WANT (Women's Academic Network Twente) is the professional network of academic women staff members at the University of Twente. If you want to know more about the mission & vision, the board or the history of the network, you can go to one of the pages below.
Mission and Vision
In 2020 the WANT (then FFNT) made a new strategy plan. The vision of FFNT was defined: FFNT embraces diversity and promotes women's academic leadership. The objective is to increase impact of WANT for its stakeholders and members. The following goals were defined as focus points:
- Contribute to FFNT members' professional development
- Increase attractiveness of FFNT
- Contribute to the UT as an inclusive organisation
Background
Academic workplaces and academic careers are supposed to be gender-neutral. However, even today, less than 20% of female researchers are promoted to professors in Dutch academic institutions. At the same time, the number of female doctoral candidates in different faculties, as well as female postdocs, is quite comparable to the numbers of male colleagues. The leaky pipeline is an alarming reality in Dutch academia. If talent walks away, in the long run, this often translates into sub-optimally used opportunities for growth and for innovation. An inclusive work environment is a key factor to retaining and leveraging female researchers’ talent and assuring long-term benefits and growth. To address the ‘leaky pipeline’ issue at the University of Twente, a number of enthusiastic female academic established the FFNT in 2005. Since then, this organization has grown to 431 members at all academic levels. It engages with and for its members, with UT managers and administrators to keep up the dialogue about equity, diversity, and inclusiveness. We are actively involved in building the business case for gender diversity at various levels of the university, in human resources departments, as well as in teaching and research. FFNT also offers a lot of training sessions to train its members in professional academic skills and leadership qualities, effectively tuned for women.
In 2024 the FFNT was renamed to the Women's Academic Network Twente (WANT).
WANT collaborates with other UT organizations, such as OBP-VN, the UT’s Human Resources Department, the UT’s Ambassadors Network, PNUT, the Twente Graduate School, and Studium Generale.
Working Groups
As the Women Academic Network Twente, our strength lies in the collective energy, expertise, and dedication of our members. To further our mission and make a lasting impact, WANT aims to establish and operate together with its members through three interconnected working groups, each contributing to community, visibility, and institutional impact.
These working groups are the engine of our network. Whether you have a little time or a lot, a specific interest or simply enthusiasm to contribute, there is a place for you. The three working groups and their members are:
-> WANT working Group for Events & Community Engagement
Focus: Community building
WANT regularly organizes events to facilitate networking and community building across the university, and to engage members with topics relevant to gender equality, inclusion, and academic life. The Events & Community Engagement working group is responsible for designing and organizing these activities. Check more details in the document attached.
Members of the Events & Community Engagement working group:
- Petra van den Bos (coordinator)
- Patricia Ferreira da Silva
- Maria Carla Piasta
-> WANT Working group for Communication & Media
Focus: Visibility
WANT aims to increase the visibility of gender equality topics, community voices, and network activities. The Communication & Media working group is responsible for shaping and maintaining the network’s communication and public presence. This working group plays a key role in shaping how WANT is seen and heard within and beyond the university. Check more details in the document attached.
Members of the Communication & Media working group
- Canan Acar (coordinator)
-> WANT Working group for Strategy & Partnerships
Focus: Institutional Impact
WANT engages with internal and external stakeholders to strengthen gender equality, academic leadership, and inclusive policies. The Strategy & Partnerships working group focuses on institutional dialogue, strategic positioning, and collaboration. Check more details in the document attached.
Members of the Strategy & Partnerships working group:
- Maryam Amir Haeri (coordinator)
- Lisa Sanderink
- Haleh Abdizadeh
- Trang Duong
- Verena Schwach
- Shenhui Wang
WANT Board
The network of WANT is run by the board, which is responsible for the long-term vision, strategic planning, organization of the events, and finances. The WANT board consists of academic staff members from the different faculties and a secretary for administrative support. The board welcomes professors, associate professors, lecturers, researchers, postdocs and PhD candidates since WANT wants to cover the needs and interests of all the academic levels. Furthermore, all the faculties are represented within the board.
To contact the board, please email to want@utwente.nl
Chair & Coordinator of Strategy and Partnerships
Coordinator of Communication and Media
Coordinator of Events and Community Engagement
Faculty representative BMS
Faculty representative EEMCS
Faculty representative ITC
Faculty representative S&T
WANT Support
