Women in Data Science Romania returns for fourth edition in spring 2024

The fourth edition of WiDS (Women in Data Science) Romania, organized by Think Tank 360 in partnership with Stanford University, will take place on March 21, 2024. The event will bring Margot Gerritsen, the co-founder of WiDS and a professor at Stanford University, to Bucharest for the first time. Other 25 other specialists in the field will take the stage.

The representation of women in data science globally is still limited, but experts predict that this emerging profession will soon be one of the most sought-after and well-paid in the world.

"Through this new edition, we aim to draw attention to the need for increased technological progress in Romania, with a focus on education, research, smart use of data, and innovation. Our goal is to regulate Data Science as a field of study and the occupation of Data Scientist as an independent profession, recognized in the Romanian Occupational Code. Also, the online debate 'AI Further Challenges,' organized as a preamble to the conference, will be moderated by Daniel E. HO, White House Advisor on AI policies, and I am confident that it will provide crucial information," stated Mariana Ungureanu, WiDS Ambassador for Romania and founder of Think Tank 360.

WiDS Romania 2024 also introduces other notable names in data science, digitization, artificial intelligence, and innovation: Shir Meir Lador, Data Science Group Manager at Intuit, WiDS Tel Aviv Ambassador; Sevda Memet, PhD, MBA, MPP, Head of Healthcare Accelerator at Stanford University; Lucia Asanache, Head of Community at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change; Mihaela Ulieru, professor, President at IMPACT Institute for the Digital Economy; Veronica Stefan, AI expert at the Council of Europe; Elif Memet, MBA, MPP, student at Harvard Kennedy School and Harvard Business School, David Rubenstein Fellow at Harvard's Center for Public Leadership.

Prior to the conference, an online job fair will facilitate the recruitment process for talented young individuals from participating universities through direct interaction with involved companies.

Another important aspect of the 2024 edition is improving Romania's international image through the participation of higher education institutions in the WiDS Datathon, an annual international competition launched by Stanford, with around 4,000 participants from over 100 countries. At Datathon 2024 "Equity in Healthcare," teams from the National University of Science and Technology Politehnica Bucharest, "Gheorghe Asachi" Technical University of Iași, Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, Nicolae Bălcescu Land Forces Academy in Sibiu, Bucharest University of Economic Studies, "Grigore T. Popa" University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Iași, and "Carol Davila" University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Bucharest will participate.

Women in Data Science Worldwide is a global initiative with the mission of achieving 30% representation of women in education, innovation, and leadership by 2030, with a long-term vision of full and equal representation in decision-making, economic prosperity, and opportunities.