To mark International Women’s Day and continue celebrating throughout March and April, EELISA launched the #EELISASheInnovates campaign—an initiative dedicated to spotlighting extraordinary women from the past and present who have contributed to science, technology, engineering, and innovation across our network.
Each of the 10 EELISA member institutions selected one woman—either historically significant or currently active—whose work inspires them. From groundbreaking researchers and engineers to pioneers of social innovation, these stories reflect EELISA’s commitment to honoring excellence and impact through a gender-inclusive lens.
Scroll through the slider below to discover the 11 women highlighted in this year’s campaign—and travel with us from past to present.
-Polonium was the first radioactive element she discovered with her husband, Pierre Curie.
-Discovered Radium, a groundbreaking discovery that became central to research in radioactivity & medical applications.
-Coined the Term “Radioactivity”.
-Not only the first woman to win a Nobel prize, but also the first person to win two Nobel Prizes in two different sciences.
-Developed Mobile X-ray Units During WWI ("Petites Curies") deploying mobile radiography units on the front lines, helping treat wounded soldiers & saving countless lives.
-An iconic figure in science, she is intrinsically linked to EELISA member Université PSL, which today includes several institutions that carry on her legacy, such as Chimie Paris - PSL, ESPCI Paris - PSL, and the Institut Curie (previously the Radium Institute, founded by her).
-In 1904, Emmy enrolled and became the first woman to be enrolled as a full-time student at EELISA member Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen-Nuremberg in mathematics.
-Emmy developed a number of methods in abstract algebra; her contribution was so important that today she’s considered the mother of modern algebra.
-In 1918 she developed what today is known as the Noether´s theorem, that demonstrated among other things, the theory of general relativity developed by Albert Einstein.
-When Noether died in 1935, Einstein wrote in the New York Times: “Noether was a most significant creative mathematical genius”.
-Undervalued in her lifetime, some consider her to be the most important mathematician the world forgot.
-Nowadays, FAU honours its most famous alumna as the namesake of the Emmy Noether lectures and the Emmy Noether Prize which is awarded by the Faculty of Sciences.
-She produced over 85,000 analytic reports on minerals, gas, coal, bauxite, chromium, copper, oil construction rocks, and ore preparation.
-Her vast addition to the research of Romania’s mineral wealth granted her the recognition of a great national and European figure.
-She worked hard to obtain recognition for women in engineering and science.
-EELISA's name honors the legacy of Elisa Zamfirescu, one of the world's first female engineers.
-She embodied the very values that define EELISA today—multiculturalism, inclusiveness, innovation, excellence, and social commitment.
-Graduated from BME on March 8, 1920, as the first Hungarian woman to qualify as an architect.
-Designed the reinforced concrete arches of the the first indoor swimming pool in Hungary and the largest in Europe at the time.
-Sheltered fugitives during WWIl; later inspected and reinforced bomb-damaged buildings, including the National Theater.
Awarded "Best Structural Engineer of the Year" in 1965 for her special foundation method enabling high-rise construction along the Hudson River, New York.
-Lectured at NYU from 1959 to 1970.
-To commemorate the 100th anniversary of women in technical education, BME named a room in its Central Building after her in March 2020.
-First Turkish woman to earn a certificate from Sorbonne University, where she studied under Marie Curie.
-Her research significantly advanced the understanding of metaphosphates and the properties of Turkish herbs.
-Her numerous publications, many featured in the Bulletin de la Société Chimique de France, contributed valuable insights into these compounds, influencing both academic research and practical applications in chemistry.
-Upon returning to Türkiye, she held academic positions at various institutions and in 1947, joined Istanbul Technical University as an associate professor in chemistry at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Chemistry.
-In 1991 she was rewarded with the Service Award for her lifetime of pioneering work in education by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey.
-Paola Barocchi was a pivotal figure in modern art history and criticism.
-In 1968, she joined the faculty of the Scuola Normale Superiore (SNS), becoming its first female full professor and later serving as Deputy Director for many years.
-Her groundbreaking work in the digitalization of cultural heritage initiated in 1978, leading her to later direct the Centre for Computerized research in Cultural Heritage in Pisa.
-At SNS, she was a pioneer in the application of computing to art history research, founding & leading the Centro per l’Elaborazione Automatica di Dati e Documenti Storico-Artistici (Centre for the Automated Processing of Art History Data and Documents), the first of its kind in Italy.
-This pioneering institution radically changed the way artistic heritage is catalogued and studied.
-Cecilia Laschi is pioneering the use of soft materials to build innovative robots.
-Soft robotics is today one of the most promising directions of progress for robotics worldwide.
-She is currently a professor at the National University of Singapore, on leave from Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna in Pisa.
-Her research has led to advances in biorobotics, particularly in marine and biomedical applications.
-She led the OCTOPUS project, a European-funded initiative that developed bio-inspired robots that mimic the movement of an octopus, revolutionizing robotics and its underwater applications.
-Her work continues to shape the future of robotics by improving efficiency, adaptability and interaction with complex environments.
-From apprentice to Young Entrepreneur of the Year: the 33-year-old from Thurgau has gone through every stage of a nursing career, from vocational training to becoming a pioneer in the nursing industry.
-At ZHAW, Alessia Schrepfer completed her MAS and participated in the startup program "Runway Incubator" by ZHAW/ZKB.
In 2022, she co-founded WeNurse AG – the first freelancer pool for nursing professionals that is owned by its employees.
-Her mission: less hierarchy, more appreciation, real participation.
-For this bold approach, Schrepfer was awarded the SEF.WomenAward as Young Entrepreneur of the Year" in March 2024.
-Today, the company already has around 42 employees who are deployed across German-speaking Switzerland for over 50 healthcare partners.
-Elena García Armada is a distinguished industrial engineer and robotics expert who studied at (EELISA member) Universidad Politécnica de Madrid.
-After earning her degree & PhD in Robotics from UPM, she emerged as a leading figure in research and education in automation and robotics.
-Currently, Elena heads a research group at the Center for Automation and Robotics of the CSIC (Spanish National Research Council) and serves as the founder and president of Marsi Bionics.
-Her most celebrated invention is the pediatric exoskeleton, an advanced robotic device specifically designed to assist children with neuromuscular conditions and cerebral palsy.
-This breakthrough has not only set new standards in medical robotics but also underscores the transformative potential of integrating cutting-edge technology with compassionate healthcare.
-After earning a degree in mechanical engineering from UTC, she joined the ME310 Design Innovation program at École nationale des ponts et chaussées, where she discovered design thinking and where she continues to teach.
-Co-developed a helmet-integrated infrared camera system for firefighters, allowing visibility through smoke.
-After co-founding her first startup and gaining multiple awards, she´s continued her entrepreneurial journey by founding Openers, an innovation agency.
-She further applied her expertise by becoming a design thinking teacher and head of the ME310 program at École nationale desponts et chaussées, promoting hands-on, project-based learning.
-Notably, she’s also worked at EY Fabernovel, where she’s helped create a lab focused on climate transition awareness, before joining Sorbonne University in 2024 to launch the Cité de l’Innovation, a major hub for university-driven startups.
-She received her B.S. in Chemical Engineering iand Ph.D. in Chemistry from POLITEHNICA Bucharest, Romania.
-Dr. Stefan's research focuses on the synthesis and characterization of organic materials for applications in drug delivery and tissue engineering.
-She has authored over 135 peer-reviewed journal articles, & has been recognized with.numerous awards for her excellence in research and teaching.
-At the University of Texas at Dallas, she’s supervised 36 graduate students and 24 Ph.D. students graduated with a Ph.D. in Chemistry under her supervision.
-She has also mentored +130 undergraduate students who’ve worked at her research lab on various projects.