Karachi: Women scientists warned on Thursday that discriminatory practices and structural barriers in academia continue to restrict women’s advancement in research across South and Central Asia, including Pakistan.
They raised the concern at the opening of the Supporting Women in Science Conference 2025 in Karachi, where researchers from nine countries gathered to present new work in health and development.
Keynote speakers Dr Tasnim Ahsan and Dr Anjum Halai said women still face unequal access to leadership roles, limited research opportunities and institutional hurdles that slow career progression. They called for reforms in hiring, mentoring and research support to help women scientists compete on equal footing.
The two day conference marks the completion of Phase III of the SWIS Programme, hosted by Aga Khan University’s Institute for Global Health and Development in collaboration with the University of Oxford. Organisers said the initiative has become one of the region’s leading platforms for strengthening women’s scientific leadership.
Launched in 2022, SWIS has received nearly 700 applications and currently supports 84 fellows from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, India and Central Asian states. It offers mentorship, leadership development and scientific training in maternal and child health, climate resilience, adolescent well being, nutrition and health systems.
Professor Zulfiqar A Bhutta, Founding Director of IGHD, said women scientists were reshaping research, public health and innovation across the Global South. He said SWIS had become a movement focused on equity and visibility, helping women researchers publish, lead and influence policy at senior levels.
Chief Guest Sultan Ali Allana, Chair of HBL, said supporting women researchers was a national and regional priority. He highlighted the HBL Zarai initiative, noting that women agronomists working with farmers had helped reduce post harvest losses and improve yields, creating new scientific role models in rural Pakistan.
AKU President Dr Sulaiman Shahabuddin said the university was committed to providing an equitable scientific environment, ensuring women researchers are positioned to lead in fields linked to global health and development.
The conference features research presentations, technical sessions, policy dialogues and leadership workshops. Organisers said the closing panel will outline the next phase of SWIS, including expansion of fellowships, deeper partnerships with Oxford and stronger regional networks to support scientific excellence and gender equity.
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