Initiative on Diversity and Inclusion in Computer Science at FORTH-ICS

Interview with Magdalini Chatzaki, FORTH-ICS

Dear Magdalini, What role do you play in your organization?
I am an Msc Computer Scientist working as a telecommunication engineer for the Department of Systems and Networks (DSN) within the Institute of Computer Science (ICS) of the Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas (FORTH). I received my degrees from the Computer Science Department of the University of Crete in mid-1990s and have been working at FORTH-ICS for many years. At that time, female students were among a very small minority in the field of computer science in Greece. As a newcomer I was one of only nine women out of approximately 100 students admitted to the CS department that semester. Although things are much better today, there is still a gap to fill in and progress to balance is extremely slow. Despite the global shortage of computer science specialists and the availability of numerous highly paid vacancies, women and other groups remain far less represented among candidates compared to their male counterparts—an issue worthy of discussion.

Since 2021, I have been a member of the Gender Equality and Anti-Discrimination Committee at FORTH. Beyond my scientific and technical work, I am interested in computer science and its social impact—specifically, the connection between the underrepresentation of women and other marginalised groups in computer science and potential discriminations re-enforced by digital transformation.
FORTH-ICS is not an exception; it mirrors global trends regarding female representation in the field. After years of reflecting on these issues, it is now time to implement interventions within the organisation to raise awareness and initiate research activities to accelerate progress. However, considerable effort and dedicated funding are still required, and currently, the Gender Equality and Anti-Discrimination Committee of FORTH operates on a voluntary basis to promote this cultural shift. It is encouraging that we have the support of the Board of Directors and the organisation’s leadership. These are critical factors for ensuring the sustainability of these interventions over the long term. I believe that combining policy initiatives with research activities is essential to achieve tangible results.

Why do you think it is important to promote inclusion and diversity in research institutes and universities?
Academia, universities and research centres are the incubators of knowledge, new ideas, innovation, opportunities, and creators of active citizens and professionals. Academia should not only focus on scientific excellence and advanced technology; it should also aim to cultivate socially sensitive scientists and produce ethically responsible technologies.

How important is it to nurture the young scientists in an inclusive and diversive environment?
Highly important I would suggest! If we expect tο dismantle social stereotypes, the academic environment is an ideal place—at least one of the primary spaces—to intervene. It is important for young people to develop skills in environments where they feel belong, without experience exclusion or discrimination. Opportunities should be provided inclusively. Moreover, given the ongoing and projected shortage of computer science specialists, institutions should welcome and include diversive social groups.

Can you briefly explain some initiatives that your organisation has started to promote diversity and inclusion? Any initiative that you are particularly proud of?
FORTH-ICS is a research institute of excellence committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion. Since 2021 we have actively participated in the Gender Equality and Anti-Discrimination Committee of FORTH, establishing clear policies to address DEI issues, specifically for FORTH and FORTH-ICS. We developed a Gender Equality Plan, follow-up activities, and a proposed protocol to the Board of Directors for managing discrimination and harassment incidents.

Within the framework of the Gender Equality and Anti-Discrimination Committee at FORTH, we have organised several awareness-raising events. Notably, during FORTH’s 40th anniversary , we dedicated a session to highlight our female researchers [L1]. On the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, we promoted women and girls of FORTH, showcasing their research activities and achievements [L2, L3, L4].

Additionally, we actively participate in the National Network of Gender Equality and Anti-Discrimination Committees in Research Centres and Independent Research Institutes [L5], for which we organised a webinar on digital accessibility (in Greek) [L6]. FORTH-ICS introduced the “Mind the Gender Gap” initiative during the Researchers’ Night 2024 [L7] featuring a short video [L8] and a banner honouring the institute’s female personnel. Lastly, FORTH-ICS organised two workshops: one in July 2023 titled “Considerations on Horizon Europe Gender Sensitive Research @FORTH” [L9] and another on February 2025 titled “Gender Issues in Computer Science” [L10] featuring ACM Distinguished Speaker Prof. Letizia Jacchery as keynote speaker.

Have you faced any challenge in promoting inclusion and diversity?
One challenge is that inclusion and diversity are often viewed as external to scientific fields—as issues that should concern others, not STEM or computer science specifically. Consequently, finding colleagues willing to invest time and energy is difficult. Another issue is that diversity and inclusion are frequently perceived as concerns exclusively affecting female colleagues. There is also criticism from some colleagues who see these initiatives as promoting a certain “gender ideology”, unrelated to the research community.

Changing attitudes within the research community and highlighting that diversity and inclusion foster a cultural shift benefitting the entire research ecosystem is challenging. Increased diversity will boost creativity, innovation, democratise the workplace, and open new research directions. The whole concept is not simply to increase female representation but to achieve a more inclusive research environment. Diversity and inclusion are broader than gender issues alone; they encompass disability, accessibility, ethnicity, race, religion, power dynamics, research assessment processes, and practices affecting both workplaces and research outcomes. Given that computer science is behind the construction of digital spaces for humanity, our goal should be designing and building diverse and inclusive digital environments—An ambition we have yet to realise fully.

Another obstacle from the limited representation of women is the resulting lack of role and inspiration models who can inspire young women. Moreover, a lack of diversity among role models is itself problematic. The stereotypical image of the computer scientist as “a very smart guy, slightly weird, geeky or nerdy” remains unappealing, I would say, for many young people.

As an illustrative example, on 11 March 2025 I asked ChatGPT to show me a picture of a successful computer scientist, and Figure 1 shows the result.

Figure 1: Result of a ChatGPT image prompt.
ChatGPT prompt:
“show me a picture of a successful computer scientist
ChatGPT response:
“Here's an image of a successful computer scientist in a modern office setting, radiating confidence and professionalism. Let me know if you'd like to see a different style or setting!”

Maintaining consistent, promotion of diversity and inclusion poses another challenge, especially without a dedicated budget. Currently, FORTH-ICS lacks allocated funding for these activities. Fortunately, we enjoy ongoing support from our institutional administration and Director, and we hope to secure dedicated funding soon. This funding would be crucial for conducting research and initiating public, educational and community-focused activities.

Is there any “mistake” that is important to avoid?
A common mistake is the belief among some members of the research community that diversity initiatives aim to prioritise women over men. Changing this misunderstanding is challenging. The true goal is to eliminate stereotypes within computer science and establish a diversive and inclusive research ecosystem where career development opportunities are equitable.

Are there lessons learned or best practices you would like to share?
We are not yet fully confident in our understanding of or in having foolproof solutions. However, our experience suggests that initiatives and policies should be informed by quantitative and qualitative data, including feedback from all organisational stakeholders. Policies based on such comprehensive input are likely to gain broader acceptance.
Moreover, sustainable results require persistence and long-term commitment, given that social change typically progresses slowly. Sharing knowledge and experiences at national and international levels is fundamental for achieving lasting outcomes. Finally, embedding inclusion and diversity within research questions and establishing communities and networks to discuss challenges and potential solutions are vital. If we treat diversity as a geniuine research problem, our scientific communitiy will undoubtely develop effective solutions.

Links:
[L1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dj6km0FgQ0
[L2] https://youtu.be/s6gVgk9r2PY?si=rI8HwkrTEA9-51Bx
[L3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpiaHLwmprU
[L4] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QcWIh2o2w4
[L5] https://sites.google.com/csri.gr/gearnet-en/the-network
[L6] https://youtu.be/bpDS_VM2JiA?si=P5f_bVto4P0zpgaB
[L7] https://www.ics.forth.gr/dsn/mind-the-gender-gap
[L8] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhsv2bpexNs
[L9] https://www.ics.forth.gr/dsn/gender-considerations
[L10] https://www.ics.forth.gr/dsn/workshop-gender-issues