Chicago Women in STEM Initiative jobs and careers

About Chicago Women in STEM Initiative

Mission: We are building an inclusive, self-sustaining community of Chicago-area women in STEM, including students, postdoctoral scholars, and professionals, that provides mentorship, professional development, leadership, and networking opportunities. Who we are: Now approaching our 10th year, The Chicago Women in STEM Initiative (CWIS) brings together early-career women across disciplines and career stages through our monthly STEM Circuits mentorship program and our annual International Women's Day Symposium. This volunteer organization was founded in March 2018 by Colleen Zaccard, PhD with a dedicated team of postdocs and grad students based on Northwestern University's Chicago campus. We are affiliated with The Graduate School at Northwestern and partner with organizations across academia, industry, and the nonprofit sector. What drives us: We help Chicago-area early-career women in STEM navigate their professional trajectories, whether that path leads to academia, industry, government, science communication, or entrepreneurship. Through mentorship, cross-sector partnerships, and career development programming, we work to turn training into opportunity and connection into community. In 2026, AI, quantum computing, precision medicine, and other emerging technologies are reshaping research, healthcare, and society at an unprecedented pace. CWIS exists in part to help women in STEM keep pace with the everchanging landscape and shape how these technologies are developed, applied, regulated, and safeguarded.