difficulties, her children never grew to dislike science, which she saw as proof that she had done her “motherhood well.” I was also struck by her story of a small circle of women leaders, including the Director of CERN, who have mentored each other over the years, a privilege that male leaders often take for granted because of their greater numbers.

We also had a powerful panel discussion on EDI, the challenges we face, and how to reach equity in physics. One panellist, a former Perimeter graduate student, shared a telling story: just last summer, she was informed that her name had been added to the list of invited speakers at a conference, not because her expertise was suddenly recognized, but because the organizers realized they had no female invited speakers and wanted to check the gender balance box. Despite being labelled an “invited speaker,” she wasn’t even compensated as such. It was a stark reminder of the difference between true inclusion and tokenism.

The conference dinner was another highlight, offering a safe space where participants could speak freely. Many shared how comfortable they felt, not worrying about harassment, judgement, or being underestimated. That sense of safety was priceless.

Personally, one of the most moving moments for me was meeting four other Iranian physicists. It made me both happy and sad; happy to see how Iranian women can rise to such levels of achievement, but sad because it is yet another reminder of the brain drain from my country, a country still far from equality and inclusion.

But there were also lessons to learn. I learned that in some cases, students are sometimes advised to attend different, more “prestigious” conferences, since travel budgets are limited, while other participants are sent by faculty only to “check the EDI boxes.” For me, this makes it clear that dedicated funding is needed to make events like this sustainable. 

But events like WIPC+ need more than just funding. They also need genuine engagement from the broader community. I expected there would be few male participants at the conference, and that turned out to be the case. This raises a question I often ponder: when an event is labelled ‘for Women+’, why do so few men attend? The strong support of Queen’s Physics Department Head, a male ally, was invaluable, and more engagement from male physicists broadly could make a big difference. 

I’d like to see more events like this in the future. Earlier this year, Perimeter Institute hosted the Emmy Noether Workshop on Quantum Gravity, highlighting the exceptional work of women and gender diverse physicists in that field. The Women+ in Physics conference isn’t focused on one specific research area, and I’d love to see Perimeter host this event in the future. Events like these showcase that even in theoretical physics, a field still heavily male-dominated, there are remarkable women across the world leading and inspiring the next generation.

It seems we still have a long journey ahead toward true equity in physics. But resistance matters. And we need more events like this. Spaces that inspire, connect, and empower women+ in physics to keep pushing for change.

Encieh Erfani is a postdoctoral researcher at Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics.