Women in Science Festival

Women in Science Festival

What is it?

The Women in Science Festival (WiSF) is an annual event run by Robinson College, Cambridge, designed to inspire and encourage young women and non-binary students to pursue scientific study at university.

The 2026 Festival will be held at Robinson College, one of the Colleges that form the University of Cambridge, as a residential event from Monday 13th April to Wednesday 15th April. The event will involve talks and workshop sessions delivered by members of our science community here at Robinson, alongside admissions information, department visits and exploration of the College, the city centre, and the city's science museums. 

 

Who is it for?

The WiSF is open to female and non-binary students currently in Year 11 (England & Wales), S4 (Scotland), or Year 12 (Northern Ireland). Given the interdisciplinary nature of the Festival, it is in particular designed to give students in Year 11/S4/Year 12 a taste of the different fields of study in the sciences and to develop their own interests within the field.

 

In order to apply, candidates must meet at least one of the following criteria: 

  • Are currently eligible for Free School Meals.

  • Have at any time been under the care of a Local Authority.

  • Have a home postcodes in an area of high socio-economic deprivation (IMD quintiles 1 and 2). 

  • Are from an ethnic background currently under-represented at the University of Cambridge (Black African, Black Caribbean, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Arab, Roma, or Traveller).

  • Attend a UK state-maintained school or a fee-paying school on a means-tested bursary or scholarship.

  • Have an academic profile (e.g. subjects studied, predicted grades) suitable for progression to Cambridge or other high-tariff universities.

  • Are currently attending a school with low progression rates to higher-tariff universities.

  • Are the first in their immediate family to attend university.

  • Live or attend a school in our link areas of Swindon, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire or the London Borough of Wandsworth.

     

If you have any questions about the event, please email outreach@robinson.cam.ac.uk

Workshops
Workshops
Student Conference
Student Conference
Taster Lectures
Taster Lectures
Range of Science Subjects
Range of Science Subjects
Department and Museum Visits
Department and Museum Visits

Student Conference

In preparation for the Festival Conference, we ask participants to prepare a research poster in their given field of interest. The posters are submitted into a competition to be assessed by a panel of judges from the departments at the University. We are always incredibly impressed with the standard of the work submitted by our participants. 

You can see some of the shortlisted posters from the Conference below: 

Yagmur, Year 12
Yagmur, Year 12
Hazel, Year 11
Hazel, Year 11
Aminata, Year 12
Aminata, Year 12
Caitlyn, Year 11
Caitlyn, Year 11
Amy, Y12
Amy, Y12